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Shannon's 12 foot 2 inch Long Key bridge Hammer

william
(@william)
Member Admin

Story by Shannon Bustamante aka(seaweed)

After so many years of trying from the bridge i finally landed that huge hammer!!!!!
For years we have been losing those 10ft plus hammers, with so many different obstacles and road blocks from a bridge as many off you keys fisherman already know.
If it isnt a lobster buoy its a ghost trap, if you bring her in between the electric poles to fast she takes you under, if you fight her outside to long she wraps you, if she dosent wrap you on the telephone pole, a boat cuts across your line. The percentages are very slim for us avid bridge fisherman!!!!!!!

But, wait a minute!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not on this night baby!!!!!!
I worked my triceps ,biceps and cardio all week long for this tournament baby i was ready for war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We arrived to Long Key bridge and i just knew with our fresh cudas, the perfect tide, and the best month of the year for keys shark fishing (April) that it was going down that night!!!!!!
As im singing out loud our historical shark club hammer songs to Ki Ki Ferer ,my new up and coming juniour (meir), and Aaron Bunch, I stop abruptly and shout to every 1 (look its april in the keys baby) anything can happen tonight, ANYTHING!!!!!!!

My partner Ki Ki Ferrer hooks into a bull, then his other rod goes off (double header) the other shark was a lemon and kiki quickly works them to the seawall and starts releasing them. I stayed behind and Lower my king kong 30 lb cuda that Aaron Bunch aka (snag) caught earlier that day for me at channel 2, I put the whole cuda straight down on my 14/0 that is full to the brim with brand new 125 ande. Im looking at the big cuda straight down and saying to myself (im going to get burned, that cuda looks alive) and sure enough while im all alone due to ki ki stealing my teamates to help him, my 14/0 starts screaming!!!!!! I pick up the rod and scream "Its a Hammer" get the spotlight!!!!! I let her eat a little and i set up, only to get the rod pinned to the bridge as i start getting stripped. The guys run up out of breath and my reel is smoking as it gets lower and lower, 3/4 spool, 1/2 spool, 1/4 spool, at a 1/4 spool every 1 is saying shannon you need to tie in now!!!! I refuse as i already know i will do what i always do with big hammers, crouch all the way down and stuff my fingers in the spool at my last 200 feet and either break it and get my line back or stop the beast. So i put my last effort and sure enough i stop her!!!!! as the battle continues i found my self gaining all my line back inch by inch all the way to 3/4 spooll only to be burned right back to below a quarter spool within seconds, this must have happen atleast 4 times throughout the battle. I continue power winching her closer and closer after 2 and a half hours of battle, and i am covered in sweat, every one is pouring water on me and my reel because i could barely play with my star drag due to how hot it was. I am gaining on her and she is not far past the telephone polls, so i start talking to her (mama please give in, i know your so tired, i am too) just give in and let me get my pictures with you and let you go. Than it finally happend i got her in between the light poles and i get her on top when every 1 on the bridge freaks out OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! Ki Ki yells, shes 13ft 800 lbs!!!! someone else yells no way 1000 lb easy!!! and i cant see cuz im battling her so now im freakin pumped!!!!!!! I start walking her and these rif raft yo yo fisherman are camped out in a whole section of the bridge that I need to pass by!!! so like i said im pumped now and start yelling in spanish (saca la linia ) !!!!!!!!!! Get all thos yo yos out of my way now!!!!!!!!! some people wouldnt move, and as you know 20lb test tangled to shark line will cut your shark line instantly and that wasnt happening after 3hr battle!!!!! so i start going off on these Goo Gans , Hey get that !@#% out of the water now!!!!!!!! and i sounded crazy cuz i was pumped and my voice was cracking, so they moved. We successfully walked her to the flats and that was it we did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ki Ki and Aaron tail roped her and pulled her to the shallow, but i was very concerned with the fishes health so i decided not to take her too shallow and harm her so we took our pictures with her kind of deep. This decision effected the pictures, as almost none of the photos did this hammer justice, she looked pregnant but you cant tell due to her stomach under water!!!!!! We took our measurement which actually was 12 ft2 but since we dont have a great picture showing the last 2 inches i will let you guys win with a 12ft 1 if you get 1 that big, i play it fair fellas!!!! Anyways we got our pictures ,measurements 12 ft 2, and educated guess weight 550 -650 lbs and we set my dream fish free.


releasing the monster

SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger

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Topic starter Posted : 10/02/2009 7:00 am
william
(@william)
Member Admin

Just a few more pics of Shannon's 12 foot 2 inch Long key bridge caught Hammerhead shark.This year has been very significant because this shark broke the bridge record in the South Florida Shark Club,,,,second biggest is 12 foot exactly caught by Ed Grosso years ago.

A LINK TO SHANNON'S SHARK
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1179

SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger

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Topic starter Posted : 12/09/2009 7:26 am
941sharker
(@941sharker)
Honorable Member

hell yeah!!!! those are some of the better looking pics! :D :D

2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home

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Posted : 12/09/2009 7:47 am
bullshark51
(@bullshark51)
Reputable Member

HEY THERE SHANNON THE MORE I LOOK AT THOSE PICTURES I WONDER WHAT WAS GOING ON YOURE HEAD AT THE TIME AND WHEN YOU WERE FIGTING THAT BEAST TAKIHG YOU FROM PILON TO PILON HOW DID THATH FEEL LIKE ,DID YOU REALLY THINK AT THAT MOMENT YOU HAD WON THE BATTLE :?: :?: :?: :D :D FOR YOU OK ..........................

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Posted : 12/09/2009 8:07 am
e polk
(@e-polk)
Prominent Member

That is a bigun Shannon! Nice ya caught a fish like that dureing a tourniment. Was it a male or female? There ant nothing as exciting as throwing the bait to a big shark, and watching it eat. Nice job!

Land Based World Record #5 short fin Mako 700lbs
Team
Land Based World Record #8 Tiger shark 928lbs
True
Land Based World Record #9 Tiger shark 949lbs
Blue
SFSC Panhandle Events Coordinator

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Posted : 12/09/2009 10:17 am
Adrianc
(@adrianc)
Reputable Member

Kind of fish you dream about! Great photos!

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Posted : 12/09/2009 10:23 am
Picua
(@picua)
Noble Member

That was GREAT CATCH Shannon. What makes it even more impressive is that you did it off a Keys bridge in that tough current. Major props to you man. Congrats again.

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Posted : 12/09/2009 2:58 pm
Monster man jr
(@monster-man-jr)
Estimable Member

What a beast!!!! that is a big shark and even bigger from a bridge, awesome catch

big Will

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Posted : 12/11/2009 9:48 am
Anonymous
(@anonymous)
Prominent Member Guest

One fat HAMMER!! And an epic battle being bridge caught! did you happen to get the girth on that fish?

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Posted : 12/11/2009 4:33 pm
meir c.
(@meir-c)
Reputable Member

if i remeber correctly the night we caught it it was 55 inches it was fat

gino #7419

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Posted : 12/11/2009 7:02 pm
South Beach Seaweed
(@south-beach-seaweed)
Noble Member

it was fat as hell, looked very pregnant, those pictures were taken in the water making her look skinny, and t was more than 55 inches

SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator

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Posted : 12/13/2009 4:20 pm
meir c.
(@meir-c)
Reputable Member

youre probably right im pretty sure it was somewhere around 5 feet though

gino #7419

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Posted : 12/13/2009 7:01 pm
sharkinmiami
(@sharkinmiami)
Prominent Member

Everytime i fish and i put out baits.. i bring the biggest bait i can get my hands to set out on my 14/0 in hopes of one day catching a fish on the same level as your big hammer and the one you lost out there on Delray. Seeing fish like these give me that motivation to get out there and put up with all the 6 and 7 footers in hope of one day seeing the monster.

Thanks Shannon for repeatedly showing us that it can be done. I hope to be showing a fish like this someday really soon.

Colby Uva : Bullbuster Team Captain
Buy Fishing Line Online and get half off retail prices at Bullbuster.net!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/107013063084498996341/


SFSC-Tagging/Fishing Science Coordinator

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Posted : 12/13/2009 9:19 pm
Cape_Haze_Rods
(@cape_haze_rods)
Prominent Member

super nice fish

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Posted : 12/28/2009 3:57 pm
South Beach Seaweed
(@south-beach-seaweed)
Noble Member

Wow that hammer was such a dream!!!!!!!!!!
Ifi get one like this or bigger tomorow night, i will be happy for the whole year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator

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Posted : 12/22/2010 1:51 am
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