Official 2009 Big Hammer Challenge-Reports,Pics-Leaderboard

nice

Teamed up with Hammer n the Phenom's Jimmy Fuqua and my team last night and got three the biggest a 8 ft 4 incher.Just got home going to sleep report and pics later.It's on!!!

Total for yesterday was 3 Tips, 20pd Cuda, and a 25 pd Jack. Not exactly what we were looking for. The tips ate both halves of a 20 pd permit and the head off the 25 pd jack. Not what we were looking for but at least we are on the board.

Chris that sucks that those BT's ate my permit! I was hoping that you were going to get a Hammer with that!

Chris that sucks that those BT's ate my permit! I was hoping that you were going to get a Hammer with that!

LOL. I figured that Permit had to come from Josh,.... VERY generous donation that thing was a bada$$ Permit - too bad the HH we saw in Feb. that evening didn't find it first. Good goin' Will looking forward to your pix/post! Pete I hope Mellissa is riding Shotgun w/you guys 'cos you're 'gonna need her magic touch.

8)

First off i want to thank Capt Mike Rodriguez for providing us with some prime bait to fish the first part of this tourney.He hooked us up with 3 big Crevalles in the 20-25 lb range.Big baits ,fresh baits to ward off the small hush puppy sharks and make it possible to last through the bluefish and every other small crab and fish that thrive off our local beaches.I'd much rather use a big bait that a smaller shark can't swallow and wait for the bigger fish to engulf it.I knew the high tide was gonna be late so after picking up Jimmy and Joey Fuqua (Jimbo's sons) we hit our beach at midnight to await the high tide at 1am.I had a feeling about a certain beach and i was right.The surf was beatiful and i wanted to take advantage of the lull in the wind to pound the hot spot.It all paid off with our final results of 3 lemon sharks.These sharks won't win this tournament but they are a nice start for us and a clear signal that the spring fish are finally starting to show up like like years before.

Big baits to keep away the runts,,,a half a crevalle dors the trick

hooked up to the first fish

The first lemon of the night 7 ft 11 inch Will -TEAM SHARK FEVER w team mate Joey Fuqua

close up of tail measurement
SECOND SHARK
Lucky me I've caught one shark allready on my 12/0 and the the 16/0 with the big jack head gets hit hard and i let him eat the bait good and take alot of line ,I set up and it's on.

fighting the second lemon from the life guard stand

the second a nice male lemon shark

lemon shark 8 ft 4 nch Will TEAM SHARK FEVER

gettin feisty with the photagrapher

tail shot 2nd shark 8 ft 4 inch

Well by now i'm feeling pretty good my instincts were right ,the beach is hot tonight and the bite is on: it's 2:30 am and i have two sharks caught out of two hits .The Fuqua boys are starting to wonder if they have to rub on me so the luck will rub off on them but after an hour or so Jimmy's 14/0 that i loaned him starts to rattle off
in a slow deliberate run.Tonight i introduce Jimmy for his first time to the use of a shoulder harness and he loves it.

Jimmy from Team Hammer N the phenoms fights the shark and his brother Joey helps to video the action.

jimmy works the shark like a real champ,,,,,his brother eggs him on and films.

Jimmy Dean Fuqua TEAM HAMMER N THE PHENOMS with a shark that could be the twin of my male lemon shark 8 ft 4 inch also

a late night straggler did us a favor and took a picture of the three of us

tail shot of Jimmy's shark

the release

By now it's about 4 am and i'm wiped out, my 16/0 and 12/0 are in there rod holders sitting idle waiting for my next command. i decide to bait up and yak out my first bait of the night on the 16 ,another half a jack crevalle.The rest of the night was quiet which was fine by me I needed to get some shut eye anyway.A good night on the beach for sure.

Very nice sharks Will and crew!!

From this evening 04/02/09

nice job guys!

Nice Hammerhead guys, way to go!!

Nice Hammer Team Black Bart.

SAFETY FIRST
Hey everyone i forgot to mention this before but it is of supreme importance.We want every one fishing this tournament to Please practice Safety First.We all want you to get out there and catch some big sharks but we want you to be careful to not get hurt in the process.This sport has many dangerous aspects from dealing with sharp hooks and knives to paddling out baits in rough surf ,to dealing with the biting end of a big angry shark.Always be on point and stay alert to potential dangers and make sure that your team mates practice Safety First.If you see danger be sure that you make your team mates aware of it and do everything in your power from having anyone get hurt.

1)ALWAYS WEAR A LIFE VEST WHEN PADDLING BAITS OUT
if your kayak flips in the surf you will float in to safety,but without a vest you stand a chance of drowning

2)ALWAYS KEEP YOUR HOOKS OFF THE GROUND
when on the beach rigging up or baiting up keep your hooks hanging on your rod guides or reel and off the ground so that no one can step on a hook

3)ALWAYS TRY AND FISH IN GROUPS OF THREE OR MORE
shark fishing is a tough sport that requires team work to capture the shark and safely get it released.
a group of three people working together will ensure more hands to help out and more eyes to watch for impending danger.

4) ALWAYS HAVE ONE PERSON STAY AWAKE ON WATCH WHEN FISHING AT NIGHT
drunks,weirdos,druggies,thieves and gangs of rowdy drunk youngsters can ruin anyone's shark fishing so always take turns sleeping and leave at least one person on watch

5)TREAT EACH AND EVERY SHARK WITH THE OUTMOST RESPECT
a shark can inflict serious damage with it's teeth and it's tail so be extremely careful when handling any shark.Never attempt to remove a hook inside a sharks mouth without a de hooker.Always keep an outstretched hand on the shark and when he starts to move you also move when trying to remove a secondary hook or tagging your shark,,,,,bottom line keep your distance .

Always stay alert of your surroundings and things that are happening quickly and learn to identify danger before it bites you on the a$$ .Stay focused on your task but always practice and teach your team mates about Safety First,

Good luck to all the anglers fishing in the 2009 BIG HAMMER CHALLENGE.

Awesome start you guys great work. Nice HH and freakin' FAT Lemon Will!! Keep it 'goin!

Here's some links to the Big Hammer Challenge on other websites provided by Josh (blacktip hunter)Thanks Josh.

Here's the one at extremecoast:

http://extremecoast.com/phpBB3/viewtopi ... =1&t=13247

Here's the one at pierandsurf:

http://www.pierandsurf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62118

What a great start to the tournament. Good job fellas.

Blake

Nice Hammer guys. Way to go. Will nice lemmons. Good going to the Fuqua boys. You are all hard core shark fishermen.