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Official 2009 Big Hammer Challenge-Reports,Pics-Leaderboard

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(@reelemin)
Eminent Member

just a good pic

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Posted : 04/07/2009 1:56 am
(@south-beach-seaweed)
Noble Member

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

SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator

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Posted : 04/07/2009 6:18 am
(@fishergirl)
Prominent Member

Kudos to you Shannon! Team Hammer & the Phenoms rock!

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Posted : 04/07/2009 7:31 am
(@blacktip-hunter)
Prominent Member

Wow Shannon nice Hammer, congrats bud!

"He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction" (Proverbs 13:3).

Visit us online: http://blacktiphfishing.org

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Posted : 04/07/2009 8:02 am
 Bolo
(@bolo)
Active Member

Totally forgot to post our pictures on this forum beside Boatless.

Team LockedDrag.

WhoDey's Lemon

Bolo's Blacktip

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Posted : 04/07/2009 8:09 am
(@picua)
Noble Member

Shannon,

As a fellow bridge fisherman I can really appreciate that catch. On behalf of Team Hammertime we saltue you and your team on an incredible catch. Major props.

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Posted : 04/07/2009 8:19 am
(@cudaman)
Trusted Member

Thanks everyone for all the nice comments on my last shark. Congrats on the hammer Shannon it is not easy to land any shark at Long Key. It is nice to see Maddawg out there again, no patch dude? The eyes are 100%? Keep on racking up those numbers people. Pier rats you guys are doing great! Beast of a lemon RTL. Awesome job all.

Will this year is looking awesome.

We had been having a bad streak and now it has picked up a bit. Brad and Luis went to the Key bridges and landed 2 tips and a Nurse. Alex had his 9/0 smoked and was able to feel the power of a big shark too bad that after fighting it for so long the 60lbs line broke off at the knot. I didn't even get a nibble. Here are Brad and Luis’ sharks.

Night pics from a high bridge are not great at all, but you can ID the sharks.

Brad’s blacktip from a bridge


Brad’s Nurse from a bridge


Luis’s blacktip from a bridge

Good luck to all and be safe.

Good luck fishing!

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Posted : 04/07/2009 10:51 am
(@maddawg)
Reputable Member

thanks cudaman yeh iam better ...those are some nice fish yall keep it up

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Posted : 04/07/2009 11:15 am
(@surfrat)
Estimable Member

Man, great 'goin everyone! SB Seaweed big props on a monster HH!! Pete you guys are rockin' and Melissa's Nurse is a SLOB,... LOL almost as fat as the one I caught, they're probably Sisters! Will this is turing out to be one hell of a gig Bro!

:o

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Posted : 04/07/2009 11:33 am
(@south-beach-seaweed)
Noble Member

Thank you everybody, take note that the hammer was 12 ft 2 but due to bad camera boy we dont have a great picture showing the last 2 inches which it actually was, I will gladly take second place to anybody with a 12ft1, i am so happy with my catch that nothing could phase me, not even coming in second place, But i did say IF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol good luck fellas, catch them up and have a great time doing it, its not all about competition!!!!! let the woman and children put out baits too!!!!

And again thanks every 1 for the compliments!!!! we lose 30 of these before we catch 1 on the bridges in the keys!!! it aint easy!!! good luck everyone!!!

SFSC -East Coast Events Coordinator

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Posted : 04/07/2009 12:18 pm
(@gettinhammered)
Eminent Member

Nice HH boys!!!

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Posted : 04/07/2009 12:39 pm
(@meir-c)
Reputable Member

wow i still cant believe we got that hammer i honestly thought we would lose that hammer the second time it was stripping your line i was thinking we were going to get popped on the electric poles or stripped all the way but you caught it and you definitely deserved it fishing hard probably before you can ride a bike all your teachers (renee, hammer, seaweed) they are all proud of you

gino #7419

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Posted : 04/07/2009 12:45 pm
(@maddawg)
Reputable Member

nice hammer keep it up boys and girls

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Posted : 04/07/2009 1:30 pm
william
(@william)
Member Admin

THANKS EVERYONE for the tremendous effort that is evident by the great catches so early into the 2009 Big Hammer Challenge.I'm seeing that all teams are out there fishing hard and posting some big sharks.I understand how hard the fisherman in this tournament work to compete and i know first hand because i'm out there on the beaches or bridges also spending entire nights trying to catch the big one and I realize how much sacrifice,hard work and study it takes to become a better land-based shark fisherman.I want everyone to know that without a doubt in my mind Florida is the number one place in the entire world to catch sharks from land. My hat goes off to all of you for your incredible determination.

Out on the Skyway bridge Charles Rockwell Team Chasin Hitler da Hammer reports hooking up to shark on a 14/0 using the mid section of a ray for bait and the shark almost completely dumped the reel then they fought it for for another 10 minutes , it charged and went under the bridge and broke the line.Probably a big hammer.

Three years ago when I decided to start this tournament and name it The Big Hammer Challenge it was because of the big hammerhead sharks that make there appearance with the annual migration of tarpon on the Florida keys bridges typically in April and May.Those big hammers with there massive sizes and extreme power were the impetus for the creation of this tournament.i have seen grown man cry after fighting a dream sized hammer from a florida keys bridge for hours ,have it almost beat only to lose it at the last minute.For those of you who have never had the pleasure of hooking and fighting a big hammerhead shark ,when you do you will never forget it.This past Friday a milestone was set and a record of sorts was broken when Shannon Bustamante caught A Big Hammer on Long Key bridge .It was a dream of many fulfilled by a young disciple of Rene de Dios with fire in his eyes and a burning desire to carry the torch lit many years ago by much older men who lived for the thrill of catching monster sharks .Last week when the tournament started I tried to convince Shannon and his group to fish the local beaches that i believed would make it easier to target a large hammer to win this tourney but he was'nt hearing anything i said,,,,,,,he's seen too much and knows where the buffalo roam this time of year.For his vision ,one mindedness and fire i say CONGRATULATIONS SHANNON for a monumental catch.I know how long it's taken to reach this milestone and am aware that it might be 10 years before someone else can catch a bigger hammer from a bridge.
Shannon today is your day to bask in your accomplishment and taste victory foreign to many who have tried and failed before you.

Today is the deadline for Teams wanting to register to fish this tournament. APRIL 7th 2009

.LIST OF TEAMS IN THE 2009 BIG HAMMER CHALLENGE

1)TEAM SHARK FEVER -paid
2)TEAM HAMMER N THE PHENOMS-paid
3)TEAM BLACK BART-paid
4)TEAM HAMMER TIME -paid
5)TEAM APEX (paid)
6)TEAM SALTTRASH.COM (paid)
7)TEAM BEACH NUTS-paid
8)TEAM LOCKED DRAG (paid)
9)TEAM RIP THE LIPS-(paid)
10)TEAM FINADDICTS-Tampa Bay(paid)
11)TEAM QUINT-Ft Myers paid
12)TEAM PIER BREED-paid
13)TEAM CHASIN HITLER DA HAMMER-Largo Fl (paid)
14)TEAM HERALD ANGLERS-FL Panhandle (paid)
(15)TEAM MIDNIGHT SHARKERS- St Petersberg Fl(paid)
(16)TEAM PIER RATS-FT LAUDERDALE(paid)
[/color
As of April 1st 2009 [/color

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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Posted : 04/07/2009 1:57 pm
(@sharkmn42)
Estimable Member

Nice fish everyone!.....it seems its off to a great start this year with many big fish caught and even a double diget and other high number shark days mixed in the mix....congrats on fishing hard everyone!.........

Nice to see you finialy landed a nice one down there Shannon !.....it was a long time over due and showing that it could be done....well done!..

Way to put a nice one up on the beach Victor!......those nice hammers fight diffrently than on a pier now dont they?...congrats again for a nice job by a Jr. and welcome to the playground in the sand but beware of the sharks being bullys at times!.... !

sea-ya, mike ;)

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Posted : 04/07/2009 2:41 pm
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