Official 2012 Big Hammer Challenge Reports, Pics-Leaderboard

Total Release

Angler - Kyle
At 4'6" this tip is too small to compete, but as hard as it was to brave the elements, we were not going to let it go un-published.

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Angler - Rob
The reason we're leaving is in the background!!!

This is a fun event and the bad weather lately is just a challenge to see who will push through and fish through the difficult weather conditions with high winds,rain, and high surf. .,Again this year I remind the anglers in this tournament, that this tournament is meant to Challenge the best land-based shark fishermen in the world so that means fishing through every difficult situation including raging storms ,high winds that build big seas and sometimes scorching sun that will test your resolve ,make you question your will to fish.A Team with members that know each other well can make light in the face of harsh conditions and make great catches when everyone else is home in a warm bed.The adventurous outdoorsman will thrive in tough conditions ,,,,no gameboys,iphones,no text messeging --just HARCORE TOUGH AS NAIL SHARK FISHERMEN BATTLING THE ELEMENTS AND THE BIGGEST SHARKS CAUGHT FROM SHORE ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET.Better times arrive soon and bigger sharks do too good luck to all anglers and please practice SAFETY FIRST.

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THIS in 2012 CAN TURN

Angler - Rob
The reason we're leaving is in the background!!!

INTO THIS any day now

ROB AND KYLE of Team Total Rlease with a West Coast MASSIVE 8 FT 11 INCH BULL SHARK

Rob and I are pushing through the bad weather. If it was'nt for the horrible lightning, we would have never left. It really did get un safe.
Always good to hear from you. Total Release looks up to you and always welcomes your words of encouragement!! We will put the time in on the beach, and we will be there when the monsters arrive! Thanks for the reminder of what we're after...

-Kyle

We are going to the monster beach were we caught the monsters lets hope we get some tonight

Last Wednesday afternoon Jordan, my son, and I headed out towards Panama City to start our Big Hammer Challenge sharking trip. We arrived in Panama City about midnight. We ended up going out on the Panama City Pier and watched a group of sharkers pull in a black tip. Jordan and I looked at each other and said lets go get some sleep and went to van with high hopes. We were really tired and slept to daylight.

The first thing I did was meet up with Merlin and he had secured us some primo bait. Merlin I really appreciate what you did for us. It really made a big difference not having to start out the trip gathering bait. We headed out going a little east of Panama City.

The first thing that we did was go gigging. Jordan immediatly found some stingray to gig, so now we had two kinds of bait and getting more excited. It was a beautiful day and I don't know what it is about Jordan and his toung but he likes sticking it out.


A little later we finally picked out a spot and started setting up camp. Scoober was going to be showing up in a couple of hours and I was looking forward to meeting him. He's a Texas guy making that long drive from the Houston area to try out some Florida sharking. Conrad is a funny guy and kind of a wild spirit and he says that he's a lucky guy and he proved it. On the way over from TX in LA somewhere, he couldn't resist the tempation to stop in one of the find gambling institutions LA has to offer. He walked over to the roulette wheel and immediately won several hundred dollars. He told me the good thing was because he was on a tight time table he was able to leave while he was ahead.

The next morning, Conrad was making his way through Pensacola and he met up with General Firedawg Bill to get some bait Bill had gathered up for the challege. It was a little bit of everything, ray, big spanish mackrel, and other stuff. Bill, we really appreciate you helping us out with all of that bait and we were really disapointed you weren't able to make the trip. We missed you and it's just not the same when I don't have my partner in crime when I have my talks with Mr. Crown.

Conrad showed up in the middle of the afternoon and walked down to the white FL beach and looked at the surrounding of this new fishing territory and said he was going to move down here. I agree it is a beautiful part of the world.

The conditions were absolutley perfect....blue sky, temps in the 80's, ocean nearly flat, and the water mostly clear, no seaweed, baitfish jumping what more could you want?

In short order, we had our camp set up and started running out baits. When I pulled out the first bait, Conrad asked if we were going to cut it up and I gave him that look - Are you Crazy??? (we be going big!) we weren't down here to play with any small sharks.

Finally we all settled in and watched the Sunset. Because there was no moon the stars in the sky were bright with all of the constelations being easy to identify. With google sky - we were able to identify several planets and heavenly bodies. It was just beautiful.

A little later Joey (Smokin ya) and his son Jacob showed up and now we were at full strenght. We quickly helped them set up and run out baits. We sat down and started talking with Conrad and getting to know him.

We were exhausted from our trips and setting up camp. We settled in and fell asleep on the beautiful Florida beach.

We didn't turn a click all night. At daylight, Joey and I looked at each otherand had a short conversation. Our team rule is if we strike out we pack up and move, no matter how much trouble and effort it takes. In the beginning of our sharking careers, we'd stay put a couple of days without getting a hit and that is just a mistake. You have to be flexible, and this has paid off for us many times. I go wake up Conrad and tell him it's time to pack up and gave me that look like "oh no!" he was still tired out from his long drive and night of gambling. But he was a real trooper, he dragged his ass up out of bed and packed up.

The first order of business was to get more bait, so Joey lead his gigging expidition and filled his kayak up with cow nose and southern rays. Joey, Jacob and Jordan are gigging fools. It didn't take them but about an hour and a half and we had all the bait we needed.

We stopped for some lunch and headed to the promised land. By that afternoon we were all set up and again the water, weather, and everyhing else was perfect. Conrad cooked a bunch of ribeye steaks that we all fought over like a pack of hungry wolves. As quick as one steak came off the grill, it was sliced up and everybody grabbed a piece. We were finally feeling like the real cavemen we are. Eating with your fingers and using your sleeves as napkins, how great it is!!

This night started out a lot more promising. We had a few short runs on our long sliding traces, but we knew they were small sharks that couldn't eat the bait we'd put out there. Just nibble and play with it. We were talking a all of a sudden, Joey's light stick in a tracer like fashion shot out into the ocean and his 14 was screaming - with only the sound a Senator can make. We ran over to the pole and only a minute or so later, in the middle of a blistering run, the line went slack and Joeys 130 pound main line had been cut off and shredded in about a 5' long area. Either a toothy fish or some shells got him. As I have said you can't go to big on the mono but it was exciting while it lasted.

Slowly we all fell asleep and next thing I know I hear Conrad yelling "I'm on" We all jumped up, gathered all the release equipment and start taking pictures. Conrad was all smiles from ear to ear. His trip to FL is paying off. In short order, he pulls in a Bull shark about 5 1/2 foot long and we are on the board. We were all excited and at least now we weren't going to have to put up a skunk report Conrad really is a lucky guy and catches the first shark of the trip. Slowly the adrenaline runs out and we fall back to sleep.

Around 4AM I hear Conrad screaming from way down the beach my lucky 12 is hooked up and Conrad is hanging on. By the time I get down there, there wasn't but about 1/2 spool left. If Conrad hadn't woke up I would have probably been spooled because I sure wasn't waking up. So thank you Scoobsterer! "you saved the day" Slowly but surely I wrenched in a 6 1/2 foot bull. We took some pictures and even though this isn't a giant fish, this made my trip a success.

The next morning, we woke up to darkening skys and a big gulf storm headed our way. I had been waiting for that Saturday night fishing for 6 months and now the weather was going to screw me. We packed up and headed home feeling a little bit cheated. But, it was still the best of times and a trip that Joey, Jacob, Conrad and Jordan will always remember.

i want to thank the SOS guys that were behind the scenes that help me out and make this a better trip---merlin --little john-- troy------AND GENERAL FIREDAWG BILL----TELL ME WHEN YOU CAN GET AWAY FOR THE NEXT ''TRF'' Adventure---we missed you

sharkin---BHC---LAST PLACE FINISHER---SONNY

nice job fellas and 4tigers in one night way to go

Last week was a bad week.. finally put two on the board this weekend.

Angler Eddie Castaneda Caught this 6' blacktip.

Eddie also caught this 7'4'' lemon. This one has a story. We had a splice in the line.. but the knot was real big. When steve kayaked the bait out.. he dropped with the splice right in the middle of the guides. I cut the line and retied the splice so it would be outside the guides. Just as I finished retying the lines together I feel a yank.. and the line take off with a fish.... PERFECT TIMING!

We get the fish in and just as we are about to measure the fish.. the rusted measuring stick snaps and goes into itself. Thats what the three foot piece is. We had a spare left over from the BTC but it wasn't marked yet. Thank god this thing wasn't a monster point wize.. but you can tell its over 5 foot.

Team HUGE Gear fished through most of the storms and horrid winds with little to show except our RESILIENCY! With the bad weather moving out, its going to get hot! Respooling my mono topshots and going after nothing short of 14ft!

7'2" tiger caught by kyle

Tail shot of the 7'2" tiger shark caught by kyle

5'1" sand bar shark caught by tyler

Tail shot of the 5'1" sand bar shark caught by tyler

Hey Team Misfits(Captain Austin) the sharks you posted up page 10 were already posted page 8 of this thread two days ago.

Folks we want we welcome every angler fishing in the Big Hammer Challenge and every person following the tournament on this thread to please comment on other anglers catches regardless of weather you or your team have caught any sharks or not.The greater reason for this touranment once a year is to bring together the land-based shark fishing community which seems to be so divided at times.The recent laws affecting our sport in the last several years demands that we support each other and those in the sport working to defend it and protect it.

Young Tyler Parker gets to celebrate his 16th birthday with my family before heading out to the beach.

Snappy the T Head Rex gets his chance to ride on the yak and eat shark bait of course

Snappy tries the red noodle but prefers the Bonita of course

Another Hammer for Team 'Shark Fever'

Angler Will Fundora 8 foot 8 inch(104 inch) Hammerhead shark

overall pic

tail shot

These three pictures above are the perfect example of how difficult it is to catch a shark and take the required pictures effectively.This hammerhead won't compete with much larger hammers still to be caught but taking the pictures required was a heck of a Challenge.If you are fishing with just one other person thta is taking the pictures how do you stretch out the tape correctly, and have the tape start exactly at the tip of the sharks nose and hold it on the tail to show the true and complete length while the shark is trying to slap your legs from under you and you have to have the secret item in the picture also.Very very difficult to do if you are shorthanded.This should indicate to everyone the need to fish with at minimum three people total or with atleast a friend that can serve as photographer while two anglers handle the shark with care to take the pics and safely and quickly return the shark to the deep water.It won't always be possible but it really makea all the dufference in the world.Crack the whip and get your team mates out there fishing by you.

Snappy likes hanging out with Tyler while we wait for the Bigun

Tyler finnaly get a shot a shark on a loaner 14/0

Another Nurse shark for Tyler at 8 ft 4 inches NOT IN THE BHC Tournament

JD Fagan, hiding in the shadows, lurching, lurking, waiting, pulling in sharks in the dark. Fishing state parks. Now to shine some light, on the ninja sharker.

JD got a call from his fellow ninjas, his response was: HHHWWWAAAAAT!

JD measuring it. 10ft 10inch

Tail shot

one more.

A tipper for the numbers count.

Ho Hum, another few fish from team (we shoulda gone East) "Northern Invasion"!

We have to add,in order:

Chris Loveland (Beachcamper) with a 5' BT we managed from almost 300 yds.out

Garrett Foster with his second ever fish, a 6,7 Lemon on a Daiwa 600H w/50# line. This was a cool catch for a # of reasons. Garrett did a great job fighting the fish and I got to coach him a little while he was using his first personal shark rig,one I gave him for his birthday this past year. I caught my first shark on that rig. It was just a cool catch all the way around... I had to shoot a little video. As you can see in the last pic. his dad (Scott) was proud as hell!

And our last fish, Scott's 7,3 Lemon hooked and landed during a late night torrential downpour!!!



More to come!!!!!

TEAM MISFITS!

6"3.5" LEMON SHARK-ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

5'11" LEMON SHARK-ANLER LANCE ALBERRY

7" 2" LEMON SHARK-ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

6" 1" LEMON SHARK-ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

9' 1" LEMON SHARK-ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

7' 3.75" LEMON SHARK-ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

6" 3.5" LEMON SHARK- ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

7"10" LEMON SHARK-ANGLER AUSTIN CORYEA

7' 2.5" LEMON SHARK- ANGLER LANCE ALBERRY

6" 3" LEMON SHARK- ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

5" 11" LEMON SHARK- ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

6' 3.5" LEMON SHARK- ANGLER SCOTT OGDEN

Angler Noe Campos puts Another up for Team Anna Maria Anglers

6' 8.5" sandbar

tail shot

sorry full tip of tail blocked by me