I know it seems contradictory with everyone showing off their big gun 16/0 senators, 130 internationals and tiagras, 18/0 everols, and 12/0w duels. But as one angler told me: "At the end of the day it's 75% angler and 25% gear." I've always been an angler that finds nothing better than hooking that big fish on tackle that shouldn't be able to handle it, because I feel much more accomplished than reeling in a little fish on heavy tackle like dead weight and being disappointed.
I'll only go on to name one that I recognized from this year's (2013) competition.
10foot 2inch hammerhead on a 9/0 with 80lb test.
Now dig around the old archives and find other impressive catches, maybe even from other tournaments and let's see what comes up.
Just an average fisherman.
Awesome post mark!!
I know u have and hammer have got some monsters on small gear!!!!
That's what its all about. The fight and respect for these great animals.
Like most of us in the SFSC and many others we got our start fishing from local piers and the Team down below ONE OF THE BEST TO EVER FISH THE BHC opitimized the word TEAM and TEAMWORK.Hard working well honed fishermen each in their own right a champion sharker with a long history of big fish caught from Juno pier other Palm Beach piers and throughout the state.Chris Bishop and his 'Team Black Bart' caught more then there share of big shark on what others would consider to be small tackle.Here are a few.
big momma on the beach Team Black Bart's Troy Weber with a 13 foot Hammerhead caught from West Palm Beach
Sharks from off the pier this weekend
BlackTip - Chris Bishop - 5 to 6 ft
BlackTip - Chris Bishop - 5 to 6 ft
BlackTip - Troy Weber - 5 to 6 ft
BlackTip - Chris Bishop - 5 to 6 ft
BlackTip - Chris Bishop - 5 to 6 ft
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
this wasn't in the tourny but it was a great catch for small gear.
old mitchell 25lb test and old hurrican rod i think.
i know it's a nurse but still for that gear it was awesome to watch.
I was just goin through some pictures of this year's bhc on my computer. And it brought back some great recent memories I never really posted a story about the Hammer on the 80# figured where better than here.
I wasn't going to fish that night and Nicky "my better half " kept asking so I said ok she had a good point . Had to get out whenever the schedule and weather would allow. But I told her we would pack light as it would be an early night. So we go out. Only bringing 2- spinning rods and the 9/0. She commented. Are you sure ? I said ya . Thinking in my head we would prob see some tippers a bull or lemon if we were lucky. We got out I put a small steal rig with only a Bonita tail on the 9/0. Splitting the front of the Bonita on the spinners.
Paddled and dropped them short.
Nicky left to get pizza. And. The 9/0 opened up !!!! Screaming.
I tighten up and put the hook to him. And the rod bends in half. Screaming drag. Luckily I have ayden to get my harness and a couple fight shots. At first run I knew this was no tipper or bull. Wasn't long before I was dumping bottles of dasani on the reel as it was getting pretty hot. Nicky showes back up.. I look. Over and say BIG FISH . So I fought it for a little while longer until I saw it. I saw that big dorsal and grew very happy. Wasn't long after seeing the dorsal rope was on tail and we wee going through the mission of photos with a big fish thrashing around in bog surf. I measured him at several inches.over 10'2 but those were the best photos we could get in a quick manner and photos were takin. Planted the tag wrapped rope around his hammer walking him down the beach in chest deep water.. He grew tired of this.and started pulling against it and I reached down for the clip pulled and off he went back into the depths with one last splash of the tail as he took off!! A very worthy opponent .
beautiful hammer! awesome catch on a 9/0, congrats
It's funny that I made this post and our team's results were an 8ft 8inch lemon on spinning tackle and a 9ft bull on 50lb test 
Just an average fisherman.