[Sticky] My first/biggest Hammerhead... 14ft 2inches

I made a type-o on the picture
Still the same numbers i just wrote it wrong.
See where i wrote so 4 of the 2 1/2 inch sections = 9 inch.
i meant to type 2 1/4* my bad
All the level winding must be getting to me.
My 2nd attempt

Jimmy,

I am not an expert. I understand what you did, but it's not that easy. You can't just draw a straight line in an image and use relative measurements to determine an estimated length. There is a lot of geometry involved. Perspective has to be taken into account, along with lens distortion.

Here is an image from the blog Whitespace showing the effects of lens distortion from varying lenses. Look how the measurements between her facial anatomy fluctuates between images.

Mark's arm is not flat. That width of the black stroke that composes the "C" is not the same throughout the contour of the letter. The "C" is on an angle. One side of the "C" is in a darker area (shadow) than the other side. You have to consider the wrinkles in the shirt. The shark is on an angle, it's not flat.

Am I saying that that you're completely wrong with your estimations, no. I am just saying that there are other factors to consider.

I would like to add one more thing. I did a little math. For example, let's say that there this is a possible 1/8 (0.125) of an inch error on the measurements for every "C" rectangle. Each "C"-sized rectangle is 2 1/4 (2.25) inches in length. If the shark is 170 inches in length, then 170/2.25 = 75.56. The total length of the shark accumulates to 75.56 "C" rectangles. 75.56/0.125 = 9.45. If the error was true, then there would be over 9 inches of error.

It's true Josh how a picture never does a fish justice and it would be hard to interpret 3-dimensional aspects from a 2-dimensional object. What if the errors went in the opposite way though? What if the shark were 14foot 9inches? I could probably argue that as well but that would be a lie because I put my tape on that shark and measured it twice to find the same measure; 170 inches and had no clue how big that was until Dan did the math afterwards.

It's obvious that a lot of people have trouble accepting my word and that's all I got so if enough of you guys don't like it just come out in the open and say it. I didn't need anyone's approval about what I stated the shark to be, I measured it myself and had a witness. My friend Jimmy tried to be a peacemaker but even then, the people that were in question before are still the same. I can't please everyone and if you guys don't like it I'll just delete all my posts and leave the club... they obviously aren't worthy enough for some people's expectations on here... Whom dare judge my character

I can't even enjoy my first hammerhead between certain fishermen and those scientists always giving me some kind of trouble over it, I don't know why I bother.

I've tried being respectable but it gets to a point where it's not a worthy cause pleasing everyone. I stated out the facts from day 1 and I'll state it again; this is my final standing and I'm not budging... 170 inches is the difference between that shark from head to tail and nobody can change that if they tried! "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." ~Alan Simpson

I'm not the only one with a great catch this year that people are highly skeptical of; I've heard the talk from people about the Big Hammer Challenge. Even a nice shark that had pictures of the fight and of full length tape measure isn't enough to please some people. I hear things like "The shark wasn't hooked from land." "Illegal bait was used." "He had help." ALWAYS, somebody trying to discredit a nice catch. And it's been that way for just about every single nice shark caught... people even have a bad tongue to say about Bucky Dennis and he knew that's how it would be so instead of biting the bullet shot at anglers like me, he went ahead and put a beast on the scale for his reputation. I don't think it's necessary to do that but I can see why people cave in to all the pressure; it's tough flying above all the negativity.

Fortunately for the shark, I'm not like that and she had her chance at another sunny afternoon. I'd rather catch the world record 3 times and release it every time without measuring it or get any pictures then catch one any size and know that it's my fault it's no longer able to be caught; for it lay to wrought on the shoreline, lifeless, hit by the repetitive waves and degraded slowly by natural causes... just as great anglers may fall out of pride because of the relentless onslaught of haters.

There are people fighting diligently to keep the balance, to form alliances as far as shark fishing can be found... protecting the general sport... putting aside feuds and grudges. The Shorebound Anglers Alliance was founded through this site and the last thing we need is disputes among anglers. I can't understand pier rivalries for one thing... to me it's similar to the hypocrisy of southern whites that Twain satirized in his controversial novel Huckleberry Finn. It's pretty easy to persecute a person when there is a strong following; jealousy is within the nature of humans. I've heard pure hatred about my catch on many different grounds and I didn't appreciate it of course. But more importantly, we need to be more mature among ourselves so we can unite and channel our energy into more important matters; like laws that directly or indirectly smite us or groups that see us as a threat to their cause because of the actions of a few reckless people.

In the end it all comes around to one thing and one thing only, the sharks. Whether you're a commercial fishermen, tournament man, recreational fisher, or shark conservationist... going after bonnetheads or great whites, we all like the sharks for some reason, and I'm glad my catch reached out to the scientific community as big as it did... knowledge is power and maybe one day we'll be partners... just as some tree conservationists got together with loggers for selective logging... instead of being in a stand-still ready to go to war over the trees. It's the reason I gave some kudos to those people; they weren't asking for us to throw our shark gear in the fire, they just wanted us to consider the sharks a little more (even if a few were very headstrong). I also wont hate the people that continue to badger me over my hammer or anything else I may catch. Fishing is my hobby not something to make drama out of; the pier/bridge/beach/jetty/boat is for fun, leave your attitudes at home.

Mark,

There are always going to be haters. I learned this from my YouTube channel. Before I showed the release of the fish in the videos, everyone said that I killed them. Now I always show the release and they have nothing to say. Some people are envious and envy rots the bones (Proverbs 14:30). I have had people tell me that the hammer I caught on the boat with Pete Barrett was only 7ft. That fish towed the 21 mako over a mile before I got it close to the boat. The GPS tracking looked like a zig zag mess. I know the hammer was over 12ft, but because I never put a tape to it, some people won't believe.

In your situation, it's very rare to land a 13ft hammerhead. Very few people have ever seen a 14ft hammerhead, let alone have caught one. You caught this fish on a 12/0. There are stories of 14/0's and 16/0's being spooled. These are some of the factors that create doubt in people's minds. It is what it is, some people believe, others don't. You can't change it.

Next time, get a video of you measuring the fish or an image of you holding a tape beside it, so no one will have anything to say.

I would have had probably triple the pictures if we had a charged camera and more helping hands (more importantly), but I'm glad I didn't and I moved so fast to get that shark back in.

We didn't even try to remove the needle eye hook that was simply dead center through the shark's bottom jaw, I just kinked the wire with a 1-2 like Hammer has shown me, even though tt would have been easily able to be removed without any tools. Had I spent any more time that stressed shark may not have swam off at all; at one point it didn't seem alive; as if it blacked out, but we pushed it against the current and got a ton of water flowing through her gills and she was back again, swinging at me with more strength than I could ever muster to hold back... luckily that big T is like a handle to steer those teeth away a little, it made plenty of swings and one of them I almost jumped completely out of the water to avoid...

The best choices aren't always made under the internal pressures of adrenaline but I feel that with the limited circumstances we had with only 4 hands, a dead camera, and a dead tape we did pretty well... we even managed enough time to put out another bait and that one got hit almost instantly by a good sized shark; which scares me to think I spent an hour in waist deep water on a day when pretty big sharks were hitting.

Its a huge shark no doubt, but Josh is correct in the angles etc. I mean the lines cant make an accurate measurement, if you turn the 3ft yellow line up and down on marks arm it looks to be about the same length, and I doubt mark has an 8 foot wingspan (3 ft each arm and say 2 foot torso).

Well, it is mighty coincidental that Jimmy's measuring system came so close, within a small margin of error, as to what the actual measurements are. That's why IGFA has always required the fish hanging up on scales for records in the past... because even with a measuring tape there is still probably a way for someone to manipulate measurements or someone else to disprove a fish with proper pictures... it's a shame but that's just the way it is... you can't please everyone.

Well, it is mighty coincidental that Jimmy's measuring system came so close, within a small margin of error, as to what the actual measurements are. That's why IGFA has always required the fish hanging up on scales for records in the past... because even with a measuring tape there is still probably a way for someone to manipulate measurements or someone else to disprove a fish with proper pictures... it's a shame but that's just the way it is... you can't please everyone.

Very true, and thats why your word is good enough. 14ft 2 inches it is, screw the haters honestly. You know deep down what you accomplished, and thats what matters.

Since 2006 when i was the very first rep from the SFSC to start on boatlessfishing talking about our club and the sharks we'd caught I had to fight every hating sob that came out of the woodwork to bad mouth us on boatless and on there Shorebound Tourney thread. Back then they called us "the shark killers from the shark club" and you know what, they were mostly right back then, but I made it my mission to stop those in the SFSC from killing the sharks they caught .I saw the need for conservation of sharks if we were to survive and adapt in a a new era where sharks were no longer blood thirsty creatures from the "Jaws" movie era.I felt the hatred and the anger from many other shark fishermen who had already implemented a full Catch and Release policy and I swore we would change and recieve the RESPECT we deserved ;I swore I would not allow our spot in land based shark fishing history to be ignored and forgotten from lack of adapting to the much needed Catch and Release format. I worked hard to convince everyone to stop the slaughter and felt like I was swimming against the current many times, but I stayed true to our new mission, and I knew I could not give up. I fought to impliment the change,and fought to change the way we were seen and talked about. OUR reputation was at stake and I ALONE FOUGHT FOR ALL OF US in the SFSC.I lost some members that were unwilling to adapt to the new catch and release policy.One in particular a Miami charter boat captain whom I will not name (not Mark the Shark)never to returned to the shark club but I was committed to the need for change and made it clear to all the new policy was here to stay. When I first started on boatlessfishing in 2006 Rene de Dios was already dead, JD Hammer didnt even own a cel phone much less a computer neither did Shannon Bustamante so it was I ALONE fighting back the hungry wolves that wanted to discredit us and tear us apart from day one in the new internet shark fishing websites.

Today the shark club has grown,everyone has adapted to the catch and release policy, the site is seen and respected around the world, and we have secured our place in history -NO OTHER LBSF SITE HAS WHAT WE HAVE,no one can change the incredible catches that were made over the last four decades by shark club members. I urge Mark to not get so wrapped up in his pain because of the haters and because of one incident and a handful of doubters; we have bigger fish to catch and MONSTERS to conquer.I dont cave in to pressure when it comes to our sport I consider myself one of the top reps it has and although everyone wants glory for there catches and outstanding reports ask yourself how many are truly doing SOMETHING FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SPORT without expecting anything in return.The 14 ft 2 inch shark you caught was a great catch and no one can take that away from you, now learn to toughen up and be loyal to your club ,this site,and your brothers in arms and fight off anyone that is willing to attack your catch or the SFSC such as I have done as a lonely but faithful soldier.Mental toughness cannot be taught you learn from your willingness to fight and believe what is true in your heart.A brave man does not coward away in the face of adversity.No one will kiss your ass because you caught what they have not instead they will talk trash and envy your success and this you will learn to live with and be able to put in the back of your mind as you crush the competition both in work and in sport.Mental toughness will carry you through but you cannot fold or cave in to external forces. You are the club-and WE ARE THE CLUB now act like it,Stay tough!!!

Now for those of you out there that think little of Mark's catch BUT don't have the courage to voice your opinion,but rather stay in shadows let it be known that we will continue to fight for the sport of Land Based Shark Fishing.For those of you who dislike me on a personal level i CAN take criticism I accept that as well but i will continue to be a defender of our sport just the same.I have lost many friends and been distanced from some family because of my bad temper and No BS attitude, but so be it I will work to improve,apologize like a man if I wronged someone without reason, but I will not make apologies for those who attack who take cheap shots at honest fishermen/representatives of our club and sport.Anyone that has proven a willingness to sacrifice or give something back for the sake of this sport deserves respect and we will not allow them on this site to be harrased and intimidated.

The South Florida Shark Club has been kept together by a handful of tough minded fishermen unafraid of a good fight, and that fighting spirit was useful in the creation of a great shark fishing site when so many were against us.Through this site we have forged strong pro land based shark fishing relationships with other fishermen that once had negative views of our sport.This site was created because of the bashing and hatred that was aimed at us on another fishing site and as a result we decided to create this website to defend ourselves ,our anglers and the sport in general.We wanted to share our passion for the sport, tell our story ,show our history, and work to change old ways that were no longer acceptable or in line with conservation of resources.While we started small and attracted the hardcore sharkers to our site the bashing and fighting continued on the other site to the point where nowadays hardly anyone post shark catches over there because the administrators would rather quit then fight,,we chose to fight and carry the flag high ,we would not run and hide. I will stay committed to our cause and continue to work for all the land based shark fishermen out there who don't have the motivation,desire,willingness or the strength to stand against the barrage of attacks that come against us year after year from one group or another.I do what I do for the love of the sport and expect nothing in return but a little consideration for my efforts.Mark don't let the haters and bashers get to you, stay on course and you will be rewarded.

Jimmy,

I am not an expert. I understand what you did, but it's not that easy. You can't just draw a straight line in an image and use relative measurements to determine an estimated length. There is a lot of geometry involved. Perspective has to be taken into account, along with lens distortion.

Here is an image from the blog Whitespace showing the effects of lens distortion from varying lenses. Look how the measurements between her facial anatomy fluctuates between images.

Mark's arm is not flat. That width of the black stroke that composes the "C" is not the same throughout the contour of the letter. The "C" is on an angle. One side of the "C" is in a darker area (shadow) than the other side. You have to consider the wrinkles in the shirt. The shark is on an angle, it's not flat.

Am I saying that that you're completely wrong with your estimations, no. I am just saying that there are other factors to consider.

I would like to add one more thing. I did a little math. For example, let's say that there this is a possible 1/8 (0.125) of an inch error on the measurements for every "C" rectangle. Each "C"-sized rectangle is 2 1/4 (2.25) inches in length. If the shark is 170 inches in length, then 170/2.25 = 75.56. The total length of the shark accumulates to 75.56 "C" rectangles. 75.56/0.125 = 9.45. If the error was true, then there would be over 9 inches of error.

Yeah, I can see what your saying Josh.
I just used the measuring tool on photoshop and made lines.
Then duplicated layers. I put about 20-30min of my time in on both of the pictures.
If I put more time in it I could make a inch measuring system.
But my wife would keel me

I mean you can see the dif between the mm but you could create a measurement % system based off this and the camera he used maby I dunno.
I saw some bible stuff on here lol so here is my point.
I'm going to pull a "Pontius Pilate" and wash my hands:lol:

Mark I will hand it to some of the non believers that there are some lucky points made in your catch. 12/0, biggest ever, first hammer. But then again, what is fishing if not luck. I have seen unbelievable fish caught on line that was a once in a life time. I believe you, I always believe fishermen if there catch is even possible (a 30 pound trout from my pond in the backyard is not possible and I don't believe it).

So forget the non believers, because you have a entire website of fellow sharkers behind you believeing in you.

14'2" is the LBSF record landed by Mark to me

The haters will always be there no matter if it is filmed, witnessed by 1,000 or has experts there to certify it. After seeing your responses to some of there negativity I can see you know how to deal with these people.

Tight Lines!

In the end despite who believes me, I know what I've done and got to witness and feel the power of such a fish and be responsible for its longevity. I've seen quite a few large hammers swimming around and only a handful caught. I've also hooked a handful of beasts before that one and they were no joke, my biggest reel was dumped in under three minutes... they are incredibly smart and in most situations (like between two bridges) I won't even fish for them.

I've also seen and heard amazing unrealistic catches that people wouldn't believe but they happened.

An 11ft hammer from a pier with a jigmaster. Blackfin tuna, dolphin, sailfish, marlin, tripletail, mako sharks and many more pelagics from shore. A marlin wrapped around a piling at New Port pier dead... The ocean has no gates or boundaries and human's know more about the surface of the moon and mars than about the depths of the ocean. Some people will stay ignorant or jealous of even minuscule catches and accomplishments so you got to learn to live with the haters, they are apart of life.