[Sticky] Jimbo and Rene's 1973- 11 foot hammer on 30 lb test

I just got back from fishing the seven mile bridge with Jimbo and after talking to him got the details from him about this hammer he and Rene caught on 30 lb test line December of 1973 from the Newport pier in North Miami Beach.The story is very impressive and it shows that Rene learned what he learned mostly from Jimbo until he started to surpass his master from shear determination and time put in.Jimbo was 8 years Rene's senior so he was the one doing the teaching when Rene was just starting to shark fish on South Beach pier in 1971.Jimbo had been fishing on Lake Worth pier in West Palm Beach since 1963 so he had alot to teach the young Cuban kid with fire in his eyes. Anyway one day Jimbo picks up Rene in his Pontiac and they drive north to fish Newport pier.When they get there Jimbo finds a mackeral head in the cleaning table and he flips it out on his jigmaster with 30 lb test after over hearing some of the people on the pier said they saw a hammer cruise by the light on the T. It was about 9 pm and the rod was only down 15 minutes before it took off like a bat out of hell.Jimbo hooks the fish on his jigmaster with 30 lb test and right from the start Jimbo knows they are under powered - it's the hammer they've hooked because it's burning out line like no other shark can,,,so Jimbo quickly instructs Rene to grab a back up reel to tie in and Rene grabs his 4/0 and now Jimbo who has seen this at the Palm Beach piers where he grew up fishing instructs Rene to take off his t-shirt and grab the line with both hands and keep pressure on the line as the shark pulls and slowly release it so he can walk back as the bottom of the spool begins to come into view.Jimbo backs up,Rene grabs the line ,they cut the line on the spool of the jigmaster and while Rene is being pulled out towards the t by the hammer holds the line with the t-shirt to keep from burning his hands,Jimbo grabs the 4/0's line and ties a splice between both lines and lets go,,,so now it's Rene fighting the hammer on the second reel his 4/0.So the battle rages on for another hour and fourty five minutes and they manage to turn the hammer as the bottom of the 4/0 is starting to show.Finally the shark is tiring and heads south and then turns toward the beach so Rene and Jimbo run down towards the middle of the pier after the hammer.As they get tight with the fish the shark turns as hammers often do on a dime -and heads back out past the piers T again and the boys of course follow suit back to the T.Now the shark is slowing down and then comes to a complete stop out 150 yards and again south of the pier.Well Jimbo knows what has happened he's seen it before,,,the hammer has died fighting to the end.Now they start trying to bring in over three hundred lbs of dead hammerhead shark towards them but it's gotten stuck on a piece of coral .By now it's the wee hours of the night and they know once the sun comes up the bait man will make them cut the shark off because the rule is like on so many other piers up and down the coast during that era - NO SHARK FISHING ALLOWED.So they decide to try and get the shark from the beach where no one can stop them from catching there prize.They put the reel on free spool and jump off the south side of the pier with the shark still dead weight on the end of the line.They lay down both exhausted from battling the big hammer most of the night,,,they fall asleep a few hours to wait for sun up to figure out what to do with there shark that has died and is stuck beyond the surf line.In the morning Jd tells Rene there is no other way they have got to swim out and retrieve the dead shark ,,,there's no other way .Rene hesitates but Jimbo reassures him the shark is dead and harmless at this time.Both these guys are good swimmers/surfers/spearfisherman spending there summers on top of the South Beach pier so they are used to the water.So they both swim out with there blue jeans on and Jimbo over the shark swims down and sees the dead hammer stuck and he takes the wire off the reef.Jd then grabs one side of the hammer and tries swimming to the surface but it's too heavy for him and Rene joins him by grabbing the other side of the hammer and they both start swimming the shark in.The water is about 15 foot deep where they found the shark and this was no easy task; but these two young bucks are full of piss and vinegar and are ready to take on any challenge.They get the shark in and they are besides themselves ,,,,,they did it,they did it.They put the huge shark in Jimbo's Pontiac's trunk and drive it to the South Beach pier to show the rest of the shark fisherman what they caught on 30 lb test and Jd's biggest at that point in time and a trial run for Rene who the following year in 1974 catches his 14 foot hammerhead after tying into three reels to stop it,,,,he was able to do it with the knowledge he gained fishing that night with JD HAMMER-the lejend.Beyond all expectations they caught an almost 11 foot hammerhead shark from a pier on 30 lb test,,,it died and they swam out and retrieved it.Few stories can match this for shear tenacity and stubbornness of the two anglers refusing to give up in the face of insurmountable odds.Congrtatulations and i hope i can one day expierience a battle like that one.
Jimbo and Rene with there big hammer on 30 lb test.
Trying to get a few more pictures that Mike Ferdahoffer has of this shark so i can post them here.
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
Incredbel but only those to could pull off somethimg like that.
Yes, JD is freaking crazy when it comes to shark fishing. At least he doesn't swim bloody baits on his back anymore. At the old South Beach Pier, he used to swim the baits out past the reef. That kind of stuff used to leave my stomach in knots! That's what you call truly addicted to fishing!
haha now he has nuts like me do it! =DD
an i do it gladllyyyy anyday anytime
2009 Team Hammer N The Phenoms
Go BIG or go home
world record material
Just an average fisherman.
this is another of the top best stories for sure
"I am the new Shark Slayer in town"
this is what makes this sport so cool hearing the stories excspecialy one to this proportion
Its stories like this that remind me how lucky I am to fishing next to or with the famous "JD-HAMMER"....Thats 'GOODSHIT"!!!!!!!!! 'When I pass away,the first 3 people I want to see is......My dad,My grampa, and rene....so I can go shark fishing and here all the stories of days past in the hilly brush...........
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