Texas Fishermen Catch Two 'Giant' 9-Foot Sharks in Space of Two Weeks
A group of Texas fishermen have caught two lemon sharks measuring more than 9 feet in length in the space of two weeks.
Cody Davis, the owner of Green Tide Surf Fishing, a fishing excursion company based on the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas, said in a Facebook post on Sunday that his colleagues Shane White and JR Webster hauled in a 9-foot, 4-inch-long lemon shark.
"Hell of a job boys! Congrats on your new pb Shane! Caught, photographed, measured, tagged and released," Davis said in the post.
According to Davis, the shark was caught around 350 yards off the peninsula.
The catch came just days after Davis, with the help of colleagues, reeled in another lemon shark measuring more than 9 feet in length.
Davis said he caught the shark on July 23 soon after reeling in a 6-foot-long bull shark.
"One of the best days I've ever had fishing today," Davis said in post on the Green Tide Surf Fishing page following his success. "I started off with a 6 ft bull shark then followed it up with a giant. I've waited 25 years for a moment like this. Not gonna lie, the tears came out tonight."
"I've busted my a** for the last 25+ years trying to catch one over 7'. Tonight it happened. I landed a 9'2"lemon shark with the help of my teammate JR Webster and my buddy Bryce Rambo. Thank y'all for the help! Thanks for being a part of this lifelong memory!"
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Davis told ABC13 that he had caught more than 100 sharks this year, most of which were between 4 and 5 feet long.
But Davis said this year he has seen larger sharks than ever before, including the 9-foot, 2-inch long lemon shark, which he estimated to weigh around 250 pounds.
The Green Tide Surf Fishing owner said he caught the shark using a technique that he has honed over the years. It involves launching a waterproof drone to drop the bait a few hundred yards out into the water.
Once the shark took a bite on the bait, a 30-minute battle ensued before Davis eventually hauled the fish to shore, with the help of Webster and Rambo.
"I've been doing this so long and never caught one that big," Davis said. "I guess it was just a reassurance to all the work that I've put in and it made me tear up. I don't fear them, I respect them."
After hauling the shark to shore, the men took photographs and measurements before releasing the animal back into the water.
"The sharks want back in the water as much as I want to put them in the water. We come up with a mutual agreement," Davis said. "It takes a lot of patience. You got to put your time in."
On average, lemon sharks grow to between 8 and 10 feet long, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. But despite their potentially large size, they are generally not considered a threat to humans.
