Fisherman Reels In Massive Tiger Shark After Three Hour Battle
An Australian angler managed to land a massive tiger shark earlier this week, after a pitched three-hour-long battle that left him doubting whether or not he could best the predator.
Max Muggeridge was camping with his girlfriend at Tweed Heads, just inside Queensland, when the pair decided to set an early morning line, according to the Daily Mail. Around 7 a.m., the duo prepared to leave, yet just after Muggeridge fired up his car, his rod “started ticking over.” On the other end was a massive, four-meter-long tiger shark.
Young fisherman in Austria after 3 hours of fighting with the “beast”, on the shore pulled the 4m long tiger shark pic.twitter.com/Zi1Q3N7FYv
— Gabriel (@qwertys4171) April 9, 2015
The 19-year-old began what would amount to a three hour fight with the shark, and by his own admission, the first hour did not go well for him. After just 20 seconds, Muggeridge says he knew what he was in for, according to Nine News.
“The first hour this shark absolutely made a mockery out of me,” he noted. “I was hurting bad, really bad. I’ve never been in so much pain. Sun burning in my face, shocking burns and blisters all over my hands, sweat and sunscreen dripping into my eyes, and my whole body aching from holding the intense pressure for such an extended time.”
Gold Coast teen got more than he bargained for while fishing from the beach.He reeled in a 4 metre tiger shark #7News pic.twitter.com/0LsMFB7FnE
— 7 News Perth (@7NewsPerth) April 9, 2015
During the second hour, Muggeridge was finally able to spot his quarry, as the tiger shark leapt from the water. Around 10:30 a.m., the angler was finally able to bring the massive tiger shark to land, an experience which he described as a once in a lifetime catch.
“I collapsed on the beach and tried taking it all in. I had just achieved everything I had ever set out to. It was surreal.”
Though Muggeridge believes the massive shark could have been a world record, he opted to release the animal quickly and without measuring it, as the predator was distressed from its ordeal. The current world record for a catch-and-release tiger shark stands at 12 feet, nine inches overall length, according to the angler, who sported several wounds from his extended battle with the shark.
“I was absolutely shattered, I had blood blisters all over my hands, I’ve got some nice callouses coming up now,” he noted.
We spoke to the Gold Coast fisherman who caught & then released this huge tiger shark! http://t.co/GAhWfIgakq #Today9 pic.twitter.com/L7DXMJinvl
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) April 9, 2015
Oddly enough, Muggeridge isn’t the first Australian fisherman to catch such a large tiger shark by hand from a beach this season. Last month, angler Brendon Hilder managed to reel in a four-meter-long shark at Shelley Beach. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Hilder also released the massive tiger shark back into the sea.
[Image: TBD Shark Fishing via the Daily Mail]
