Bonus mako: 4-man crew lands 591-pound shark 50 miles out of Orange Beach

[LuckyLady]

Bonus mako: 4-man crew lands 591-pound shark 50 miles out of Orange Beach


At about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, Angelo DePaola, Chris Hood, Brian Beason and Andy Yarborough ran 50 miles out of Orange Beach to see if they could catch a swordfish during the day.

Swordfish are normally caught from deep water at night.

Hood, 27, Beason, 21, and Yarborough, 30, are private-boat captains, and DePaola, 33, is a veteran of many offshore trips.

After catching and releasing a 47-inch sword shortly before noon, the party decided to continue fishing. Little did they know they'd battle a 591-pound shortfin mako shark.

From the moment they yelled "mako!" the crew swung into action. Beason rigged a rod with a new steel leader, then readied the harpoons. Yarborough cleared the deck of excess gear. Hood took the helm. DePaola began throwing every piece of available bait over the side to keep the circling shark close.

"We really didn't have to talk about or think about what we were going to do. It was instinctual," Yarborough said. "We probably had a bait in the water in less than a minute."

Before casting, DePaola attached a small slab of blackfin tuna filet to get the shark's attention, then pitched the bait in front of it.

Hood said what began as soon as the fish was hooked is a fight every offshore fisherman dreams of.

"With a marlin, you know what it's going to do," he said. "It's going to run a few times and make a few jumps. This fish was totally unpredictable. It's the ultimate, really. It's one of the biggest thrills as a fisherman to catch one."

Thirty minutes after DePaola began fighting the shark, he had it close enough to the boat for the crew to realize the chances of landing it were slimmer than usual: the snap swivel connecting the 130-pound test braided line to the leader was open.

When Beason saw the open swivel, he launched a harpoon. The shark was stunned for a moment, then made a lightning-fast run and pulled the dart out.

"That's really when he realized he was hooked," Beason said.

The crew stood aghast -- and in awe -- as the fish leapt 15 feet clear of the water but somehow stayed hooked up even with the swivel open.

"Even with a closed swivel, the chances you'll land a fish like this are small, so it was one of those frozen-in-time moments when he jumped," Hood said.

Over the next 90 minutes, the shark came boatside again, Yarborough closed the open swivel, and Beason used a harpoon to get another dart into the back of the mako's head. That began another hour of strenuous tug-of-war between Beason and Hood and the shark, which was now basically being fought at the end of a nylon handline.

"It was the biggest, most intimidating fish I've ever had on wire," Hood said.

When the shark came boatside again, the crew got another dart into it, as well as a rope around its head and three around its tail. But the fight wasn't over because once they were sure the mako was dead, they had to get it into DePaola's 23-foot, twin-engine center console.

That task took two hours of rigging, tugging and tying that came close to sinking the boat because the fish's added weight was on one side.

After some anxiety about getting the boat on plane in deteriorating weather, they made it back to Orange Beach Marina.

For this crew, killing the mako was worth the effort for the experience and hundreds of pounds of excellent steaks it rendered. They also agreed they'd likely not kill another one.

[BlueH20Boss]

Awesome Pull Mary! Glad you found this article for us to read!.....makes me really wish it was June!!

Kevin-

[LuckyLady]

Awesome Pull Mary! Glad you found this article for us to read!.....makes me really wish it was June!!

Kevin-

Thats a badazz Mako those boys deserve all the press they can get !! Kudos to them I just wish I was there in person to watch the fight or even take pictures!!

[Captain Fred Archer]

Nice fish and a good story. Looks much like a longfin mako, rather than a shortfin. I'm basing that on the most recognizable feature, the pectoral fin. Longfins are an uncommon catch, with many caught believed to be shortfins. Could be the camera angle, but that sure looks like a longfin to me. If so, it is an even rarer catch.

Either way, a dang nice fish!

[Heli Sports]

Nice fish and a good story. Looks much like a longfin mako, rather than a shortfin. I'm basing that on the most recognizable feature, the pectoral fin. Longfins are an uncommon catch, with many caught believed to be shortfins. Could be the camera angle, but that sure looks like a longfin to me. If so, it is an even rarer catch.

Either way, a dang nice fish!

This shark is definately a Shortfin, Fred. The coloration of a Longfin Mako is very different. The easiest way to tell is the color under its lower jaw and the lower part of its snout. On this fish both are entirely white. The snout and lower jaw of a Longfin Mako are darker and the coloration along the margins of its upper belly region is mottled.

Longfin Mako is a protected species. These guys would be facing a big fine if this fish was a Longfin.

Longfin Mako (Isurus paucus):

[SportFishStaff]

It's happening more makos caught out of OC this past week.

[nuckingfutz]

Thats a slob

[ssfireman]

Nice fish.