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This was just sent to me and I think this is something everyone should read. When entering a tournament keep this story in mind. I know damn well that if i would have cuaght this fish in the same manner i would have not had a clue i would be dq'ed.
Congrates to the crew for landing a great fish
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The story
Every June in Cape May NJ the South Jersey Shark Tournament is held with anywhere from 200-225 boats entered. The overall purse this year was $248,000 with 219 boats entered. For some the tournament was a great success, but for the crew aboard the 32 Regulator(She Likes It Rough) it was a tournament that will haunt there memories for the rest of their lives. This is a story that every tournament fisherman needs to read.
The Team aboard the 32 Regulator has been fishing this tournament for 14 years straight and never finished in the money, they have caught a lot of sharks but never one big enough to place. The combined offshore fishing experience of the crew equaled 70 years heading into this tournament. The crew headed for some warm water about 55 miles offshore to a wreck called the Arlene. At 1pm the #2 bait which was a skirted Bluefish fillet 30ft down in the water column made the Shimano Tiagra sing the song every offshore fisherman yearns for. The angler Kory Schank setup on the fish and the fight was on. The crew knew the shark had some weight but was unsure what they were dealing with until the fish took a massive run and the IGFA Penn Tuna Stick broke two inches above the second roller guide from the reel. This is where the story begins the amazing peeks and valleys. The crew quickly agreed that they must fight the fish with the reel cocked sideways to avoid fraying the line with the splintered rod while the Captain stayed at the helm keeping the fish off the rear corner of the boat. After about 1 hour the crew got their first look at the beast, realized it was a huge Tiger and if they were able to land the fish it would more than likely be the biggest shark brought to the scales. The fish got very smart in the second hour of the fight, as the fish showed that being stupid is not how she got so large. The Tiger stayed under the boat and every time the angler would get the fish near the boat she would make a long hard run directly back under the boat. The crew began to notice some fray in the line and decided next time the fish is close to leader and the Bimini twist was on the reel the angler would put the reel to full drag and it was land it or lose it. The plan worked as John Boughman grabbed the leader Capt. Lyle Ruddy quicky put a 12 gauge slug into the head of the fish while Cliff Pugh secured the tail rope. In that instant pure jubilation and celebration occurred as the crew shared high fives and even hugs of pure emotion. They realized that what they just accomplished was nearly impossible and all the years of hard fishing and money spent was finally worth it because they were not just bringing a money fish to the scales, but a giant fish with a story that the fish could not outweigh by any stretch of the imagination.
Okay, now the plot thickens. The crew can only get the fish halfway thru the door in the stern of the boat due to its massive stomach. They are offered help by a boat fishing nearby but are quicky advised by a committee boat that there is no assistance allowed by other boats. They decide that they will be able to drag the fish in and still make the scales by the 7pm weigh-in deadline. They arrive into South Jersey Marina and are greeted by approximately 500 on-lookers waiting to see if anybody would bring in a monster shark. Well the crowd got to see what they wanted as the fish tipped the scales at 649 pounds, remind you this is after being dragged for 55 miles. As the crew is posing for pictures with the broken rod one the tournament directors asked to see the rod, which he then proceeds to measure, he advised the crew that they are just legal because IGFA rules state that the rod must be 40 inches in length to be legal. The tournament is ran under IGFA rules except for that the anglers are allowed to shoot the sharks before boating. The crew breathes a sigh of relief and start to enjoy the moment again when he returns with the tape measure. He measures the rod again and advises "I made a mistake the first time I measured, the fish the disqualified per IGFA rules." The crew felt as if there hearts were being ripped out their chest, however, being the professionals and gentleman they are, they excepted the outcome with disgust.
The moral of the story is that all fisherman when entering into a tournament need to know the rules inside and out. The shame of this particular story is that no fisherman that has ever caught a fish of this magnitude would agree with the disqualification. Nearly every Captain in this tournament thought it was a ridiculous disqualification and praised the Crew of anglers for being skilled enough to land a fish under those conditions. Hopefully due to this incident the rules will be revisited in the future and common sense will overrule the IGFA. Thanks to Sportfisherman.com for all your help.
Written by:
Tony Marsalo
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Originally Posted by Tunaman5
