# possible world record shark spools a 12/0 and a 14/0



## team shark fever (Feb 18, 2009)

What kind of monster spools a 12/0 packed to the top with brand new 130 lb dacron and then almost spools a 14/0 full of 130 lb mono ?You read it right two reels packed with line .A freakin HUGE BEAST that could be a thousand plus pound hammerhead or a 1500 pound Tiger.Tonight it happened ,,,,the reason we shark fish with such passion -things like this keep us chasing the dream and keeps us hoping that if we try hard enough it can some day become a possibilty.

I was not there but i was in phone communication the whole time since the giant was hooked.
Shannon Bustamante (seaweed)fishing on the beach with a large group of shark club members including JD hammer hooked the shark of dreams.Using a half a cuda on a 20 foot wire rig with two double strength Mustad 12/0 hooks the shark hit the bait at a slow moderate speed and when Shannon set the hook the shark was pulling like it did'nt even know it was hooked.The shark was spooling the 12/0 and then turned around for a short while and then headed back out without stopping .It was in Shannon's words probably bigger then the current world record hammer of 1280 lbs.As the dacron on the 12/0 got to the bottom a 14/0 with a small swivel was prepared and as the line got low they backed up cut the primary line and quickly tied into the swivel with the packed 14/0.Jd was right by shannon the whole time instructing and helping with everything.

The shark continued peeling line off the second reel and would occasionally turn towards the beach and then turn on the afterburners and head out again .The battle raged on for over an hour and the shark headed North and the fellas ended up two blocks north of the campsite.The shark did what it wanted ,when it wanted and there was no stopping it just slowing it down occasionally .The equipment was in top shape ,and the terminal tackle was the best available and all of it held up perfectly.In the end the hooks pulled free and the mighty beast was free to hunt again.

Shark fishing is a lonely endevour and not many people understand why we go through so much hardship and work so hard.At times we are laughed at told that we are old fashioned ,that the new style reels are better and that such big reels are'nt necesary but we know differently.We know there are monsters out there that can destroy dreams and empty any reel no matter how large.We toil, suffer and sacrifice so much while we patiently wait for the next huge beast that will test our every ounce of resolve.The oppurtunity to hook such a beast and to go toe to toe with it makes all the hardships we endure in shark fishing worth the wait.It is a chance to test your physical limitations ,to test your determination and a chance to test your fighting spirit. MAN AGAINST BEAST

This is the kind of fight that only happens once every 5 or more years.Shannon saw many epic battles when he fished with Rene de Dios and has hooked many 12-14 foot hammers in the Florida keys bridges and he says this was the biggest thing he's ever hooked or seen anybody hook .In the end the hooks pulled and Shannon is heart broken right now but not defeated by any means,,,,,,,,,,,we will be back.Tommorow Shannon will elaborate on the epic battle.Time to hit the sack.
I leave you with this question WILL ANYONE BE ABLE TO BREAK THE HAMMER OR TIGER WORLD RECORD FROM LAND? I think it's just a matter of time .Will Fundora 7/3/09

<SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">SHANNON'S STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS
this happened to me last night on the beach with a bait i dropped close in, well before the reef to avoid the nurse sharks!!!! Since watching the second biggest battle of my life in renes hammer that stripped his 16/0 on south beach, i always knew that those close baits sitting right there in the shallow white sand always get picked up by king kong!!!!!
Renes boat sank on south beach before he reached the swim buoy and he left his bait there the night he hooked a similar monster!!!! 

Like will said it, I honestly believe this Hammer was in the 1500 plus range!!!! a shark that would get one of those 50tw internationals,or tiagra reels that bucky and the other record holding boat fisherman use, and would have stripped them to deep water than laughed at them!!! this shark would have CRUSHED the record!!!!!! we would have been talking to news reporters as we speak!!!! A 12/0 packed to the tippy top with dacron, then a whole 14/0 without showing any signs of stopping? come on think about that for a second!!!! and dont forget we are talking a beach with no current to help this fish!!! This hammer, because im positive it was a hammer, would have eaten my 12 ft2 for bait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was the world record god damnnnnnnnnnnnnn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I waited all my life for her, and she proved that even with all the tie ins, the perfect tackle,the perfect open water beach, everything right, she just proved that she was one of those Ancient hammers that must die on her own will, deep at the oceans bottom, the size shark that man probably never gets to see!!!! 18 ft and well over 1500lbs, she fought off nets,long lines, fisherman,and other sharks for so so many years!!!!! Im hurting and pretty down right now, but thinking of this magnificent creature being so smart, strong , and massive that no man can stop her and she will one day die of old age on the bottom of the sea humbles me!!!!!!!!

Sincerely Shannon Bustamante (seaweed)


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## saltfisher1 (Oct 8, 2007)

Definitely a monster on the hook.


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## Tuna Man (Oct 2, 2007)

One heck of a story, and such a terrible ending:banghead:banghead Which South Beach did all this take place. I'm thinking Miami since that beach goes to open water and the one East of Oslo is on the East side of the Inter coastal Waterway. And to think I've spent many a day swimming at South Beach (the one just N of Government Cut, not the South Beach East of Oslo).


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## Brant Peacher (Oct 4, 2007)

Definitely a hammer...LargeHammers tend to fightlike that.Cool story!


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## Linda (Oct 2, 2007)

Great read and sorry for the no catch. Im wondering what pound drag did you have set and what kind of rod was used to sustain that pressure for so long.That would give a better picture and feel for how big the shark could have been. Not doubting it was a big fish and you and your tackle was capable, but every time i see or hear of big shark battles , it was done on almost the right gear with one component all wrong, and thats usually the rod( beefy broom sticks 7' or longer that kill you guys leverage wise.


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## Turbow (Mar 7, 2008)

Insane.


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## e polk (Nov 26, 2008)

Keep fishin he will be back, hammers are teritoral fish. Sounds like ya leader was wraped around and tangeled around the fish. it probaly just rolled out of the tangle. Ya never know the reasons but the fact is it will be back. I hope ya top bucky good and propper in a land based way. Time to put those big baits out. Good to know the posibilities. Some times ya get agravated losing a big fish but at that point ya have done what most people only dream about. most folks has never felt the power of a fish like that and have no idea how fast it will strip line off the reel. It takes so much time to trip over a fish that is capable of breaking drag on a 130 class reel it is almost un amaginable how much time it takes to hook up on one capable of stripping a big reel completely off. good work splicing in.:banghead:banghead


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## tigershark (Oct 16, 2007)

Sorry about the lost monster. do you have any pics you can post of the snap swivel and how you tied it into your 14/0? i have wondered about doing that myself.


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