Alabama Angler Catches Massive Tiger Shark and Sets New State Record

Declan Gallagher
·2 min read
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A lucky angler caught a massive 1,000-pound tiger shark during this year’s Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. Footage taken on the dock shows the astounding moment the massive shark is lifted out of the boat and placed onto the scale.

Brett Rutledge and his crew were fishing off of Dauphin Island when they caught the great beast. The fisherman told reporters that it took around 45 minutes to reel the shark in. “I just used normal fishing techniques,” Rutledge recalled to WSAZ 3’s Lacey Beasely. “Went out and caught our bait yesterday. All the crew talked about where we were going [fishing today] and set up on it.

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“We actually caught seven sharks this morning,” Rutledge added almost sheepishly, “and this just turned out to be the biggest.”

A photo taken shortly after the catch shows the tiger shark strung up, its sizable tongue dangling from its mouth. The rest of the boat’s crew surrounds Rutledge, who is squatting in the center.

The angler was excited, if somewhat reserved about the feat, careful to give the rest of his crew ample credit for the catch. When asked by Beasely how he felt about setting a potential record, Rutledge admitted: “I’m excited, it’s fun. If it does hold, it’ll be a new state record. So that’d be pretty cool.”

According to OutdoorLife, Rutledge’s catch does indeed break the state record for a tiger shark catch with final weight coming in at a whopping 1,019 pounds. The previous record was held for 33 years by fisherman Larry Eberly, and belonged to a shark weighing 988 pounds.

Another photo shows the shark laying on its back, baring a white stomach, as officials measure its length.

Yet, even after shattering a state record, Rutledge and his crew were hardly content to call it a day. He told Beasley that they were headed back out onto the water “in just a little bit” in search of more finned predators.

The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, described as “the largest fishing tournament in the world,” celebrated its 90th birthday this year. It concludes with an awards ceremony on Monday evening.