10-Foot Mako Shark Caught in Massachusetts Bay

(Scituate, Massachusetts) A 20-year-old Massachusetts Maritime Academy junior, Taylor Sears, caught a 10-foot, 624-pound male mako shark Thursday and it's believed to be a record.

Greg Skomal, a shark specialist with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said the 10-foot fish is the largest male mako shark ever to be recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, and appears to be the largest male ever caught.

"We didn't think they got this big, basically," he said.

The charter fishing boat Sears was working aboard pushed out of Scituate Harbor about 5 a.m. Thursday, carrying a family of four for a day of bluefin tuna fishing. The father hooked a large bluefin at 9 a.m. and struggled with it for about 45 minutes.

Suddenly, a giant shark appeared and chomped the tuna in half.

"When I saw the shark, I said, 'That would be a dream to catch,'" Sears recounted. "So the family let me try."

Sears said he fastened a larger hook to the line, slid on a chunk of the tuna, and hooked the shark within minutes. Two hours later, they were able to secure the record-breaking fish to the boat and began towing it back.

Man! Talk about an exciting fishing trip! Just as the guy is pulling in a large bluefin, a monster shark appears and chomps it in two. That's the perfect time to say, "We need a bigger boat."