Plenty of fishermen purse sharks from the beach, but not great whites.
Note: This post was originally published in February, 2019.
Sure, many fishermen hit the beach hoping to hear their line scream off their reel, indicating a battle with a shark has commenced.
Fishermen go all out for this type of fishing, too, renting ocean kayaks to transport their bait to deep-enough water, purchasing massive reels that can hold a casual 500 yards of line and cut bait that looks like a trophy catch in most fisheries.
They'll paddle bait out a modest 250-300 yards and hope to God their bait stays on the hook, as that's a trip no one wants to make more than once.
Other anglers take the pier approach, which is a lot less work, but generally a lot more crowded, often yielding lackluster results in comparison.
However, a few lucky pier fishermen hit the ultimate jackpot today, landing a 10-foot, 700-pound great white shark off Florida's Navarre Beach Fishing Pier.
Watch the video below:
From the looks of it, these anglers handled the shark's release as well as they could have, even with some relatively rough waves giving them trouble.
Shark fishing is particularly popular among Florida surf fishermen, but you just don't see great whites on the beach, plain and simple. Anglers pull in hammerheads, bull sharks and blacktips on a daily basis, but very, very rarely do you see the one of these.
Congrats to all of these anglers, as they were able to experience an up-close encounter with one of the world's most imposing predators.
Products featured on Wide Open Spaces are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
NEXT: FLORIDA UPDATES SHORE-BASED SHARK FISHING REGULATIONS
