An angler in the 90th Annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo has something big to celebrate—and we mean big. Competitor Brett Rutledge hauled in a tiger shark weighing a whopping 1,019 pounds, a monster big enough that it's likely to break the Alabama state record.
Rutledge hauled this big guy in over the course of almost an hour, and it was no doubt a fight to get it in. No official length measurement has been released, but based on photos the shark is estimated to be at least 10 feet long.
If the measurements hold up to scrutiny, this will beat the previous Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources record of 988 pounds, set in 1990 by Larry Gene Eberly.
It's no secret tiger sharks grow to be huge. In fact, a couple recently caught an 800-pound toother on a casual honeymoon night fish in Florida.
But just looking at the picture of the Alabama catch, it's obvious this tiger shark is especially colossal with a huge girth—certainly not a shark anyone would want to face in the water. But Rutledge and his crew were able to safely reel it in, placing them nicely in line for every competitive fisherman's dream of claiming a record.
Spud Marshall, Rutledge's fellow angler, told WALA that the crew was originally in search of swordfish, "but the bite just wasn't happening. So, on our way in we decided to set some lures out, and we caught it on the way in."
Rutledge shared that the team actually caught seven sharks. The 1,000 plus-pound whopper was the biggest of the day. Rutledge shared excitement about the possibility of holding a new state record.
The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo brings in over 3,000 anglers each year, and offers a hearty payout for notable catches. This year's first place jackpot prize for tiger sharks is $6,000, and there are plenty of prizes to go around for second through sixth places for a variety of species.
Rutledge's truly impressive catch is quite a way to close out a tough day of fishing.
READ MORE: World Record Great White Shark: The Single Biggest Fish Ever Recorded By the IGFA
