The Biggest Sharks Ever Caught
People often associate sharks with terms like "sea killers" and the Steven Spielberg's movie "Jaws." These feared kings of the sea are probably the most famous kind of fish. They are also among the biggest and baddest. Catching one is probably every fisherman's dream. In most major shark species, female sharks usually outweigh males, as is the case with most sharks on the following list. A whale shark is the largest living shark and the largest type of fish in general. Just last year, also in Pakistan, fishermen needed five cranes to reel a 40-foot long whale shark that was found dead.
Giant Mako Shark – 1,323 lbs.
In 2013, several fishermen caught possibly the largest Mako Shark on record, local media reported. They caught it off the coast of Huntington Beach, and it took them more than two hours to reel it in. The shark was 11 feet long, 8 feet in girth and more than 1,323 pounds.
Alf Dean’s Great White – 2,664 lbs.
Alf Dean was a famous shark hunter. At one time he held 7 world records for catching white pointers that were all over a ton. The biggest one was 2,664 pounds. He caught it off the coast around Ceduna, Australia on April 21, 1959.
Prince Edward Island Shark
At whopping 20 feet, the massive shark was caught in 1983 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the coast of Prince Edward Island by David McKendrick, a local fisherman. The shark is the "world's largest accurately measured great white," according to Canadian Shark Research Center. The shark, a female, was estimated to be about 20 years old when captured. The shark was named the second most legendary sharks by the Discovery Channel.
Mexico’s Great White Shark – 2,000 lbs.
The massive shark, measuring nearly 20 feet and weighing 2,000 pounds, was caught in 2012 by commercial fishermen in the Sea of Cortez near Guaymas. Adult white sharks were thought to be rare in area or in the Gulf of California, but scientists now think a lot of the species thrive there.
Thresher Shark – 1,250 lbs.
A giant thresher shark – at the time the biggest ever caught – was auctioned in 2007 after being netted off the coast of Cornwall, according to the media. The shark, estimated at 32 feet from nose to fin, was caught by Roger Nowell off Lands End. Until then, the biggest previous thresher shark caught is believed to have weighed 953 lbs.
World Record Hammerhead Shark – 1,280 lbs.
In 2006, Captain Clyde "Bucky" Dennis hooked a world record 14-foot, 1,280-pound hammerhead shark. He was pulled for 12 exhausting miles, so far that land was no longer visible and cell phones no longer worked. It took Dennis more than five hours to capture the giant catch.
Sixgilled Shark – 1,298 lbs.
According to the International Game Fish Association, the 1,298 feet sea creature was caught by Clemens Rump in 2002, off Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean near the U.K. The sixgrilled shark is often called the cow shark. It can grow to 16 feet in length.
Tiger Shark – 1,780 lbs.
This gargantuous shark was caught in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on June 14, 1964. Local angler, Walter Maxwell, had fought the 780 pounds, 13 feet, 10.5 inches long shark for hours. It broke the then International Game Fish Association World Record by 300 pounds. The story of how Maxwell caught it is also interesting. Just as the giant sea creature reached the pier, the line broke. So many people were watching, so he said he would stay on the pier night and day, if necessary, to get another chance at catching it.
El Monstruo – over 7,000 lbs.
In 1945, an enormous white shark was caught off Cojimar, a fishing village east of Havana, Cuba. When measured, the shark was found to be in excess of 21 feet and weighed over 7,000 pounds, which would make it the largest great white shark on record, according to Discovery. It was later proven that the shark was actually 16 feet long. The weight could have been exaggerated, with experts saying it probably didn't way more than 4,200 pounds, but they could not confirm. Either way, El Monstruo is a monstrous shark.
Phillip Island’s Great White Shark – 5,085 lbs.
Data needs to be confirmed, but it's possible that this large great white shark caught off Phillip Island in the 1970's weighs an amazing 5,085 lbs., making it possibly the biggest shark ever caught. It was 21 feet long.
Great White Shark – 3,351 lbs.
This 3,351 pound female sea monster was caught on rod and reel by Dion Gilmore off the coast around South Australia. Gilmore, his father and one more man used a protected sea lion pup as bait to catch a record-breaking shark and were ordered to pay $21,000 in fines and court fees, according to AP.
Frank Mundus’ Great White Shark – 3,427 lbs.
In 1986, this was the largest fish ever caught by rod and reel. The record Captain Mundus was aiming to beat was held by Alf Dean who reeled in a 2,664-pound killer white shark in 1959. Killer sharks are thought to be the largest fish it's possible to catch on rod and reel. This one was more than 17 feet long.
Great White – 4,600 lbs.
Big-game fisherman and film producer Chris Fischer successfully caught and released the biggest fish in history, a Great White shark estimated at whopping 4,600 lbs., according to Go Fishing. The shark was captured off the coast of Baja in Mexico to help scientific research.
Mundus’ Great White Shark – 4,500 lbs.
The biggest shark Frank Mundus, a legendary captain with a habit of catching giant sea creatures, ever caught was a 4,500 lbs. great white which we caught commercially by harpoon in 1964, according to a website dedicated to him. The shark was more than 20 feet long.