Nearly 13-foot great white shark caught and released off Hatteras Island beach
A team of local fishermen made waves on Saturday when they reeled in a 12 to 13-foot great white shark from a Hatteras Island shoreline.
Luke Beard, Jason Rosenfeld, and Dan Rothermel have been fishing at local beaches for years, and the 1,400-1,800 pound great white was reeled in by Beard – who works at Frisco Rod & Gun – on a custom rod and reel that was designed for unusually big fish.
“It jumped at one point when it first got hooked, and we were pretty sure it was a great white, but we confirmed it soon after by the shape and size of the dorsal fin,” said Rothermel.
“It felt really heavy, and when it was hooked up for a few minutes, we realized that this was a different animal,” said Beard.
The shark took 35 minutes to reel in, but less than 90 seconds for the team to release. “We didn’t want to waste any time,” said Beard. “It feels like an eternity, but for most fish we reel in, we shoot for [releasing them] in 60 seconds or less.”
“It’s a federally protected animal, so you have to release it as fast as possible,” added Beard, who has caught and released hundreds of sharks over roughly 20 years of fishing. “You can’t be scared of the fish. It’s definitely fishing at the next level, so you have to know what you’re doing, or learn from people who know what they’re doing.”
The team has all the equipment on hand to release sharks, including NOAA tags which track sharks that are at least 36-inches long, but there was no easy way to tag Saturday’s great white without hauling the animal fully onto the beach, and wasting valuable time in the process.
“We never took it out of the ocean,” said Rothermel. “As soon as we got it to the point that it wasn’t floating anymore, we started the process of getting it back into the deeper water.”
“It’s an endangered and protected species, but just as important to us is that it’s a magnificent animal,” added Rothermel. “Although we do this for recreation, we don’t want to cause a shark to die because of our recreation, and it doesn’t matter if it’s an endangered shark or a common black tip. The obligation to get them back in the water overrides the fear of getting bit.”
The team, as well as a fourth friend Geoff Rouser who caught a great white shark several years before Saturday’s catch, has had ample experience catching and releasing sharks. They regularly help out visitors on Cape Point and other local beaches who accidentally land a shark, and who may not have the knowledge or gear to get it back in the water.
On Saturday, the crew had bolt cutters, line cutters, knives, pliers, and all the tools at the ready. “You need to make sure you have everything you need to release the shark safely. If you are afraid to take the hook out, have a set of bolt cutters to take out the hook,” said Rothermel.
Protecting the sharks and releasing them safely back into the ocean is the group’s constant priority, and it’s a tutorial they regularly share with newcomers on the shoreline. It’s not a skill that’s inherent, and as Rothermel points out, in some areas – like Florida – new anglers need to watch a 30-minute video before they can go shark fishing.
“We’ve been asking the NPS to do something similar, because shark fishing is more than just picking up a shark rod at the shop,” said Rothermel. “It’s about understanding how the animal is going to react on the beach, having the right tools, and getting it back in the water and swimming as soon as possible.”
Saturday’s great white shark is now back in the ocean, somewhere off of Hatteras Island, as like many local anglers, the group won’t reveal their favorite fishing hole. “It’s somewhere south of the Bonner Bridge, and north of Hatteras Inlet,” said Rothermel.
And while the length and weight can’t be confirmed due to the rush to get the shark safely back home, there’s a strong chance that this is the largest great white shark ever reeled in from the Hatteras Island shoreline.
“I have never heard of another big great white shark being caught on this island,” said Rothermel, “so this may be a first.”
For Beard, this was easily the catch of a lifetime after nearly two decades of Outer Banks fishing. “This is something we have strived for, for sure – we’ve always wanted to catch and release something this big.”
