See the Shock of These Fisherman When They Realized They’ve Reeled in a Great White Shark

People from all over the world enjoy fishing. Whether it’s a catch-and-release hobby, or you’re attempting to reel in a fresh dinner to roast over the campfire, you never quite know what’s on the end of the hook. 

Watch Now to See This Surprising Catch!

A group of fishermen were casting off the coast of Savanna, GA. They dropped a bonita in over 75 feet of water in hopes of catching something larger than a red snapper. What they ended up catching left them speechless. 

Something was pulling the fishing reel so hard that you can hear the fisherman trying to catch his breath as he fights to pull up the creature. Below the water, you can see a dark shadow trashing around.

It took Captain Jimmy Lee Armel a 10-minute battle with this fish when before he realized he had a great white shark on the other side of his hook. Armel ends up fighting with the shark for another 10 minutes. 

Due to its prevalence in areas near the coast and regular appearances in movies and documentaries, the great white shark is regarded as an iconic species. It makes us wonder what we would do if one of these apex predators got caught on our fishing hook! 

The Captain says that he was unsure of what the species could’ve been. He thought it was a massive fish and could only make a distinction by seeing the shadow. He goes on to say, “Once we saw it was a great white, I can’t even explain the emotion that overcame me.”

The Legacy of a Fisherman

Armel calculates that the shark weighed close to 500 pounds and was approximately eight feet long. The combat veteran utilized a special rod to catch the great white shark. One of his closest friends gave it to him as a present. The brother of his closest friend, who passed away from cancer years ago, owned the rod before passing it on to Jimmy. 

Armel feels that because of this, a part of his friend was on the vessel with him, thus in addition to adrenaline, the presence of his friends’ spirit helped him catch this fish during the 20-minute struggle.

Is it Legal To Fish For Great White Sharks?

It takes special skills to catch great white sharks. In actuality, catching great whites without a permit is illegal. This feared beast is on the Endangered Species list, which classifies them as vulnerable. 

There are presently restrictions in place to reduce such bycatch. In addition, in the Atlantic, recreational anglers with the proper permissions may purposefully use rod and reel equipment to catch white sharks so long they responsibly release the shark right away, without taking it out of the water or causing it any further harm.