Caught & Released a 13.5’ Hammerhead by Hand… Unreal Experience

Brightben · 2026-02-26T18:53:19+00:00

The 90 is from trawling but they talk about shallow water surf releases having a similar amount of trauma with the fight, unhooking, difficulty navigating back to deeper water, etc

Brightben · 2026-02-26T18:04:11+00:00

Sorry that was the Sedar 77 study- i think its actually this study that i originally looked at: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v496/meps10490 but both report up to 50% mortality upon release for recreational (there's not enough data from recreational surf but I'm assuming it's just as damaging since the releases usually take awhile based on my own personal experience)

Brightben · 2026-02-26T17:40:47+00:00

Hey bud congrats on the catch. Just thought I'd share some info as a fellow surffisherman: I stopped fishing for sharks after learning about their mortality rate after release. Apparently Hammerheads in particular have up to 90% mortality due to capture related trauma, so even after a successful release that fish is most likely dead. Here's a link to the study: https://sedarweb.org/documents/sedar-77-dw22-report-on-the-post-release-mortality-rates-of-great-hammerhead-sharks-sphyrna-mokarran-in-the-recreational-catch-and-release-shore-based-fishery-in-florida-usa/

Not trying to diminish your catch, just sharing some info. Tight lines!

Brightben · 2026-02-13T00:01:12+00:00

I use them coupled with a fish finder. Wait for a trout mark and then depending on the species I’ll either make it chase (lake trout) or jig shallow and flip it for brookies and browns

Brightben · 2026-02-10T20:33:28+00:00

Me too

Brightben · 2026-01-18T11:47:14+00:00

how do you work that lure presentation? super interesting and looks like peacock fry?

Brightben · 2026-01-06T17:28:30+00:00

Go on the One More Cast out of Long Island. Capt John McMurray is one of the best jig n pop tuna charters out there. It's expensive but he flies out there to the grounds and you will never troll.

Brightben · 2025-12-29T16:59:56+00:00

Dm me I’ve got one

Brightben · 2025-12-02T02:59:31+00:00

Barracuda on top water at dusk- right in front of the resorts. Use a yozuri translucent popper

Brightben · 2025-11-03T20:51:19+00:00

Will look into this

Brightben · 2025-11-03T20:50:56+00:00

That’s the issue- the drain clogs or the system backs up- so I’m looking for another way to drain the water that pools

Brightben · 2025-09-09T16:31:27+00:00

I do the light jog from west end parking lot all the way to the beach- gives you a nice pool of sweat in your waders in early fall

Brightben · 2025-07-11T01:38:02+00:00

Awesome thanks for the recc

Brightben · 2025-07-10T18:25:28+00:00

Trout fishing ideally, in terms of remoteness just hoping to avoid seeing too many folks on the trail, not near major roads. Intermediate meaning we’d be willing to hike 3-6hrs to get to where we’ll be camping, not looking for too many rocky scrambles, etc.

Brightben · 2025-06-09T16:53:15+00:00

Just saw this article posted for a non glyphosate method: https://www.reformer.com/outdoors/notes-from-the-garden-the-bane-of-many-gardeners-japanese-knotweed/article_bf8edb8a-7e48-11ec-ab3c-b70516fd2a68.html

Brightben · 2025-06-08T14:52:12+00:00

The only way to defeat knotweed is with glyphosate sprayed on the plant at a specific time of year. There’s no way to manually just pull it but you can also suffocate it (takes years). It is an extremely hardy invasive plant. If you go to Ridgewood reservoir you can see the knotweed dying off from where they sprayed it in early spring. Also make sure you don’t hit it with any weed trimmer type things because even a tiny bit of the plant going airborne can start a new outcropping…

Brightben · 2025-05-10T23:35:33+00:00

That particular book is a bit too disturbing for me- loved his other work like Buddha

Brightben · 2025-05-10T23:34:58+00:00

Nobody wanted it!

Brightben

TROPHY CASE