Pensacola fishermen catch 12-foot tiger shark at Fort Pickens

Jake Newby | Pensacola News Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Pensacola fishermen catch massive 12-foot tiger shark at Fort Pickens Jack Moran, David Smith and other local fishermen struggled with a 12-foot tiger shark on Friday night but finally roped it in after an hour of work.

It took an hour of work and the strength of four men for a group of local fishermen and YouTubers to pull off the greatest shark catch of their young careers.

Pensacola's Jack Moran and David Smith led the charge Friday night at Fort Pickens as the gang made a land-based catch and release of a 12-foot tiger shark. Moran said it had to weigh at least 700 pounds and it took all the manpower he had on the shore with him to pull the shark out of the Pensacola Bay.

"We fought the fish for an hour and a half, taking turns reeling it in," Moran said. "We left its head and gills in the water while we took a couple of pictures, all in about two minutes to get her back in the water ASAP."

Moran said the shark swam off strong under its own power.

The exhilaration of the sport — and the YouTube views, of course — drive Moran and his crew, but they're also conscious of minimizing injury and releasing their catches quickly back out into the water after short photo ops.

"Sharks get a bad rap around here," Moran said. "They play a huge part in our ecosystem. We have to remember we are in their environment.They should be treated with respect."

Moran has about 100 YouTube videos on his "Yakin with Jack" channel where he documents his wild fishing expeditions and posts do-it-yourself tips.

The tiger shark video had been watched about 4,000 times in two days on YouTube.

Fort Pickens can be hot bed for other breeds of shark, Moran said, but the type he and Smith reeled in on Friday was a first for him.

"I know big bull sharks and black tips (are) in the the area but I'd never heard or seen a tiger shark," Moran said.

It's his biggest catch so far, but he said he's not going to waste any time trying to top it.

"Yeah it's our biggest, but not for long," Moran said. "Fingers crossed."

Jake Newby can be reached at jnewby@pnj.com or 850-435-8538.

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