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Huge Mako Shark Landed in Islamorada

The fish weighed in at an impressive 768 pounds
islamorada make shark

islamorada make shark

On February 26, 2012, the crew of the Captain Cadillac, led by Capt. Billy Chapman, based at World Wide Sportsman Marina, headed offshore for a day of fishing. They were about 25 miles out when they spotted something floating in the water. When they got closer, they realized a large Short Fin Mako shark was feeding on a dead swordfish carcass.

After several attempts they were able to get the shark attached to an 80 pound class outfit. Four hours later they had the shark secured to the transom of the boat. They were unable to bring the Mako on board and towed it to World Wide Sportsman’s Marina for weighing. The store’s forklift was necessary to lift the huge fish onto the dock, then attach the scale to the forklift to ascertain the weight. It weighed in at an impressive 768 pounds.

Randy Helf, owner of the Captain Cadillac, was generous enough to donate all the meat to anyone that wanted some. None of the meat went to waste. Short Fin Mako sharks are not frequently found in our local waters. This catch was fortunate and a testament to the diversity found here in the “Sportfishing Capital of the World”, Islamorada, Florida.

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