How a fish got me arrested.

[drexelantiques]

Back about 20 something years ago a fraternity brother at the University of South Carolina and I decided to ride down to Myrtle Beach and go shark fishing. We stopped at a 24 hour supermarket and bought a block of squid, and some type of fish to use for bait to catch fresh bait with and got to the Cherry Grove pier about 1 am.

It took a couple of hours to get set up, and catch bait for our shark rigs. I floated a live eel out on a balloon, using a 9/0 Penn senator loaded with 80 lb line. My buddy did the same with a live Croaker we had caught.

We continued fishing with lighter rigs near the pier. About 4 am The Penn gave a couple of clicks, so I turned off the clicker, fed some free line. When the fish was taking line off the spool steadily, I threw it into gear and struck.

I had a freight train on the hook. He ran out almost all the line of my reel, it was daylight before I got back more than half of it. Finally I felt the shark tiring, and then it dawned on me that I had absolutely no way to land a fish that big on the pier. Well I was lucky, the side of the pier was pretty unobstructed, and by careful passing of the rod past light poles and etc. I was able to get down on the beach.

I fought the shark into the shallows, by then it was 7:30 or so, and beach combers and etc. started appearing on the beach, we quickly drew a crowd. I had no earthly idea how to land the shark. The beach was too shallow to really drag him up, and he was too big.

So I decided to go in after him, but also didn't want to get bit. So I told my fraternity brother to go get my pistol out of the car.

I shot the shark 6 times with a .357 before I got hold of the tail, and my fraternity brother and I dragged him onto the beach with the help of several others.

562lb tiger shark.

Right then the police showed up. They were not very happy. I was arrested, taken to the local jail. They weren't upset with me for discharging the firearm, they were upset with me landing a shark on the beach during tourist season.

My fraternity brother got with the pier owner, they hoisted the shark up and weighed it.

Finally the police let me go, charging me with discharge of a firearm within city limits, but later all charges were dropped as the pier was not in the city limits, and I broke no laws.

[Teal]

Great story Jeff.

That is one huge shark. Any pictures?

--Dr. Todd

[Robin Sayler]

Nice.

[drexelantiques]

Todd, will have to dig them up, made the paper and everything. I will see if I can't find them and scan them.