Check Out The Huge Shark Caught This Weekend Off Sheepshead Bay

Intrepid anglers hauled more than a dozen toothy trophies into Sheepshead Bay this Saturday during Stella Maris’ annual shark fishing tournament.

The boats, which included a mix of chartered and private vessels, struck out at 5:30am in search of thresher, blue and mako swimming as far as 100 miles off shore. The competition, now in its third year, drew 33 participants who hooked a total of 18 sharks, according to a Stella Maris employee who goes by the name “Stretch.”

Stretch said Stella Maris started the tournament to show Brooklyn’s fisherman have the grit to reel in the ocean’s top predators.

“You get bragging rights,” he said. “If you bring in a big shark, you can walk around with your head up. You know?”

But it wasn’t just bragging rights that were awarded. Participants pooled their money ahead of the competition, and the cash was later handed to the winners. There were no mako sharks brought in this year. However, the winning thresher, like the one pictured above, came in at 202 pounds and was caught by a private boat from Gateway Marina, Stretch said. The biggest blue shark was brought aboard Rockfish Charters. It weighed 144 pounds and was almost eight feet in length.

Each shark was hoisted above Emmons Avenue to be weighed. The spectacle attracted a large crowd on the waterfront.

Rockfish Charters Captain Rich Colombo said reeling in a prize-winning shark is a “tough fight.”

“It’s back-breaking work,” he explained. “If the shark is between 100 and 200 pounds, it might take a half-hour. If its longer than that, you could spend more than two hours fighting with it.”

Colombo said shark fishing is not for amateurs and requires a lot of equipment — harnesses, belts — to be done safely. While the season for shark fishing is year-round, Colombo said the best time to catch them is during the hottest summer months when the warm water brings them closer to shore.

“We usually do about a dozen during the summer,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s a break from our usual bread and butter fishing.”

The shark fishing tournament is held on the last Saturday of June. Stretch said they will definitely bring it back next year.

“It’s the only one in Brooklyn. They have them in Long Island and New Jersey. Why can’t Brooklyn have a piece of the action?” he said.