Question concerning fishing?

J

James

New member
Yesterday me and my friend were at the pier, after several hours of fishing my friend hooked a 10 foot Tiger Shark. He was fighting it for 4 hours, finally he reeled it up to the pier, the pier was 40 foot above the water, so he reeled in the shark until it was EXACTLY 90 degrees below him (the shark was 40 foot below us). Basically he reeled it in as far he could, because the shark weighed like 800 pounds. The shark surfaced and people stood around taking pictures for several minutes, and then my friend cut the line. Someone on the pier started telling us that it didn't count as catching the shark, because we were suppose to touch the leader with our hand (according to fishing tournament rules)! But the leader was 40 foot below us! What the hell is that all about??? Did it count as catching the shark???
1) This wasN'T a pier tournament, it was just us going out fishing to have fun
2) There was a basket on the pier, but the fish was 800 lbs, the basket was like four foot
3. forget tournament forget record, did it count as catching the fish? or did it count as my friend just standing there and waist 4 hours of his life?
4. That guy on the pier that told us it didnt count as catching the shark after we already released it, that was the first time we ever heard of anything like that
5. dragging it to shore and then going in the water and touchin the leader, we would be lucky if all we lost was only an arm

6. walking the shark to the shore we would have also got arrested because it specifically says "no shark fishing" because of the swimmers, so pretend we drag a 10 foot TIGER SHARK to the shore. There were at least 70 swimmers yesterday.
the shark WAS floating on top of the water 90 degrees below us, for like 5 min
 
The guy who told you it didn't count should have volunteered to jump in the water and touch the leader himself. He could have brought his little plastic hook disgorger and got your hook out, and patted the shark on the head before sending it on its way.

But in my book this catch counted. If there had been a "flying gaff" on the pier (as on many big game fishing boats), you could have landed the creature. (A "flying gaff" is a gaff whose hook snaps off the handle and is attached to a crane and a winch, which is used for hoisting 1000 pound marlin, tuna, or sharks aboard the boat.) So basically, the fish was dead to rights.

By the way, I've caught marlin with no leader -- just a hook tied to the end of the line. I've fought them up beside the boat, taken a picture from a few feet away, then clipped the line and let them swim off. With no leader to touch, do these fish "count" as caught? The captains of the boats sure thought so.
 
technically (and solely for the purpose of a pre-specified tournament rule) no. But if there was no tournament what the heck. but (if this was a pier tournament, (two things) you could have walked it to shore (negotiating each piling) and beached it with one of you waiting there on the sand and touched the leader. And where do I sign up?

After additional info added

Hey in your minds eye you have the exact scene as it played out. The guy blowing steam up your rears was jealous and who wouldn't have been. I have never caught a tiger let alone an 800 pound version of one. I fish piers and giant bat rays and many kinds of sharks are around and caught and released all the time. Tell your friend that four hours of his life was spent doing what he loved to do and that is called fishing. He broke a tiger down and after a four hour battle of kicking it's a$$ he can say Yeh I caught a tiger. I can't.
 
most piers have a basket for hauling up fish but not all. you must touch the leader for it to be considered a catch in tournaments or for records
 
Technically, it's not considered a catch because you either have to land the fish or touch the leader. Had you guys dragged the shark to the beach and then touched the leader and released the shark, it would probably have been a pier record. Roses would have fallen from the heavens, Champagne would rain down and your names immortalized as the supreme pier rats for all time as you set the bar for others to reach for. Since you guys simply cut the line, oh well, another fish story.
Does it matter? Not one bit, you did hook and play the shark to the pier, it was a heck of a battle and guess what? You guys will be rumored about the pier for years anyways. Take that to the bank because it was a great day regardless.~good luck catchin'.
 
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