CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KXAN) — An avid fisherman from the Corpus Christi-area who caught the “shark catch of multiple lifetimes” along the Padre Island National Seashore says he didn’t kill the hammerhead shark for fun.
Poco Cedillo posted to his Facebook page that he caught the 14-foot great hammerhead on Saturday afternoon. Cedillo said it took him an hour and 15 minutes to reel in the shark. As he was leadering, he noticed the shark was “very tired” so he and his friends took a photo, got a measurement, took the hook out and tried to release it.
“Well after 30-40 min of us holding her up into the current in 3-4’ of water we were faced with accepting the fact that she was done,” wrote Cedillo.
Since the shark wasn’t going to make it, Cedillo said he and his friends tried to save the meat. While cutting meat, the anglers found a total of 15 barbs stuck well inside the meat from the head to the tail.
Cedillo told KXAN he didn’t kill the shark for fun. “The video of us trying to release it proves it and helps people understand what we do for these fish. No one hates that it didn’t make it more than us,” Cedillo explained.
The angler said he’s caught hundreds of shark and never for “fun or fame.” Cedillo added that he released an 11-foot great hammerhead just last month.
