Texas angler shocked when 375-pound mako shark leaps into boat

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

A Texas angler landed a 375-pound mako shark, all without casting a line.

Freeport resident Jason Kresse, 29, and two others were fishing for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico early Monday and were chumming the water with fish parts when they heard some big splashes nearby.

‘All of a sudden something hit the side of the boat,’ Kresse told Associated Press. ‘He ends up landing on the back of the boat.’ The ‘he’ was an 8-foot-long mako shark.

No one could even get near the thrashing mako to try to get it back in the water, and the shark ended up dying on board.

The crew didn’t have a permit to catch sharks, so Kresse contacted officials on shore. Mike Cox, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman, said that there was no violation because the shark’s death was an accident.

The shark has been put on display at an area seafood company, and Kresse is getting a mount made to go with his amazing fishing tale.

‘A fish jumping in your boat, 400 pounds, that’s unbelievable,’ Kresse said.

-- Kelly Burgess
twitter.com/latimesoutposts