Team Wet Hooker experienced a heartbreaking loss firsthand while competing in the Mercury SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Showdown tournament. The crew was fired up when a true monster wahoo exploded on their bait and lit up the spread. Anyone who has chased wahoo knows that first blistering run is pure adrenaline. However, the excitement quickly shifted to chaos when an even bigger predator entered the scene. A massive bull shark began tracking their hooked fish and, before they could react, attacked it violently.
The shark tore into the helpless wahoo, ripping a huge chunk from its midsection while the team fought desperately to salvage what was left. Brandon Lauritano stayed focused and optimistic throughout a grueling forty five minute battle, carefully working the damaged fish to the boat. Against the odds, they finally boated it, but the celebration was short lived. Tournament rules clearly state that a fish must remain in whole condition to qualify. Because of the shark damage, the team was disqualified.
It is a brutal reminder that offshore fishing comes with unpredictable challenges. Sharks have become increasingly aggressive around hooked fish, especially during tournaments when boat traffic and chum activity are high. The crew could only watch as what likely would have been a winning wahoo was devoured in plain sight. It is painful to imagine what might have been, but that is the raw reality of fishing in the open ocean. Nature plays by its own rules. Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/outdoors/fl-wednesday-fishing-report-0808-20120807,0,1922261.story
