Man on 2nd saltwater fishing trip bags huge shark

[March 03, 2009]  ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (AP) -- A Texas man on just his second saltwater fishing trip caught an 11-foot, 8-inch shortfin mako shark that weighed 1,149.5 pounds on scales at Port Fourchon, La.

Bill Walters, a 56-year-old dog trainer from Granbury, Texas, caught the shark last week aboard the Orange Beach, Ala.-based Sea Spray while trolling near the mouth of the Mississippi River.

It took more than six hours to haul in the catch with the help of nine friends and skipper Bill Staff.

It is one of the heaviest shortfin mako sharks ever caught. The International Game Fish Association shortfin mako world record is 1,221 pounds.

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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister/

[Associated Press]

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