[caption id="attachment_63870" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Canadian fisherman hooks 18-foot great white shark Near Florida[/caption]

Canadian Fisherman Reels In Big White

A 46-year-old Canadian fisherman, Fab Marchese, reeled in an 18-foot, 2,500 to 3,000 pound, great white shark in the Gulf of Mexico this week.

According to the CBC, Marchese prepaid for a chartered fishing holiday to catch Amberjacks and Goliath Groupier 30 miles from Florida.

Within minutes of seeing a dark spot on the water and dropping in bait, the shark grabbed on to it. Marchese stated that he was awestruck by its size. He believes the shark’s head was approximately 4-feet across and its length made it more than half the length of the boat.

He attempted to reel it in to take photographs, but after nearly three and a half hours of struggle, and strain to his hands, arms and stomach muscles, he decided to cut the line. He discovered afterward that the shark pulled them approximately four miles off their original heading.

Marchese did manage to record video of the encounter. He related the struggle with the shark to trying to pull a car set in neutral by hand for several hours with only a rope.

"Just the vision of seeing that head," said Marchese incredulously. "Like, it was massive! That's what I'm going to remember the most."

Marchese had to convince his friends back home in Ontario, Canada, this was all true.

"Just like the movies, it was the fish from the movie," said Captain Joe Maisano with Go Fast Fishing Charters in Treasure Island.

Maisano saw the great white flash his great big teeth for just a few seconds.

"Only a couple species of sharks get that big," said Maisano, who is a seasoned fisherman. "Great hammerheads, tiger sharks, and the great whites are the only three that will get up there that big."

He considers the shark the highlight of his career and is returning today to the waters for more fishing adventures.

Marchese is set to return home on Saturday -- with a a heck of a fish story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z8jJpVMG59Q

On The Web:
Ancaster man reels in 18-foot Great White shark on fishing holiday
http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/2013/03/19/hamilton-man-whiteshark-fishing-trip.html

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/21678765/2013/03/19/what-a-catch-tourist-snags-large-great-white-shark