Americans love a good fishing story.
But this catch was unlike anything most anglers will ever experience.
And these Frisco, North Carolina, fishermen just reeled in this monster catch that left beachgoers trembling in fear.
Giant predator captured off Outer Banks
Every fisherman dreams of landing “the big one” – a catch so impressive it becomes the story they tell for decades.
For two dedicated anglers in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, that dream became reality in a way that has shocked local residents and fishing enthusiasts nationwide.
Jason Rosenfeld and Luke Beard were fishing off Hatteras Island beach in mid-March when they hooked something massive – a great white shark weighing over 1,000 pounds and measuring an astonishing 12-13 feet long.
“I set hook on the fish, and it just felt different,” Beard told local news station WTKR after the incredible catch.
The massive predator was so enormous that the two experienced fishermen couldn’t handle it alone – they needed five additional men to help reel in the beast.
Even with seven grown men working together, it still took them approximately 35 minutes to bring the monster shark to shore.
Luke, who was part of the fishing crew, documented the once-in-a-lifetime catch on Facebook, calling it “the first big land-based Great White in Hatteras Island history.”
“I’ve been dreaming of this day for most of my life!” Luke wrote. “White sharks are mysterious, and beautiful animals. The fight was about 35min. We released this fish as fast as possible. She swam off perfectly, super green.”
He added that he and Rosenfeld “have been working on getting this done for a long time. We picked the day and made the first drop with the new rod we just built for this exact purpose. It’s breathtaking seeing a 12 to 13ft, 1,400 to 1,800lb animal jump out of the water on the hook set!”
A terrifying reminder of what lurks beneath
While the fishermen celebrated their historic catch, many local residents and tourists had a very different reaction – pure fear.
The mere thought that such a massive predator was swimming just off the popular beaches has left many reconsidering their swimming plans.
What makes this situation even more terrifying is that experts say this great white, despite its enormous size, isn’t even considered exceptionally large for the species.
Great whites regularly reach weights of 2,600 pounds and can grow to 20 feet in length.
In fact, this catch doesn’t even approach the land fishing record for a great white shark.
Marine biologists have documented females reaching nearly 3,000 pounds – roughly the size of a small bus.
For vacationers planning their summer trips to the Outer Banks, this catch serves as a stark reminder of what lurks beneath the waves.
While shark attacks remain statistically rare, the visual confirmation of massive predators swimming near popular beaches has understandably sparked concern.
Social media has been flooded with comments from locals and tourists expressing second thoughts about entering the water this season.
The experienced fishermen, however, view the event differently.
For Beard and Rosenfeld, who have been fishing together for decades, this represents the pinnacle of their angling careers – a story they’ll undoubtedly tell for the rest of their lives.
Fishermen around the country have praised their skill and determination in landing such a formidable catch, especially since they quickly released the shark back into the ocean.
Their catch-and-release approach has been applauded by marine conservationists, as great white sharks are a protected species whose populations have declined significantly in recent decades.
For the average beachgoer, however, the knowledge that such massive predators patrol these waters means many will be keeping a much more vigilant eye on the horizon when they visit North Carolina’s beautiful beaches.
The video of the massive shark being reeled in has now gone viral, with millions of views across various social media platforms.
Posted @withregram • @wtkr3 A group of fishermen caught a 12-13-foot great white shark over the weekend off Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks. Video courtesy of Luke Beard shows the moment the group wrestled the shark to free it from the line and send it back into the ocean. pic.twitter.com/os7e9Wo218
— CFD (@cfdshark) March 22, 2025
