Hooked great white shark drags fishing boat across San Francisco Bay

Updated

A group of fishermen who were on a trip on the San Francisco Bay hooked an unexpected catch and were taken for a ride last Saturday.

Joe Gamez of Golden Gate Fishing recorded the adventure and posted the 9-minute video on Facebook, receiving over 100 comments from fellow users who were in awe.

At the beginning of the clip, one of Gamez's friends is seen helping him reel in the catch but struggles tremendously.

"This is the probably the biggest fish I've hooked into out here," Gamez says.

The friend then passes the rod to another person, who has a difficult time himself. When Gamez jokingly remarks that the catch might be a "500-pound seal," the rest of the group groans.

"Aw man, that would suck," one of the fishermen says.

The rod later gets passed around again, and, at one point, one of the men estimates that the catch must be at least 10 feet long and weigh about 300 pounds.

"Golly, we've been fighting this fish for over 30 minutes," says one person.

Fortunately, by the end of the clip, a man successfully pulls in the catch, stunning everybody on the boat.

"That's a great white!" Gamez exclaims. "That's a f***ing great white!"

The men then immediately work to remove the shark from the Gamez's hook, but not before they let out several more expletives of amazement.

"The force was almost like hooking into a Volkswagen that was a hundred feet deep and just trying to hold on to the rod and reel," Gamez told KPIX in an interview. "It almost pulled me into the water at one point. It's the biggest thing I’ve ever fought in my life, that's for sure."

The shark had reportedly dragged Gamez and his crew for nearly two miles before they were able to reel it in. However, they had to let it go since state and federal regulations require fishermen to immediately release great white sharks, even if the carnivorous fish are caught accidentally.

"We've never hooked into a big shark like that," Gamez said. "We've caught sharks three-to-four-hundred pounds, but we've never caught a great white shark."

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