"You've got to be half crazy or what?" said Cody Davis as he laughed. He's been fishing in the area for 26 years. "Not everybody can do it. Not everybody wants to do it, but I enjoy it."
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Davis, the owner of Green Tide Surf Fishing, has caught more than 100 sharks this year. Most of them are between four and five feet long.
But this year, perhaps due to the February freeze, he's seen larger sharks than ever before. If it weren't for the photos, you might think his July 23 catch was just an old fish tale.
"He was 110 inches, 9-foot-2, had a 45-inch girth," he explained. "People ask how much he weighs. I don't know. I would probably say 250 [pounds] maybe."
Davis uses a technique he's perfected over the years. He launches a waterproof drone with a tasty sting ray about 350 yards into the Gulf of Mexico. When the shark bites, the fishing pole jerks, and the battle begins.
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"To be honest with you, my first reaction is that I teared up. Really. I've been doing this so long and never caught one that big," He said. "I guess it was just a reassurance to all the work that I've put in and it made me tear up. I don't fear them, I respect them."
It took three men to get the shark to shore. They released it after taking photographs and measuring its size.
"Them sharks want back in the water as much as I want to put them in the water. We come up with a mutual agreement," Davis said. "It takes a lot of patience. You got to put your time in."
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