Rodrigo Rodriguez from Houston, Texas, drives four hours every weekend to reach the southern beaches to fish for hammerhead sharks, also known as the scalloped hammerhead sharks or the twin-headed sharks. For him, each trip presents an opportunity to break his personal best record.
Rodriguez, a refinery worker, made a remarkable catch on June 8th in Galveston, Texas, when he reeled in a massive 13 feet 2 inches (about 4 meters) hammerhead shark, the largest one he has caught so far, surpassing his previous record set just two weeks ago with an 11 feet 6 inches (about 3.5 meters) hammerhead shark.
Speaking to The Epoch Times, Rodriguez shared, “I usually go to the southern coast of the Gulf Coast in Aransas County, Texas. I often catch larger hammerhead sharks there.”
“The months of May and June are when the big hammerhead sharks are most likely to appear, and that day I was really lucky.”
Notably, June 28th was Rodriguez’s 27th birthday, and for this fishing enthusiast, achieving his personal best record was the best early birthday gift he could ask for.
On that sunny morning around 6 a.m., Rodriguez and three fishing buddies (two men and one woman) arrived at the Aransas Harbor. Casting a strong Okuma fishing line into the ocean, he soon felt something unusual.
The fishing line was quickly pulled down by something with force, indicating a hammerhead shark had taken the bait and was swimming rapidly into the deep blue sea.
“We have a very large fishing reel,” he said. “It’s specifically designed for catching this type of fish.”
Despite his experience, Rodriguez was still amazed when he began to pull the shark up. While he is strong, he knew he couldn’t haul the huge shark onto land by himself without assistance.
He and his friends took turns battling the shark, finally managing to bring it under control after a considerable effort.
“Hammerhead sharks are stronger fighters compared to other sharks,” he remarked. “Sometimes, they will fight to the death.”
After successfully capturing the shark, they quickly measured its size and took some photos before releasing it back into the ocean.
Rodriguez always releases the fish he catches.
As of now, the record for the largest hammerhead shark caught in Texas stands at 14 feet 5.25 inches (about 4.4 meters). Although Rodriguez’s personal best that day was 13 feet 2 inches, falling short of breaking the state record, it was still an impressive feat.
Later that same day, he caught another hammerhead shark measuring 11 feet 4 inches (about 3.45 meters).
Rodriguez has been fishing since he was 7 years old and has continued this hobby, heading to the beach every weekend to test his luck.