8' Mako Shark Jumps in Boat for Chum

We have all seen pictures and videos of Asian carp jumping into boats, now we can all start worrying about mako sharks doing the same thing. Evidently the critter above followed a chum line through the water, up the side of the boat and into the lunch bucket itself!

Mako sharks are know to be great jumpers, but this one was on a mission. Angler Jason Kresse landed this mako without a hook.

Reprinted from WCPO.com--

FREEPORT, Texas (AP) - It's the catch of a lifetime, but it's not clear whether a Texas fisherman landed an 8-foot shark or it landed him.

Jason Kresse, 29, of Freeport, and two crew members had been fishing for red snapper about 50 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and were dumping fish guts into the water about 3:45 a.m. Monday when they heard two big splashes in the distance.

"All of a sudden something hit the side of the boat," Kresse told The Associated Press on Tuesday (March 29). "He ends up landing on the back of the boat."

The mako shark had apparently been in a rush to feed. It began thrashing around, and Kresse said he and his crew couldn't get close to the 375-pound fish to toss it back in the water. It damaged the boat before dying several hours later.

Kresse, who has been fishing since he was a child, said the unplanned catch was a shock. Just unloading it was a challenge because it was so heavy.

"We had to use a forklift to get it off the boat when we got to the dock," Kresse said.

The crew didn't have a permit to catch sharks, so Kresse contacted federal fisheries officials on shore to get one. Mike Cox, a spokesman with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said there's no violation because the shark's death was an accident.

The shark is on display at a seafood business in Freeport, about 55 miles south of Houston.

"I'm going to get a mount of it," Kresse said. "A fish jumping in your boat, 400 pounds, that's unbelievable."