CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas fisherman Christian Haltermann is back in the news once again for catching a massive shark at the Padre Island National Seashore.
In late July, Haltermann and his crew caught a 14-foot-2-inch-long hammerhead -- and not for the first time within the month. He told 3NEWS he has made the unusual catch twice in his lifetime.
But if you ask him, the 'reel' story is his team's dedication to responsible shark fishing and maintaining our fisheries.
"I'm beyond blessed, like -- that's unfathomable. Catching one 14-foot hammer in your lifetime is already amazing. There's guys that have fished 30 years and haven't seen a 14-foot hammer."
For him, the journey into extreme angling began with a Walmart fishing pole and a Honda Civic.
Tug-of-War with a Tiger Shark
The German-American angler said he's had some crazy moments out on the water in recent years.
After all the planning and hours spent driving to the seashore, he still has to be prepared for the occasional surprise. Like the time a 10.5-ft. tiger shark prematurely bit down on some bait he was dropping while alone out on the kayak.
"I was stuck to the tiger shark, and he was stuck to me," Haltermann laughed.
He said he got lucky and managed to get the shark back to shore.
If you're wondering if playing tug of war with a tiger shark without access to a rod and reel was enough to scare him -- it didn't.
"To be honest with you, I never get scared. I think it's kind of an adrenaline thing," he said. "Sharks have been my passion since I was a kid, you know. Watching Shark Week in the '80s -- I don't know. I've been mesmerized ever since. To me it's a respect thing."
Harley Haltermann married into the extreme hobby. She said she understands what it was that drew her husband to sharks. Between fighting for hours to reel in the animal, to maintaining their 100 percent successful catch-and-release rate, she loves what the resource does for her.
"You do things that you don't even realize you can do," she said.
The couple say they make as many trips as they can from their home and business in Kyle to the Padre Island National Seashore for the chance to catch and release large sharks.
Christian Haltermann's father was the first one who brought him there.
"It's kind of funny. I learned about PINS when I was probably 8 or 9 years old, sitting with my dad at the breakfast table. We were reading the newspaper."
Haltermann said he's a part of a small community of Texas anglers who take the sport to the extreme, often camping on the seashore for many nights a week and kayaking out on to the water before dropping bait more than 1,000 yards down.
And all of that happens before the shark bites down on the hook.
A member of the crew that helped catch the animal, Daniel Pineda, said it's like organized chickens with their heads cut off. The anglers are always well prepared, but last month's heavy rains made the tackle an even bigger challenge.
Thankfully, Halterman is up to the task, according to Pineda.
"My friend Christian Haltermann is a world-class fisherman and I’m really lucky to be a part of bringing in such a beautiful fish," said Pineda. "I feel a rush with intense focus when I am handling a fish like that. It feels spiritual to handle such a creation."
Respecting the resource
It's that spiritual reverence Haltermann and Pineda share for the sharks that make releasing the animals back into the water such a priority for them. They say that respecting the resource and making sure the fish swim off strong and healthy is what allows others to continue fishing for them.
"Over the last three years we've been catching an incredible amount of massive-sized sharks that we've never encountered before," said Christian Haltermann. "I think that's a testament to this new group of fishermen that really respects the resource. We're all catch-and-release. That's our Number One goal always -- to make sure they live. The whole community is pretty much on-board with that."
It's a big change from 70-80s (pound) – we have more sharks that we've ever had -- bigger stronger healthier. We get to catch awesome sharks now and see them all the time."
"So you know, we caught two 14 ft.-plus hammers in a month this year," he said. "To me, it's just a respect thing to the animal. I have no reason to kill it unless I'm going to eat it, and I'm not going to eat 1500 pounds of shark."
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