Texas Fisherman Catches Potentially Record Breaking Shark

A massive 11-foot-long mako shark, weighing over 600 kilograms, may be a new world record catch—hauled in by Jason Johnston from Mesquite, Texas, off the coast of southern California.

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Johnston, an experienced angler, was on a charter fishing trip near Huntington Beach on Monday when he hooked the giant predator using chopped fish as bait. What followed was a battle unlike any other.

“He took out a quarter-mile of line ... and five times he came out of the water over 20 feet,” Johnston told CBS Los Angeles. “It was amazing.”

Landing the shark was no small feat. Johnston described the catch as intense and dangerous, noting the power and ferocity of the fish. “It’s unreal. This thing is definitely a killing machine. Any wrong step, I could have gone out of the boat and down to the bottom of the ocean," he said.

Johnston’s monster catch has not yet been officially confirmed as a world record, but if verified, it could set a new benchmark for mako shark fishing. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) currently recognizes a 1,221-pound (553 kg) mako shark caught in 2001 as the all-tackle world record. Johnston’s catch, estimated at over 600 kilograms (around 1,322 pounds), could eclipse that.

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While the final measurements are pending official verification, the shark’s enormous size has already earned Johnston widespread attention. The shark, which will be donated to scientific research, has given Johnston the story of a lifetime.

Eager for more excitement, Johnston plans to return to the water with the same charter boat soon to try his luck again. Until then, he’s already secured a place in fishing lore.