Man Catches Shark In South Florida Canal
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A Miami Shores man says he caught a bull shark in the canal behind his house Monday night.
Alex Zaldivar captured cell phone video and snapped photos of his encounter with the big fish before returning it to the water.
Zaldivar says he was relaxing on his dock Monday night when he decided to grab his fishing rod.
"Probably 45 minutes to an hour later I got a strike and started to peel off a lot of line so I knew it was something big," he told CBS4's Lauren Pastrana.
He called his brother-in-law over for help.
After 35 minutes of wrangling with their big catch, Zaldivar said he realized what he'd reeled in.
Click here to watch Lauren Pastrana's report.
"About 5 to 6 feet long. Probably between 125 to 200 lbs. He fought a really good fight," he said.
Zaldivar believes it was a bull shark, but that hasn't been confirmed.
He says he and his young sons are often in the water behind their home either kayaking or cleaning the family boat.
But that may change.
"They're certainly back here a lot, so we'll be that much more careful going forward," he said.
The lifelong fisherman has caught his share of marine life, but he admits, this one is special.
"By far the largest thing I've ever caught off land and certainly off a dock and certainly off of my backyard," Zaldivar exclaimed.
Zaldivar sent photos and videos to Florida Sportsman magazine in hopes of finding out if what he caught was indeed a bull shark.
In the meantime, he probably won't be swimming in that water anytime soon.