Stephen Liesen told Outcast Sportfishing’s Capt. Chip Michalove that he wanted a monster shark when they departed the docks at 2 p.m. on Friday (July 23). By the time they returned to the marina at Hilton Head Harbor later that afternoon, they had caught the state-record lemon shark weighing 380-pounds.
The Illinois angler did not want to kill the big shark unless it was a state record, but when Michalove saw the big fish he immediately said, “This is the new state-record lemon shark.”
The current state-record lemon shark weighed 370 pounds, and was caught out of Charleston by R.L. Price. Liesen’s fish still has to be certified by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to officially take over the No. 1 spot.
Liesen had asked Michalove about targeting a tiger shark, adding that a big enough tiger would be something that Liesen would add to his home as a wall mount. With the weather stopping them from traveling offshore to the tiger shark grounds, they anchored up at the Lemon Shark Hole, which is much closer to the beach.
Thirty minutes after setting out a barracuda filet they had a big strike, but came up empty.
Michalove reset the bait on the 8-0 Gamakatsu live bait hook, and let out the 60-pound Trilene from his 50W Shimano Tiagra reel. Soon the Ugly Stik HD rod was bent over and the roller-guides were spinning like the tires of a Nascar winner showboating on the infield.
The charter captain’s 26-foot boat would soon be holding a second state-record shark in as many years. Michalove also guided another angler to the reigning state-record blacktip shark just last summer.
Abiding by Liesen’s requests, the captain called SCDNR and spoke with biologist Amy Dukes about measurements for length and girth that give rough estimates for weight. The plump lemon shark was guestimated to be close to 400-pounds, and was surfed over the transom after about a 30-minute fight to be taken to Hopson Seafood in Port Royal and weighed on a certified scale.
Returning to the boat ramp, there was no way to lift the shark into the bed of Michalove’s truck so he backed it down the ramp until the bed was submerged, and then they surfed the spent lemon shark up on it.
Before driving to Charleston to have it certified by Amy Dukes at Fort Johnson, they went to Wal-Mart to buy 500pounds of ice and a tarp, and had to indulge everyone who stopped to look at the immense lemon shark and to offer their congratulations.
Click here for a complete list of state-record saltwater fish. Freshwater state records can be found here.
Editor’s Note: Michalove can be reached via his Web site at www.OutcastFishing.com.
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