BREAKING: A Connecticut fisherman has just reeled in the catch of a lifetime, battling a massive 16-foot thresher shark for over six hours in Long Island Sound on July 12, 2023. Eddie Lovely, 46, claims the shark weighs “well over 700 pounds,” potentially shattering the state record previously held since 2006 at 467 pounds.
The astonishing catch occurred around 3 p.m., with the struggle concluding well after dark at 9:30 p.m.. By the time Lovely and his friend, Mo Giovanni, docked at Don’s Dock in Stonington, it was already 1 a.m.. “It was the craziest thing,” Lovely recounts, “I’m on this little boat with just headlamps on. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
After the shark spooled him twice, Lovely had to pursue it with a spotlighting motor, showcasing the incredible strength of the fish. “I had it geared out almost all the way, but we didn’t want to snap it,” he detailed. After a grueling battle, he finally caught a glimpse of the enormous creature after two and a half hours, exclaiming, “It was the biggest shark I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Lovely, who runs a drywall company in Hampton, has been fishing for over 20 years and is known among friends as “The Fishin’ Magician.” In just five trips this year, he has already caught four sharks. “This was 100% a dream catch,” he reflected, emphasizing the thrill of the sport.
The shark was tied to the side of their boat, which Lovely humorously described as a “little bathtub in the middle of the dark.” After harpooning the shark and cleaning it in the water, he and Giovanni slowly transported it back to shore at a cautious speed of 3 knots. It took three men an hour to load the shark onto Lovely’s truck once they arrived at the dock.
By 3:30 a.m., Lovely had finished processing the shark, with 80 pounds now in his freezer. He generously shared portions with Giovanni and 35 others, likening the meat to swordfish, which typically costs around $60 per pound.
The remarkable catch has sparked excitement not only among fishing enthusiasts but also raised questions about the increasing shark population in the region. “In the last five years, the number of sharks has doubled,” Lovely noted, attributing this surge to possibly climate change or rising water temperatures.
As the story of Lovely’s epic catch spreads, the fishing community is abuzz with anticipation about the potential state record. Official confirmation from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pending, but the excitement surrounding this historic catch is palpable.
As Lovely reflects on his extraordinary experience, he acknowledges the thrill of the chase. “If I had a 700-pound shark on the line again, I would cut the line,” he quipped, emphasizing the extreme challenge that this catch presented. “It’s been an insane ride,” he concluded, leaving many eager to see what his next adventure will bring.
