BRADENTON, FL (AP) – A team of Florida fishermen are celebrating after reeling in a 347-pound grouper – a fish so big it barely fit on their boat.
Capt. Paul Christie, a defending champion at the Crosthwait Memorial Fishing Tournament, and his team Jumbo Shrimp decided to target Warsaw grouper to maximize their points in the tournament. They lowered a line more than 600 feet into the Gulf of Mexico earlier this month and spent nearly half an hour reeling in the monster grouper once they hooked it.
The Bradenton Herald reports the fish didn’t fit through the tuna door, so they made a makeshift pulley over the t-top.
The Bradenton Yacht Club had to use a crane to lift the Warsaw out of the boat.
The big fish landed the team in first place with a $10,000 prize.
