By Paul Lebowitz

October 12, 2007

Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing poses with the salmon shark he hooked and fought in late July off the northwest corner of Hinchinbrook Island, a 3-hour run out of Valdez, Alaska.

Bushnell and fellow Ocean Kayak staffers Howard McKim, Chris Mautino, and Allen Sansano targeted the sharks with the help of the Bold Eagle mothership skippered by Otto Kulm and James Erickson. Bushnell said all four kayakers hooked up almost immediately.

They baited 24-in salmon on 11/0 hooks, 800-lb steel cable leader, and 100-lb main line on 9/0 Avet reels. McKim leadered and released one shark from his kayak; the others had help from the support boat.

The group kept two sharks estimated at 400-lbs each. The fish are the largest known to have been hooked and fought from a modern fishing kayak. PHOTO COURTESY ALLEN BUSHNELL