50-pound shark caught in Des Allemands

No one really knows what lurks in the brackish, dark waters of Lac Des Allemands, but on Sunday a fisherman found something large, dangerous and unexpected on his line.

“We just threw jug lines out for a big catfish and we just caught a shark,” said Gene Breaux Sr. “I’m glad he was dead because I don’t have anything that was big enough to catch him.”

Fifty-pound bull shark caught in jug lines in Lake Des Allemands on Sunday.
Fifty-pound bull shark caught in jug lines in Lake Des Allemands on Sunday.

Breaux, a commercial fishermen for nearly 45 years, said this is the second bull shark he’s found on his lines. The first he found about two years ago, which was about the same size as the estimated 50-pounder he found Sunday in the waters headed toward Lake Salvador, or an estimated 10 miles from U.S. Highway 90 from the Des Allemands Boat Launch.

He baited his five lines in the deep water and another five in the shallow water and left them overnight. By the morning, Breaux said he caught nine fish and a shark. The shark had drowned by the time they found it, Breaux said.

“I took a picture and threw the shark away,” Breaux said. “I couldn’t bring him in the boat. I didn’t have a net big enough. I’m scared to go swimming now.”

While there have been no reported shark bites in the area, the bull shark  has earned its name as an aggressive species, according to experts.

It’s considered one of the most dangerous of its kind worldwide and some experts have ranked it No. 1 for most human attacks.

The species is novel in that it can live in both salt and fresh water, and prefers crowded areas although it’s typically a lone hunter.

 

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