Angler Catches 986-Pound Shark, Tows It to Redondo Restaurant

A sports fisherman hauled in a huge, nearly half-ton Mako shark off the Channel Islands Sunday and brought it to a Redondo Beach restaurant, where it attracted more than 100 curiosity seekers Sunday night.

John Mills, co-owner of Captain Kidd’s Fish Market Restaurant near the Redondo Beach pier, said a fisherman named Tom Brooks hooked the shark 8 miles off Santa Barbara Island and “it took him five hours to reel it in.”

Mills measured the shark at 10 1/2 feet and weighed it at 986 pounds, which he said might be a record for the 80-pound line Brooks used.

Mako sharks, among the world’s fastest swimmers, have been known to exceed 1,000 pounds and extend 12 or more feet.

Mills said that Brooks, who could not be reached Sunday night, towed the shark to shore beside his 24-foot boat.

The shark is on ice, and on display at the restaurant at 204 N. Harbor Drive, probably until Tuesday, when Mills said he plans to decide whether it is fit to eat.