Panama City man reels in 11-foot mako

PANAMA CITY BEACH - R.D. Foote is no stranger to catching sharks, but when he hooked an 11-foot mako shark Tuesday evening he thought he may have met his match.

"I didn't know if I caught her or she caught me," said Foote, who struggled for more than an hour with the mako before beaching it about 7:45 p.m.

Foote said his fishing rig was set up about 100 yards off the beach near Carousel Supermarket & Liquor on Front Beach Road, when he noticed three large sharks swimming between a pair of sand bars.

"This one picked up the bait; it was about 6:32 p.m.," Foote said.

Foote, owner and operator of R.D.'s Shark's ‘n Safaris, said he has caught 32 sharks this year longer than 6 feet in length, but this was the largest one he has beached.

"It came in at 11 feet, 2 inches and weighed 720 pounds," Foote said. "I've had longer ones on before, but they've always snapped the line before I got them in."

Foote said the mako was the most active shark he can recall hooking.

"She was really aggressive, kept running out toward the beach and then back in," Foote said.

The 39-year-old Foote was raised in Colorado and came to the Panhandle, where his wife is from, in 2004. He said he has been fishing since he could hold a pole and is living his dream by taking locals and tourists on sharking expeditions.

"It's good family fun," said Foote, noting that friends and family can accompany clients on deck at no charge. "Sure, these are dangerous creatures, but everything is done in a safe and controlled environment."

Asked what he was going to do with the mako, Foote said he often practices catch and release, but this mako would be turned into steaks and "fat-back" ribs.

"There's nothing like shark meat ... melts in your mouth," he said.