12-year-old boy has one helluva whale shark of a tale

When man and wild animals cross paths, the results can often be tragic for the humans. However, sometimes the odds are simply stacked against the beasts and that’s when amazing things can happen for man, or should we say boy.

On New Year’s Day, 12-year-old Aidan Murray Medley was fishing off the coast of Florida with his family when he snagged a 551-pound bull shark. After a 45-minute battle with the nine-foot-long behemoth, Medley finally reeled in the monster that weighed a full 431 pounds more than he did.

When you have a shark on the line, it’s completely painful,” said Aidan, who said he lost feeling in his body after about 20 minutes of having the shark on his line.

The shark’s size set a new state record for the largest fish ever caught in Florida with the old record being set by a 517-pound shark that was hauled in back in 1981.

So what’s a 12-year-old to do with a shark that weighs 300 pounds more than him? Medley says he plans on having the shark stuffed and mounted on the wall of his boarding school in Greenwich.

Links:

[WCBSTV.com]: Conn. Boy, 12, Catches 551-Pound Bull Shark
[SPTimes.com]: Boy’s shark tale weighs 551 pounds