Trophy shark, advice?

[dhall1414]

so i did a sportfishing trip in Ft Lauderdale on friday and ended up getting pretty much exactly what i wanted: a really big fish. In my case, after a 30 min battle i reeled in a 7 ft bull shark. i'll post the story in a reply in case yall want to read it.

my question to yall, especially the old salts, is this something people would normally get a trophy made to commemorate? the company running the charter connected me with Gray Taxidermy (https://graytaxidermy.com/bull-shark-mount.html). I'd like to avoid the marine equivalent of getting a mount made for a 3 lb bass or a spike buck. especially given that this would run upwards of $1750.

[Gumbo Man]

I would think that a 7 footer would be considered a trophy. Is that shark tagged? But I did google bull sharks and it says that they can get to 11 feet long,

[dhall1414]

we were trolling reefs and shipwrecks about a mile offshore, 50-80 ft depth, and getting some decent hits. one of the other guys on the trip pulled in a 51" amberjack. i pretty much stayed back most of the time and deferred to the others on the trip anytime there was a bite, because i wanted to be able to grab a big bite without feeling guilty or the others feeling like i was hogging the action. i did end up pulling in about a 2 ft long amberjack that we tossed in the livewell for bait later. otherwise i was hands off. then one of the others pulled in half an amberjack, with the tail half being bitten clean off. The deck hand and captain said they were taking that as a sign from God and they pulled in all the rods and set up the thickest rods with the biggest reels i've ever seen. they hooked the half amberjack on the first one with a weight the size of a coke can and then tied off a yellow balloon to act as a bobber. they set up the other rod with a whole fish but no bobber and set out some chum. about 15 min after being dropped, the balloon dove under water and the reel spun like crazy, running out for a solid 10-15 seconds before slowing down. the deck hand told me to get in their big chair, and when the reel stopped spinning for a bit he transferred it to the rod holder on the chair and strapped it in. during the fight the shark crested about 100 yards out, but i missed it because i was focused so much on managing the reel and line. They told me the fight lasted about 30 min, but to me it seemed like 5. then we got the pictures and measurement. they didn't want to bring the fish on deck out of safety concerns, which i was bummed about but i guess it makes sense.

[dhall1414]

I would think that a 7 footer would be considered a trophy. Is that shark tagged? But I did google bull sharks and it says that they can get to 11 feet long,

we tagged it right before we started taking pictures

[Mitchell8]

I’ll just say to me that’s like a full body 300lb hog mount. If you take like hog hunting and spend years trying to do it sure. Or just get a european mount or just get the teeth of the shark. Whatever you’re into

[Gumbo Man]

we tagged it right before we started taking pictures

Gotcha👍👍

[Drycreek3189]

In my mind, if they get 10’/11’ long, then that’s the equivalent of mounting a 7’ gator. I’d probably just get the jaws done with a really good picture. Now a 10’ or so, I might change my mind. The older I get, the less I’m into “trophies” though so YMMV ! One thing you’ll always have is the experience !

[Walker]

Get that pic framed. The shark was tagged and released so I guess that's all you have.

[Jamvo]

The cost would probably stop me from doing it personally. Otherwise I think it would be cool to hang that up somewhere.

[AntlerCollector]

Ain’t big enough imo. Fish for a 9’+ to get mounted.

[HOOKNBULLET2]

Frame the picture with this.

https://www.meltontackle.com/sundot-marine-flag-shark-16-x-24.html

Notate the details on the flag and have it signed by those on board.

[dhall1414]

i like the feedback so far, thank yall. definitely glad i asked. i plan on locating a scan of a bull shark's jaws so i can 3D print a copy or myself.

[jaker_cc]

I’m glad you are happy with the catch. When we fished offshore a bunch sharks were considered trash along with barracudas. I’ve seen bulls much larger but if it makes you happy then mount away. I don’t consider that a trophy fish

[glen]

Glad you caught what you were after. Mounts are a personal preference. I catch alot of sharks by accident. I actually just do it so I don’t cut off braid and try to save as much top shot as I can. If you plan on fishing alot I would just do a photo case.

I want to get a wahoo done though and many may not see that as a fish to mount. I’ve seen some awesome fish memory pictures groups though. Did you get photos fighting fish and any of fish is action?

[dhall1414]

Glad you caught what you were after. Mounts are a personal preference. I catch alot of sharks by accident. I actually just do it so I don’t cut off braid and try to save as much top shot as I can. If you plan on fishing alot I would just do a photo case.

I want to get a wahoo done though and many may not see that as a fish to mount. I’ve seen some awesome fish memory pictures groups though. Did you get photos fighting fish and any of fish is action?

yeah one of the others that was on the boat is a coworker of mine, and he recorded about 20 min of video. I'm sure i could get a few good still images from it.