Rick Austin was fishing for striped bass in Nova Scotia when he unintentionally hooked something a little toothier. The angler was trying to figure out what had his Ugly Stik doubled over when the shape of a great white shark appeared and passed under his kayak.
At the time Austin was unsure what exactly he had hooked, but all signs, including a breach, pointed to something big. According to a Facebook post by Austin, it was after publishing the video that he heard from biologists who confirmed it was indeed a juvenile great white shark the angler was tangling with. One estimated to be six to eight feet long and weigh 200 to 250 pounds. Within two minutes of hooking the big fish, Austin made the decision to cut the line.
In recent years there has been an ongoing discussion whether the population of white sharks in the Atlantic waters off Nova Scotia is increasing, as discussed in a news article from The Coast. Research numbers aside, Austin has one more first-hand encounter on his tally, and a different kind of angling experience than he was anticipating.
[Warning: Video Contains Explicit Language]
Uh-oh – the video is “age restricted!” I swear mister, I’m an adult! đ