Longtime fisherman hooks 300-pound bull shark while tarpon fishing

CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN/Gray News) - A fisherman says he encountered more than he bargained for on a recent trip out on the Neuse River.

Michael Starkie was by Green Springs Thursday morning, trying to catch a tarpon, when instead he came across a bull shark.

Starkie said he had been fishing for a few hours but had only been in this particular spot for about 15 minutes before he got a bite from the shark.

Starkie’s friend, a commercial fisherman, estimated the shark to be about 8 feet long, while weighing around 300 pounds.

Starkie said he fought with the shark for about 30 minutes before cutting the line. He says he’s been fishing for more than 30 years in Eastern North Carolina, and this was the biggest bull shark he’s ever come across.