As reported by the Sacramento Bee 9/12/02...

Redondo Beach fisherman catches 815-pound shark

Published 12:20 a.m. PDT Thursday, September 12, 2002
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (AP) - A fisherman spent nearly six hours battling an 815-pound mako off Santa Monica Bay before he hauled in the shark with the help of a friend.

John Miller said at first he hooked the female shark alone. But during the hours he spent fighting, he placed a radio call to a friend for assistance.

Using a small boat, Mike McNamee sailed about 25 miles offshore to where Miller was to help him.

"We both held on for dear life," McNamee said.

Once they secured the shark, they tied it to the side of the boat and towed it back to a Redondo Beach yacht club.

Makos are rarely seen in West Coast waters, said Dr. Steve Strand, director of the University of California, Los Angeles, Ocean Discovery Center.