Awsome timing on that pic, and congrats on the first pheasant.

Pictures of dead sharks with a bunch of losers standing around it don't impress me.

Pictures of a shark beside the boat after a great fight being released to reproduce and be caught again impress me.

Field and Stream is a hunting, fishing and trapping website.
The website is filled with hunting photos of bagged animals, fish caught by fishermen and animals that were trapped. If anyone gets upset or offended over a fish or an animal that was killed, then maybe you might consider going on the Humane Society, Friends of Animals or Peta's website. You never find anything dead on those websites.

People gotta put food on the table on way or another.

Want to tell us us what you did with your great catch after the macho pix?
You all look like what sport fishing are NOT--my opinion.

I'm a shark fisherman (among other things) from Long Island, New York--just where this fish was caught--and agree with the folks who say that it's a shame that the big thresher was killed. 20 years ago, I would have been thrilled to kill that fish; a little more than a decade ago, I would have killed it in a tournament context. But with one very limited exception--threshers are the hardest-fighting shark out there, and sometimes exhaust themselves so badly that they all but die on the line, and in such cases likely won't survive if released--the big fish didn't have to be killed. Unlike what was said in a previous comment, threshers aren't without food value; they're arguably the best tasting shark out there. But the meat from the larger fish tends to get coarse, and in any case, a thresher of nearly 600 pounds produces a lot of meat that one needs to either consume or give away. I could be wrong, but I'm betting that, intentionally or as a result of age and freezer burn, a lot of this fish will end up in the garbage. And that's just wrong.

Hey Guys, Keeping fish that are apex predators is not a good idea. It is also good fodder for anyone who wants to criticize our privilige of fishing. A long fight with a beautiful fish like this is what we all want so why not let these big fish go so it can reproduce and we all can have a chance at landing a big one. The rule that we all learned in kindergarden about sharing applies to all of our experiences in the great outdoors!

Kristofur18,
Great job for eating and sharing the shark's meat with all your family and friends. Your right there was a lot of negativity toward your thresher shark. I was starting to think threshers were going extinct or something. There were many other fishing photos in that group of 49 that were picked by the Editors.
Not one negative word, on the carp that was killed with an arrow, the large bass away from the shore line, the Alaska halibut on the cutting board table and the large catfish at night on land.
Is the life of a threaher shark more important then the lives of all the other fish that were not "caught and release, to fight another day"?
I guess like they say, you being photo number one, everybody is going to take shots at you. Great Job to all you guys in the photo and Congrats on your great trophy shark!

I know that spot in pic 3. I was just there a week ago. Nice catch

There's nothing uglier than a photo of a dead trophy fish or shark. I don't want to see that. Show me photos of these magnificent animals being released instead. Sharks can use the break!

Many of the people who have posted against killing sharks and big fish already probably will not come back to read this, but I will share this anyway. I agree that it is not always the right answer to kill a trophy fish. In fact most guides today will through back monster fish anyway. But unless you know that the fish in the picture is going to be thrown away you really don't have the right to say otherwise. I was fishing in St. Thomas a couple of years ago when my dad caught a monster Mahi Mahi. We thought we were going to throw it back when the guide asked if we minded if he kept it. One the ride back to the dock that evening he explained that he cuts up the fish and uses it as a means of trade with some of the locals for vegetables and other things. He also eats a lot of the meat himself. It is hard to know what someone's situation is and perhaps it would be good to take that into consideration before attacking what could be the fondest fishing memory of someone's life.