TEXAS – A fisherman who cast his line off of Padre Island reeled in more than he expected when he caught a 14-foot hammerhead shark.

On Saturday, the South Texas Fishing Association posted the fisherman’s recounting of his catch of a lifetime. Poco Cedillo said he was fishing for hours when a shark took the bait.

After struggling to unhook the shark and release her back into the wild, the fisherman said their excitement turned into disappointment.

“Now for most of us that live for land-based shark fishing, this was something that we never wanted to go through,” said Cedillo. “People know that I release every single shark I catch so this hurts.”

Unable to release the shark, the fishermen said they did everything they could to save the meat. With the help of six fishermen, the team was able to save the meat to donate.

The hammerhead measured 78 inches in girth, 135 inches in fork length and 12 feet long.