Latest news with #EdLovely
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Watch: Connecticut men reel in estimated 700-pound thresher shark
Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A pair of Connecticut anglers may have broken a state record when they reeled in a 16-foot thresher shark they estimated to weigh about 700 pounds. Ed Lovely and Moe Giovanni said they were out on the Long Island Sound in Lovely's 16.5-foot boat last week when they hooked something big. "I was hand feeding the line out, I got down to 45 or 50 feet and boom, I tell Moe boom something just hit and -- bang, zoom -- it started spooling us," Lovely told WTIC-TV. The men ended up struggling with the thresher shark for six hours. The men said they took turns wearing the fishing belt and holding the rod. "You need to have teamwork getting a fish like that because one guy has to drive the boat while the other guy's got to reel and tell him which way it's going and starboard side, port side, and so for those hours we were just going back and forth," Giovanni said. The men said they were shocked when they finally saw the size of the fish. "A few hours later, I finally saw the shark way out, and it was ginormous. It was huge," Lovely told WTNH-TV. "I was like, 'This is crazy.' Even Moe was like, 'This is the biggest fish I've ever seen.'" They were finally about to harpoon the shark after six hours of struggling. They towed their catch back to shore, where they loaded it into Lovely's truck. The shark's estimated 700-pound weight was so heavy that it snapped a bolt on Lovely's winch while unloading it from the truck. "I was smiling like a little kid," Lovely said. "This stuff doesn't happen, especially on a boat that size and a rod that size." The anglers are now attempting to determine whether their catch is indeed a new state record. State records currently list the largest shark caught in Connecticut waters as a 650-pound mako shark caught in 1987. A Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection representative said a marine trophy fish award application for the shark is being reviewed by officials.
New York Post
08-08-2025
- General
- New York Post
700-pound shark caught off Connecticut coast may break state record: ‘Holy Mackerel'
Two Connecticut fishermen reeled in a massive 700-pound Thresher shark that could be the largest ever caught in state waters, according to a report. Ed Lovely, 46, spent over six hours wrestling the powerful predator alongside a friend off the coast of Stonington last Wednesday, ABC News reported. Once out on the water, Lovely strung out a fishing line and recalled thinking, 'Bang, I feel something,' as the hefty fish began pulling, he told the outlet. Two Connecticut fishermen reeled in a massive 700-pound Thresher shark that could be the largest ever caught in state waters. Ed Lovely 'We started fighting from there,' he said. Lovely worked for over six hours into the night with his fishing partner to reel in the 16.5-foot, 700-pound shark, which was longer than his entire boat, he recalled. At one point, he was in complete 'awe' over the shark's mammoth head peeking out of the waters. 'Wow, holy mackerel, look at that shark, it is the biggest shark I've ever seen,' Lovely remembered thinking at the time. Once they completed the harrowing catch, the pair of grown fishermen 'laid on the deck and started laughing like kids, just laying there in the dark with headlamps on,' he said. Since the shark was too big for Lovely's boat, it had to be rigged to the side of the boat — then towed away in a trailer once reaching land, the outlet reported. Lovely is currently in talks with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to see if the catch will break a Connecticut state record. Lovely is currently in talks with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to see if the catch will break a Connecticut state record. Ed Lovely A spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also confirmed to the outlet that the triumph may qualify for a Marine Trophy Fish Award. Thresher sharks can be up to 20 feet long, according to the NOAA. Lovely's family has since cut up the shark's meat to be shared with family and friends, his wife, Cynthia, told the outlet.
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
Massive shark caught off the Connecticut coast may break state record
Ed Lovely, from Hampton, Connecticut, told ABC News he takes any chance he gets to go out in the water and fish for sharks. Lovely, a 46-year-old owner of a drywall company, said a typical shark fishing excursion starts off "nice and peaceful," where he places "balloons out acting like a bobber to hold your bait to the depth you need." But then, "all of a sudden -- bang -- a shark hits and chaos happens," he said. His fishing trip last week began exactly the same, but here's the catch: he walked away with an estimated 700-pound shark that could potentially break the record for the largest one caught off Connecticut waters. "I still can't believe we did this," Lovely told ABC News. This gigantic catch -- which Lovely described as "a monster" -- occurred in the afternoon on July 30 off the coast of Stonington, Connecticut. Last year, Lovely caught 19 sharks, but he's "never seen" a Thresher shark -- mackerel sharks known for long tails that whip around -- this big in his life, he said. When they were out on the water that day, Lovely said they had been drifting a while and decided to go a mile further. Then once he had strung out the line, he said, "Bang, I feel something," with the shark immediately pulling the line, he said. "We started fighting from there," Lovely said. Two hours into attempting to reel the fish in, the two could finally see the monumental size of this shark, with Lovely saying he was "in awe." "Wow, holy mackerel, look at that shark, it is the biggest shark I've ever seen," Lovely said he was thinking at the time. Lovely said he and his friend worked over six hours to reel the creature in, and once they did, they "laid on the deck and started laughing like kids, just laying there in the dark with headlamps on." Since the 16.5-foot-long fish was not going to fit in his 16-foot-long boat, the two tied the shark to the side of the boat and drove to the dock, Lovely said. With the help of his son and a trailer, they were able to successfully transport the shark and leave the dock at approximately 1 a.m. The whole time, Lovely said what kept him going was "mental strength." "When we were fighting the fish before dark, I said to my buddy, 'It's getting dark, I don't have lights, maybe we should cut the line.' He turned around, looks at me and goes, 'We're not cutting the line, we're all in.' I got the headlamps out, and we kept fighting into the dark until we finally got him. It was insane, it was awesome," Lovely said. Now, Lovely is in communication with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to see if his catch will actually break the record. A spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also confirmed to ABC News that this feat is under review for the Marine Trophy Fish Award. In the meantime, the shark's meat has been cut up, filleted and put in coolers to be shared with friends and family, his wife Cynthia told ABC News. Lovely's advice for anyone aspiring to do the same? "Go out there and try it." When asked if he would aspire to top this record, Lovely replied: "Absolutely not."
