310-Pound Shark Caught At Mouth Of Patuxent River

ST. MARY'S COUNTY, MD — Cue the "Jaws" references and soundtrack, go get a bigger boat, because a Maryland waterman who recently caught a 310 pound bull shark has anglers swapping fish stories. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday shared a photo of the monster catch on Facebook.

Commercial fisherman Larry "Boo" Powley accidentally caught the 8.6-foot-long bull shark off Cedar Point in St. Mary's County. The state agency says the bull shark — known to consume fish, sharks and rays in fresh and shallow waters — is a summertime visitor to the Chesapeake Bay.

The shark was caught on Powley's net trap at the mouth of the Patuxent River on Monday. “I’ve been on the water for 42 years,” Powley, 65, of Hoopers Island, told the Capital-Gazette. “I’ve never seen one that big.”

The bull shark can get up to 11 feet long and weigh 500 pounds, experts say.

Here's how National Geographic describes the bull shark:

"Bull sharks are aggressive, common, and usually live near high-population areas like tropical shorelines. They are not bothered by brackish and freshwater, and even venture far inland via rivers and tributaries. Because of these characteristics, many experts consider bull sharks to be the most dangerous sharks in the world. Historically, they are joined by their more famous cousins, great whites and tiger sharks, as the three species most likely to attack humans."

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Photo of Bay from Sandy Point Beach by Patch Editor Emily Leayman