Angler on paddleboard hooks large shark off Madison

Eddie Carroll is going to need a bigger boat.

Carrol, of Northford, was fishing for bluefish in a tournament off Madison Sunday morning. He was on his paddleboard and had paddled out a few hundred yards past Tuxis Island.

It was then that he hooked something big.

"I was hoping it was a big blue to potentially win the tournament," Carroll said. "After a while, thought maybe world record striped bass or at least a personal best."

Carroll said the fish dragged him out further into Long Island Sound, even with a small anchor that he had dropped when he first cast his line.

It took him about an hour to reel it to the surface to actually see what it was. It wasn't a bluefish or a striped bass. It was a large brown shark.

"I was shocked myself when I first got it close enough to see the size," Carroll said.

Comparing it to his 12-foot paddleboard, Carroll estimates the shark was about 8-feet long.

He took out his phone to record his catch.

"It could have just been another fishing story. You have to get some sort of evidence, right?"

After the hourlong battle, Carroll said he was exhausted and he knew the shark was too. He hoped to get the hook out of the shark's mouth, but knew he couldn't risk getting his hands too close to its razor-sharp teeth. He cut the line as close to the hook as possible and watched the shark swim away.

Was he scared?

"A lot of adrenaline was pumping. Definitely a shade of fear."

Carroll, who grew up in Madison, says he loves being out on The Sound and respects all of the creatures beneath the surface.