May 19 (UPI) — A South Carolina woman captured a state record when she landed a spinner shark that weighed in at a staggering 173 pounds, 5 ounces.
Nikki Colwell, 27, a teacher at Berea High School in Greenville County, said she received a certificate this week from Gov. Henry McMaster verifying that the spinner shark she reeled in about 8 miles off the coast of Edisto was a new state record.
Colwell said she had been fishing with her father April 18 when she reeled in the massive shark, and they decided to make the trip to the Charleston Harbor Marina to see if it beat the state record of 171 pounds.
The 7 1/2-foot shark tipped the scales at 173 pounds, 5 ounces.
Colwell said setting a state record is the culmination of a longtime goal.
“Every year I would tell my mom, ‘This summer I’m going to catch a record,'” she told the Greenville News.
Colwell said her next goal is to break the state record for largemouth bass.