Sydney mates reel in monster shark

The shark weighed almost 400kg. Photo / via Facebook

A group of Sydney fishermen scored the catch of a lifetime on the weekend after reeling in a massive, 395kg tiger shark.

The catch was made by Port Hacking Game Fishing Club member Paul Barning and his crew during a fishing competition.

It took the group 45 minutes to wrangle the shark onto the boat, with the men later sharing photos of their find on social media.

An incredible photo of the scene shows the crew's boat, "Dark Horse", almost overwhelmed by the size of the shark.

The shark was caught between Botany Bay and Port Hacking in the NSW capital.

After the shark was weighed, the group handed it over to experts for marine research.

Most of the comment reactions to the Port Hacking Game Fishing's post about the shark were positive, with one use responding "what a cracker of a shark!"

However, some comments were negative with one user asking, "What's the thrill of killing something for the sake of it?"

The shark weighed almost 400kg. Photo / via Facebook

Another on Twitter said: "What is the actual point of killing these magnificent creatures?"

On Sunday the same fishing club posted a picture of another big catch – a 340kg shark caught by the crew of a boat appropriately named The Undertaker.

According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, the common shark species can grow up to 600cm in length and weigh up to 1000kg.

The average tiger shark will grow to about 287-330cm in length.

More members of the Port Hacking Game Fishing Club on the day. Photo / via Facebook

The largest tiger shark caught was a 694.5kg male landed by Jason Hewitt from Swansea in 2008, according to NSWGFA records.

While the animal isn't protected in Australia, there have been growing calls for them to be listed as endangered after a study found a shocking 71 per cent decline in their population over three decades.