Teamwork in White Water II boats 235lb porbeagle

THE UK’s most famous shark fishing skipper made a dream start to the season and christened his new £170,000 boat with the capture of his biggest- ever porbeagle weighing in at 235lb.

Earlier this year Andrew Alsop, who operates out of Milford Haven in Wales, predicted that 2013 was going to be a record-breaking year thanks to what he calls his ‘Ferrari of the sea’.

And his claims look set to become a reality after one of his most dedicated customers boated the huge predator during White Water II’s maiden voyage.
Shark fishing fanatic Andy Griffith makes the 12-hour trip from his home in Kent twice a month if the conditions are right and his dedication was rewarded when he won the battle with the new personal best.

Armed with a 16lb-20lb class Shimano travel rod, 60lb braid and a size 10/0 hook baited with a whole whiting, the property investor had to use all of his strength as well as relying on the skill of his skipper who was forced to reverse the boat to stop the shark from stripping all of the braid from Andy’s reel.

“I was absolutely blown away and it truly was a dream come true. I’ve been fishing with Andrew for seven years and I’ve always had faith that he would help me find a shark like this,” Andy told Angling Times.

“It took me almost an hour to get it to the side of the boat and the fact that I was using quite a light outfit made for an unbelievable fight – Andrew even had to grab me by the scruff of the neck at one point to stop me getting pulled over the side. I will never forget the day as long as I live.”

Andrew’s first few days of the new season also saw him locate a number of blue shark and he helped a group of anglers land five specimens to a best of 90lb in one outing.

“This boat is so quick and handless rough conditions so well that it gives me at least two hours more fishing time which allows us to cover water that was previously out of bounds,” said Andrew.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season as every year my catches and individual specimens have just got bigger and I believe there is the possibility of tuna and other species of shark such as the Mako.”