Squid lures 13lb 7oz bass from shore
A switch of bait proved decisive for Hampshire sea angler Dave Jones when he landed this 13lb 7oz bass from the shore.
The 27-year-old fished off Lepe beach in Southampton and started off using livebaits. But after a quiet couple of hours he switched to a squid bait and promptly hit into ‘the fish of a lifetime’.
“We were using live whiting but to no avail so I pinched some of my friends old bait which had already been defrosted twice and within two minutes my rod was rattling like crazy,” he said. “I had to be careful as I was only using 12lb mainline but after 10 minutes I managed to beach it.”
Giant 196lb specimen skate from Scotland
A run of blanks came to a welcome end for Joe Campbell when he landed his first ever shore caught common skate – this huge 196lb specimen.
The 48-year-old self-employed joiner from the Isle of Harris in Scotland, targeted the island’s Tarbert Pier, where fish to a massive 225lb have been caught in the past, but had to endure numerous biteless trips before finally striking gold. “I had been fishing the pier twice a week for the past two months,” he said. “With these fish you know they are big as soon as you hit them and there isn’t much you can do but give it line before bullying it in.”
Joe fished a sliding boom rig at 50-yards with a whole mackerel on a size 10/0 hook tied to 150lb mono.
Huge blue shark over 100lb landed
A trip on Irish charter vessel Kiwi Girl out of Mullaghmore, proved successful for local rod William Wallace after he landed this huge blue shark weighing more than 100lb.
The experienced sea angler was fishing in Donegal Bay off the West Coast of County Sligo, an area which has seen numerous shark captures this year including a 199lb specimen caught last month. This shark was landed from a proven mark in the bay before being tagged and released by skipper Declan Kilgannon.
Anyone interested in a guided trip on Kiwi Girl should call 035 08761 00111.
Sea anglers win fight to save clubhouse
A campaign to stop a local council demolishing a club house that was central to the plans of an angling club looks set to end in victory.
Officials at Weymouth AC were told that blueprints had been drawn up to knock down the harbour-side building to make room for a new car park.
Plans were created to host a meeting between councillors and members of the 113-year-old outfit so that both sides of the argument could be put forward, with a petition also being circulated to gain support for the crusade.
By the end of the exchange, councillors voted that the base should remain and the club should be given a new 10-year lease to secure their future.
Although a final decision won’t be made until next month, there was plenty of reason for optimism and club chairman Billy Short said: “Members helped build this club house with their own hands back in 1974 and we have since invested in new disabled access and many other modernisations.”
“We are very grateful to anglers from all over the world, and to the Angling Trust, for supporting us at this time.”
Kayak angler towed a mile by huge skate
Ryan Turner was towed nearly a mile out to sea on a 15ft kayak as he battled with a giant 100lb-plus monster skate.
The 22-year-old from Dorset has become only the tenth angler to catch a three figure specimen from a kayak after making the 1,000 mile trip to Oban in the North-West of Scotland where a group of fellow kayakers met to target the species.
However, the aeronautical engineer from Lyme Regis was made to wait until the last cast of the final day of the eight day trip before hooking the huge fish: “It was fishing at its most extreme” said Ryan. “I didn’t realise it had dragged me out so far because I was so focused on trying to get it to the surface as I was fishing in over 400ft of water. I have been a kayak angler for some time now but have only ever targeted fish to around 10lb such as small rays. My biggest ever fish is actually only a 20lb carp so this was a complete eye opener for me!”
Ryan used a 50lb class rod, a hook the size of a human hand and a whole octopus as bait to catch the gigantic specimen which was estimated to have weighed between 120lb and 140lb, measuring 2m long and 1.5m wide. It took over half an hour to land and he had to have another angler paddle around next to him in case he got into trouble. “I was feeling quite downhearted as despite catching a rare black-mouthed dogfish during the trip I hadn’t caught anything big in the eight days whereas some of the others in the group had. I was extremely relieved when I hooked this monster which ended up being the biggest fish of the week. I am so grateful to Tom Brice and Nick Turner for making this trip happen,” he added.
Ryan’s capture in numbers
4 – The weight in pounds of the lead Ryan used to hold bottom
15 – The length in feet of Ryan’s kayak
20 – Ryan’s previous biggest fish in pounds
330 – The breaking strain in pounds of Ryan’s hook leader
450 – The depth in feet the 22-year-old was fishing
1000 – The total miles Ryan travelled to get to his fishing spot
Good luck bottle of lager lures 300lb Great White shark
A British angler used a lucky bottle of lager to tempt a rare great white shark off the coast of the United States.
Paul Raines poured a bottle of Heineken into the sea for good luck and 20 minutes later hooked into the 9ft predator – the first the ship’s captain had seen in that area in more than 25 years.
The 49-year-old was aboard ‘Mark the Shark’s Striker 1 boat, a mile out of Biscayne Bay in Miami on the hunt for sailfish, hammerheads and tiger sharks.
“Wherever I go sea fishing I pour a bottle of Heineken in the water for good luck,” said the Gloucestershire angler, “it never fails!”
The 300lb shark took a live mullet intended for sailfish and was brought alongside the boat twice on just 30lb mono before breaking free after about 45 minutes.
Keen coarse fisherman Paul, who has a caravan at White Acres in Cornwall, said: “It nearly pulled my arms off. It was like playing a big carp on 3lb line, he was in control.”
Paul, who began fishing at the age of eight and has a 25lb carp to his name, added: “It wasn’t on one of the shark rods so I was lucky to get it back to the boat. We were in 250ft of water and when he went deep there was nothing I could do.
“It is my best fishing moment ever, the absolute best.”
44lb conger eel beached
A cod fishing session produced a surprise for Sam Quilliam when he won the battle with this huge 44lb conger eel.
The specimen smashes his personal best for the species by over 40lb and almost stripped the line completely off his reel when it took off with his lugworm hookbait that was attached to a 2/0 pulley pennel rig.
It took the 23-year-old from Southampton over 20-minutes to finally beat the eel and after he’d recovered from his ordeal he finished off his session with a catch made up of black bream, plaice and his first ever cod caught from the beach.
Top chef Michael Roux Jr lands 131lb blue shark
World famous chef Michel Roux Jr proved that he’s also an accomplished angler when he caught his biggest ever shark - this impressive 131lb ‘blue’.
Michel, who judges the hit BBC two series Masterchef ‘The Professionals’, was part of a group of UK anglers that shared the capture of 23 blue shark while aboard Nick O’Sullivans Celtic Wildcat, out of Milford Haven, Wales.
He boated the two biggest predators, with a 125lb specimen accompanying his new personal best, which was caught using a whole mackerel.
“Michel is a really great angler as he grew up going fishing with his father and he was a real pleasure to share such a fantastic day’s fishing with him and the rest of the guys,” trip organiser Mark Ward told Angling Times.
To find out more about fishing aboard the Celtic Wildcat visit: www.celticwildcat.com or call: 01646 600313
Big bait for 14lb bass
Late summer nights normally provide the best chance of a large bass on the North Devon Coast and using big baits can often pay dividends - as David Brooke proved with this 14lb specimen.
The Combe Martin Sea Angling Club member was fishing with his friend Derek Ferret, who caught a 10lb 10oz fish the previous night, on an unknown local shore mark. Both fish were returned to the sea alive and were tempted using Ammo dirty squid presented on Sakuma Manta Extra hooks. David is no stranger to big bass having landed a specimen of 15lb 6oz back in 1984, also from a Devon mark.
Tuna trial boats two UK giants
Last week Angling Times reported how a cruise company in the Outer Hebrides was planning to start tuna fishing trips.
Now the skipper Angus Campbell has landed two huge bluefins weighing 515lb and 400lb on only his third trial run targeting them. Fishing 10 – 15 miles west of Leverburgh, the fish were hooked within 10 seconds of each other and took Angus and his two crew members about an hour to land. The 400lb tuna was swiftly released, but the second was bigger and had unfortunately swallowed the lure, so it was taken back to port.
“We intend to be very conservation minded and will operate catch and release fishing to sustain the population, but we’re still learning as we go on and are so looking at some new hooks which disintegrate quickly if the trace has to be cut. We intend to start taking anglers out between late August and October 2014, when the water here is at its warmest,” said Angus.
For information on the trips, keep an eye on Angus’ website www.kildacruises.co.uk.
Blue sharks off Guernsey top great day
Greg Whitehead had every reason to smile as a day off the west coast of Gurnsey saw him boat his first ever blue shark in the shape of this 50lb-plus fish.
He was fishing with his friend Rik Le Ray aboard his own vessel, ‘Blue Fin’, and the duo attracted the attentions of the predators by introducing a smelly concoction of mashed fish known as chum to create an attractive column of scent in the ocean.
Mackerel livebaits were the winning baits and Rik also got in on the action when he landed the biggest shark of the trip that was estimated to have weighed over 80lb.
“It was mind-blowing to see the fish stalking inside the chum and then make a beeline for our hookbaits,” Greg told Angling Times. “I’ve never seen fish move so quickly and with so much aggression.”
160lb blue shark on first outing
Barry Edwards’ first ever shark trip resulted in a series of huge blues - this 160lb specimen the highlight.
The Southend-on-Sea-based rod was in a party of four anglers which shared a total of 51 predators during two days with renowned charter skipper Andrew Allsop, out of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire.
Barry, 45, also beat specimens of 144lb, 124lb and 110lb in his eight shark catch aboard White Water, using frozen mackerel baits over a chum slick. Previous to this the biggest fish he had caught was a 54lb conger eel.
“We took it in turns to hit runs and the first one I got turned out to be 144lb. It just carried on one long run for ages and I think I was playing it for about 40 minutes. On the second day I had a few smaller ones before the 160lb shark. And just as I was reeling the very last bait in at the end of the day I got a take from one of 110lb.”
Angler fish on final day
Fred MacDonald polished off a fantastic three month fishing break in Cornwall by landing this strange looking angler fish on his final day at sea.
The Bradford rod originally planned to catch a shark, bass and conger while aboard Andy Howell’s 16ft ‘Obsession’ out of Falmouth and although he managed to land all three, including a 75lb blue shark, the keen angler then went on a mini species hunt over the remaining weeks of his stay, catching a further 28 species, along with this 36lb 1oz angler.
Skipper Andy Howell said: “the fishing has been excellent this year with so many exotic species around.”
Boat bass weighs 16lb
A late season bass session produced the goods for Barry Seabrook when he landed this 16lb specimen from a popular off-shore mark.
The Kent-based rod boarded his own boat at Herne Bay, Kent and headed out to an area that had a history of producing big fish.
He then offered a mackerel fillet hookbait and it wasn’t long before he received the all-important bite. A short battle followed before the huge specimen was lifted in to the boat.
For more details on fishing in the region visit www.hernebayangling.co.uk
A bass best at Watchet
Mark Hugh enjoyed one of his best ever sea fishing sessions when he landed this huge 12lb 2oz bass from a popular south-west mark.
The Taunton-based angler was fishing 20 metres off the harbour wall at Watchet in Somerset around three hours before high tide using half a fillet of mackerel when he struck into the fish, which is believed to be the biggest of the species caught from the area this year.
Swordfish in the Tyne
Further evidence that a huge range of exotic species are circling UK shores surfaced this week after a swordfish was caught from the River Tyne.
The huge specimen, which measured four foot long and weighed in at almost 50lb, was accidentally captured in salmon nets that had been set in the North East waterway.
It is believed the swordfish – which is normally found in the warm waters of the Mediterranean – was hunting down salmon in the venue when the specimen became trapped in the mesh netting.
It comes just one week after an oceanic white tip shark was spotted by anglers off the coast of Cornwall, fuelling suggestions that our seas could be home to more unusual species than ever before.
Leading fisheries expert Bruno Broughton believes that such occurrences could be set to become more common in the coming years and he told Angling Times: “On its own, this capture does not really add to evidence of climate change, but if the seas really do become somewhat warmer in future, other novel species may well turn up much more frequently in commercial or anglers' catches".
“Very few swordfish are currently found to the north of the Bay of Biscay, albeit that - historically - occasional specimens have been recorded around the western coastline of the British Isles,” he added.
The fish has now been filleted at Sunderland’s Latimer’s Seafood Deli and shop team member Kieran Smith said: “This is extremely rare and it is only the second one we have ever seen. We have also had some huge tuna come into the shop in recent years which shows that species associated with warmer climes are starting to congregate off the UK.”
42lb tope on sandeel
Stuart Webber’s lure fishing trip, turned into a session to remember when he landed this giant 42lb 12oz tope.
The keen sea angler was spinning for pollack off Baggy Point in Croyde, Devon, using frozen sandeel on a size 2/0 hook when the huge specimen took hold.
Miraculously Stuart managed to land the fish on just 25lb fluorocarbon line but soon returned to the same area with stronger gear in the hope of more tope and landed a 30lb fish on fresh mackerel bait just days later.
Last trip to Hampshire Avon produces 5lb 4oz mullet
Ian Fegan’s last ever session on the Hampshire Avon ended in success as he banked a 5lb 4oz mullet.
The Merseyside-based rod made the five hour drive to the Royalty Fishery to enjoy a day on the famous stretch before returning to his home in Australia.
A popped-up boilie helped fool a 4lb 6oz chub but it was a switch to rolling meat that resulted in the surprise specimen.
“I’m going to miss fishing for such a large range of species once I return to Brisbane but this was a great way to end my coarse fishing antics in the UK,” explained Ian.
320lb porbeagle shark off Whitby
The Yorkshire coast played host to the capture of another huge shark last week with the landing of this huge 320lb porbeagle by 21-year-old Bradford angler Ben Kitchingman.
Caught during a two-day trip aboard Whitby-based fishing charter boat Shy Torque, anchored around 27 miles offshore, the giant shark follows Sam Ward’s 360lb fish of the same species which was also landed on Shy Torque less than two months ago.
Ben, who is a member of Bradford & District Sea Angling Club said: “I have never caught a shark before despite going on several trips out of Illfracombe in Cornwall so I decided to have a try on my uncle’s boat. I couldn’t believe my luck as it was the only one caught during the trip. I never had a harness so it took me over two and a half hours to land.”
The fish took a whole mackerel bait on a size 10/0 hook, tied to 50lb mainline line.
Killer shark is prowling in UK waters
Angling Times can this week reveal that the world’s most dangerous shark is swimming in UK waters.
The deadly oceanic white tip shark is known for its fearsome nature and reported attacks on humans, and experts have now confirmed its presence in British seas.
The news comes after experienced fisherman Nigel Hodge watched in horror as a large shark – that he described as "greyish in colour and about 10ft long" - snatched a smaller blue shark of around 60lb which he was reeling in while fishing off the Cornish coast.
The 43-year-old was positioned around 25 miles off Falmouth aboard his own boat, Wave Chieften, when the predator struck. “If you were a carp angler it would be like reeling in a specimen fish and it getting snatched by a crocodile,” he said. “I played it for a while before pulling it alongside my boat where I got a good look at it before it broke free. I managed to pull the smaller fish aboard and took photos so we could find out what had attacked it.”
Speculation was soon rife as to what shark was involved in the attack with some people suggesting the possibility of a great white, while others believed it to be a larger blue shark. Experts from the US and UK, however, have since confirmed that an oceanic white tip was responsible.
Numerous non-native sharks have previously been captured in UK waters including last month’s 400lb mako shark caught by Andy Griffith off the Welsh coast along with a reported 140lb mako caught by 14-year-old Ben Healy off the Irish coast just two weeks ago.
Shark fishing expert David Turner believes it won’t be long before more of these bigger monsters are being captured: “Most anglers these days use tackle too light to handle a fish of this size but with the recent captures of big makos more and more anglers are equipping themselves with some serious big game gear in an attempt to come to terms with one of these killers.”
**SPECIES FACTFILE**
- Can grow up to 13ft long and over 400lb in weight
- Are known to be drawn to long line bait that is often intended for other species
- Habitat preferences tend to be off-shore, deep-ocean areas rather than close to the shoreline
- Famed oceanographic researcher Jacques Cousteau described the species as "the most dangerous of all sharks"
- The species was also involved in several attacks on tourists in the Red Sea near Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in 2010
- Currently labelled as an ‘critically endangered’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
