70-year-old boats the biggest shark ever from Welsh waters

The boyhood dream of a 70-year-old fishing fanatic became a reality when George Woodward boated the biggest-ever shark caught from Welsh waters - a huge 300lb porbeagle.

Despite vowing ‘never to go sea fishing again’ after suffering from severe sea sickness, he embarked on a trip aboard record breaking skipper Andrew Alsop’s White Water II out of Milford Haven in a bid to achieve a lifelong target of catching a shark from UK waters.

“I only have to look at a boat and I’m as sick as a dog,” the river keeper for Lydbrook Fishery on the River Wye told Angling Times. “I remember one particular trip when I staggered off the deck and gave my tackle to a young lad who was on the dock and thought to myself ….never again.

“But after seeing Martin Bowler and Andrew Alsop doing battle with shark on his ‘Seeking Shadows’ DVD I decided to give it a go as I’m not getting any younger.”

The historic predator – one of the biggest ever to be caught in the UK – took a mackerel hookbait mounted on a size 10 hook attached to a 15ft White Water trace and 90lb braid and took George almost two hours to land.

“Towards the end of the fight I have to admit that I was just willing it all to be over because I just wanted the pain to stop. But I kept going and was over the moon when Andrew finally slid the fish onto the deck,” George continued.

“I was totally in awe of the fish and I owe everything to Andrew – it’s no wonder he’s regarded as one of the best in the country… and I wasn’t sick once.”

George was joined on board by Martin Bowler, Wayne Little and Paul Janway, who all boated porbeagle shark over 100lb.

To find out more about fishing with Andrew Alsop visit: www.whitewatercharters.co.uk

EXCLUSIVE: See Martin Bowler's column in this week's Angling Times out Tuesday July 1, for the full story behind the capture

Click here for more angling news...