300lb Mako shark found in Wales
Expert have been left baffled after a deadly 10ft shark was found washed up on a beach in North Wales, thousands of miles from its natural habitat.
The 300lb dead Mako shark, which was found with significant wound marks down its flank, was discovered by fishermen on Barmouth Beach in Gwynedd, a popular UK tourist destination. Dozens of stunned locals and holiday makers turned up to take photographs of the huge predator, with one member of the public even leaving it a bunch of flowers.
Known as the fastest shark in the world, makos normally feed on squid or fish such as mackerel and tuna but they are a threatened species usually found in tropical waters like the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea.
Shark fishing expert David Turner told Angling Times: “It is a female mako which is extremely rare in UK waters, only three out of 65 ever caught have been females. I don’t think it had been dead long before it was found as it still had the ‘metallic blue’ sheen which usually fades an hour or so after death.”
He added: “I also don’t think it was attacked by something bigger, the marks look like they have been made by a swordfish as swordfish is a favourite food of mako's but sometimes the swordfish comes out best in the conflict.”
An autopsy undertaken on the shark has since revealed a recently ingested harbour porpoise in its stomach but why the fish died remains a mystery.
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New world record for biggest fish caught from a kayak
The world record for the biggest fish caught on a kayak has been broken with the capture of Greenland Shark weighing 1,225lb.
The colossal predator was caught by Swedish angler Joel Abrahamsson who targeted a water just outside Andörja, in Northern Norway, where Greenland Shark in excess of two tons in weight and over 200-years-old are known to reside.
The dare-devil angler floated out into the 1,600ft deep water and strapped himself into the kayak before dropping his 8lb coalfish bait down into the depths. After a few false indications the shark finally stuck and Joel then endured an epic 90 minute battle before the fish was finally pulled to the side of the support boat to be tagged and measured before being released unharmed.
He conquered the huge specimen, which measured a staggering 13ft long, using a PENN International 50 VSV reel rigged with Berkley Whiplash 44.9kg/0.28mm line and a homemade, specially-designed kayak fishing rod.
The 33-year-old described the fight one of the strangest of his career. “The fish is not a spectacular fighter but constantly tugs its head down and pulls slowly,” he said. “The fight was just gruesome and extremely heavy. A few times it got a bit gnarly and I was scared of going over.” With a new record under his belt Joel is not done, his next goal is to catch a 225-pound Atlantic halibut from his kayak… watch this space.
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One of Devon's biggest ever conger eels caught at 43lb
Losing a large conger from a popular Devon sea fishing mark did not deter Mark Frith who returned the following night and got his reward in the form of this 43lb specimen.
Fishing on Ilfracombe Pier, The Barnstaple based angler cast a side of mackerel to the spot where he had lost the eel the previous night and didn’t have to wait long before his bait was taken by the huge specimen. The fish, which is one of the biggest conger’s ever to be landed from the region, gave Mark an epic struggle before eventually succumbing to his 30lb main line and 60lb leader. Following some quick snaps of the camera it was then returned safely to the sea.
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Irish common skate record broken with 225lb fish
The Irish common skate record has been broken with the capture of this 225lb fish.
It was landed by Irishman Billy Wallace who was fishing aboard Declan Kilgannons "Kiwi Girl" during a day trip to a known mark in Donegal Bay, County Sligo. The huge specimen which was taken on a 2lb coalfish deadbait soaked in Declan’s own fish oil cocktail, was the biggest of a five fish haul recorded by the crew.
The weight was estimated using an accepted formula from the wingspan and length measurements before the fish was returned alive, meaning Billy’s catch will never be made official. The official Irish record was caught in 1913 off Ballycotton and weighed in at 221lb.
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It's a blue shark 'first' for English kayaker
Sam James has hooked and landed what is thought to be the first blue shark from a kayak in England in the form of this estimated 70lb-plus specimen.
The saltwater kayaking fanatic achieved the impressive feat during a trip out of Cadgwith, Cornwall, one of the most southernmost points in mainland Britain. Following a missed take, Sam made no mistakes after re-positioning a fresh mackerel bait.
He said: “The reel screamed, the rod went into a full bend and the yak shot forward, fast. I had no chance of stopping it on that first run, it was 265ft deep where we were fishing and I think it must have stopped at 260ft!”
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300lb porbeagle shark caught off Irish coast
Porbeagle sharks are providing anglers with plenty of action off the Irish coast at the moment with numerous fish landed by local and European anglers including this one weighing 300lb caught by Dutchman Robin Van Da Meer.
Robin was fishing aboard Hamish Curries’ Predator 2 Vessel out of Red Bay, Co. Antrim using live coalfish as bait. The capture follows a huge 360lb specimen landed by Brian Menary from Bangor, Co. Down aboard the same boat just days earlier. Visit www.predatorireland.com for fishing trips with Hamish.
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Rock legend lands personal best smoothhound
Rock legend Peter Green proved he is just as good with a fishing rod as he is with a guitar after spending a day on Essex based charter boat Chinook ii.
The former Fleetwood Mac star – who was joined by friend and keen sea angler Mick Toomber - clearly wasn’t telling ‘little lies’ about his ability either after landing this 17lb personal best starry smoothhound.
A legered hermit crab was presented on a size 4/0 hook and he was soon involved in a battle with the large fish.
Chinook ii based at Bradwell Marina and is available to book for fishing trips.
For more details call Phil on 07786 080771.
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Blue shark taken on the fly
This 60lb fly caught blue shark gave Gerard Smyth a day remember aboard Irish charter vessel Kiwi Girl.
The huge specimen was part of a haul of 20 blues weighing up to 165lb caught by skipper Declan Kilgannon and his crew during the trip, while fishing in the Donegal Bay area in North West Ireland. Gerard tempted his fish using a specially designed, Chasing Silver predator fly while all the other sharks were landed using the standard bait fish approach. Anyone wishing to experience a day’s shark fishing with Declan on Kiwi Girl, call: 0353 87 610 0111 to book.
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Blue sharks from a kayak!
These are the pictures of the first ever blue shark caught in the UK or Ireland from a kayak.
The fish was taken by kayak enthusiast, Graham Smith, after he and a friend, James Leahy, got a lift out to the shark grounds 15 miles off Youghal, County Cork, Ireland with skipper Kieran Ring.
Once they’d launched their kayaks the pair had to wait 40 minutes for the first signs of any action.
Graham said: “I had a couple of plucks on the line but waited until the balloon started to go under. With two or three good strikes the hook was set and a great fight ensued. We knew it wasn’t a monster but it was the first blue from a kayak in Ireland or the UK, so it would be a special fish whatever the size.
“The fight was like that of a smart mullet - he let me get him close several times but when I thought I had him beat he would scream off on a powerful run.”
Eventually, Graham beat his prize and estimated the shark at around 35lb to 40lb. Things then went quiet but at 9pm, as the light was starting to fade, James hooked and lost a shark.
“I was about to change my bait when I received another bite,” Graham went on to say. “I struck hard and was met with a powerful run. There was no stopping the shark I was attached to and it was dragging me all over the place.
“Eventually, after an epic hour long fight, I got the fish alongside my kayak. Kieran helped me get it on my lap for a couple of pictures before lifting it on to his boat to get an accurate measurement. This gave us a weight of 112lb – to me it was a true monster and I was overjoyed. It’s been an ambition of mine to catch a blue shark from a kayak for a long time so I’m delighted to have finally achieved it,” he added.
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198lb shark on fly rod
The UK’s biggest ever shark landed on a fly rod has been boated at a colossal 198lb.
It was almost a case of what could have been, however, for captor Nick Fahey as the huge porbeagle smashed his rod in two during an adrenaline fuelled fight that lasted almost two hours.
Thankfully, he was able to hang on and successfully land the historic specimen.
The Kent-based dentist was fishing with a group of friends aboard skipper Andrew Alsop’s White Water II which operates out of Milford Haven on the Welsh coast.
The predator, which fell to a homemade fly, is also believed to be the heaviest shark caught using a fly rod in the whole of Northern Europe.
Andrew Alsop: “This group of guys love catching huge shark on fly fishing gear and have spent a lot of time developing their techniques and baits so I’m really pleased that Nick has landed this historic fish,” he said.
“When his rod exploded we only had the handle and the reel left to land the shark, which was a bit of a challenge to say the least! We got there in the end, though.”
Andrew is no stranger to seeing large fly-caught shark caught from his boat as last August four anglers landed a record breaking breaking haul of 29lb blue sharks to 120lb using imitation seagulls.
For more information or to book a trip on Whitewater II visit: www.whitewatercharters.co.uk
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72lb tope off Scottish coast
This cracking 72lb tope was the highlight of the recent Drummore and District Tope Festival in Scotland after it was boated by Stuart Atkinson.
The impressive specimen was enough to secure first place and also broke the festival record.
Stuart, from Carlisle, Cumbria was fishing aboard private boat, Solway Venture, with his son Ryan and he tempted the fish on the first day of the event using a whole mackerel bait. A second tope of 26lb gave him an overall weight of 98lb, comfortably beating the second place weight of 58lb.
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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
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A new record smoothhound for match angler
A match angler has smashed the British shore-caught smoothhound record with the capture of this 25lb specimen.
Chris Mack swapped his pole for a beachcaster rod and took a trip to Sutton-on-Sea in Lincolnshire where he punched a peeler crab hookbait out to an area of sand and clay at 150yds range.
The Hull-based angler, who usually spends his time competing against some of the best match anglers in the UK at Lindholme Lakes in Doncaster, thought he’d received a bite from a small flatfish when the tip of his rod indicated the faintest of bites.
But when he lifted into it he realised a much bigger specimen was responsible. The ‘Starry’ smoothhound, which smashed his personal best for the species by 7lb, put his 15lb mainline coupled with a 60lb shockleader to the test.
The fish beats the current British best, a smoothie of 23lb 2oz caught in 1972. Chris, however, won’t be submitting a record claim.
“I’m not really bothered about records and to determine whether it’s a ‘starry or a ‘common smoothhound it’s often necessary to kill the fish which is something I’m not prepared to do,” Chris told Angling Times.
“I love my match fishing, but there’s nothing better than getting out on the beach and whacking some baits out as it’s something completely different. It’s good to mix your fishing up a bit.
“When the tip of my rod twitched I thought it was a bite from a little ‘flattie’, but I had a shock when the strike was met with such heavy resistance and then it started heading out to sea.
“I knew it was a big fish, but it was a real surprise when I first saw it appear in the surf and once I got it on the beach I know it was going to be something special before I’d even got it in the sling and on the scales,” he added.
STARRY SMOOTHHOUND FACTFILE
- The Starry Smoothhound is found in the northeast Atlantic from the British Isles and North
Sea to Mauritania and the Canary Isles, including the Mediterranean Sea.
- Can reach a maximum length of 4.5ft, but the average size 3.2ft.
- Grey or greyish brown colour with a scattering of small white spots on its dorsal.
- Prefers places where the seabed is sand or gravel.
- They feed mostly on crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters and molluscs.
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Remarkable giant skate double off the Irish coast
Big skate are a rarity off the North West coast of Ireland, so you can imagine Declan Kilgannon’s delight when two recent trips aboard his boat, Kiwi Girl, both resulted in the capture of a 100lb-plus specimen.
Fishing out of Mullaghmore in County Sligo, guest angler William Wallace (left) banked a huge 176lb female specimen (pictured), later followed by the capture of a male skate weighing 134lb by the skipper himself. Both fish were tagged and released.
Anyone wishing to take a trip on Declan’s boat can do so by calling him on: 035387 6100111.
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Job Vacancy: Editor of Sea Angler Magazine
The UK’s biggest sea angling magazine is looking for a new Editor.
The successful candidate will have a passion for all aspects of sea fishing and a creative vision for how to connect a vibrant magazine with a large audience of fishermen around the country and beyond.
Bauer are looking for an individual with excellent organisation and forward planning skills, a flair for design, the ability to inspire a small team and work effectively with external contributors, and deliver a constant stream of new ideas.
This is an opportunity to shape a brand that sits at the heart of the sport, in print and digitally. The new Editor will be expected to seek new ways to improve and will have the drive and ambition to make Sea Angler synonymous with the sport itself.
Interested applicants should send their CV along with a short synopsis of their vision for Sea Angler to Patrick Horton, Managing Director c/o jo.green@bauermedia.co.uk.
A more detailed job description is available on request. The deadline for applications is Monday 30th June.
Last cast of the day produces 53lb halibut
Barry Kemper had to wait until the last cast of the day to land this giant 53lb halibut off the North Yorkshire coast.
Fishing aboard Paul Kilpatrick’s Sea Otter 2 out of Whitby, Barry hooked the huge fish in around 70ft of water after a productive day of catching cod and ling. His setup consisted of a 6" rubarb and custard sidewinder lure on a Shakespeare Ugly Stick 20-30lb rod and a Penn 320GT reel loaded with 50lb Berkley Whiplash braid.
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174lb Irish skate for beginner sea angler
Joe Cawley had beginners luck on his side when he tried his hand at sea fishing for the first time and landed this giant 174lb skate.
The fish was the first of the species caught in Ireland this season and was landed aboard Darragh McGee’s Clew Bay Charters vessel, Whitewater II, using a mackerel and squid cocktail bait on 50lb mainline. Joe took 40 minutes to land the huge specimen which came towards the end of a trip which featured the capture of numerous other species including bull huss and dogfish.
To try for skate or a shark in the stunning surroundings of Clew Bay, contact Darragh on www.clewbaycharters.com.
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New British record rod-caught undulate ray
Graham Andrews became the new British record holder for the biggest rod caught undulate ray when he landed this 26lb 10oz specimen.
The-45-year-old former engineer was fishing a mark out of Littlehampton, West Sussex aboard his friend’s boat where he hooked a total of eight rays, six of which broke the 20lb-mark, including the biggest which beat the previous record set two years ago by 3lb 2oz. Graham is paralysed from the waist down meaning he struggles to apply pressure when playing big fish but found enough power in his arms to bank what he called ‘the fish of a lifetime’.
All the fish, which were returned alive, were taken using a Joey Mackerel Head on a 5/0 Circle Hook with 6ft of 25lb trace on 35lb FireWire Braid.
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Six huge skate to 204lb caught off coast of Scotland
A 1,050 mile trip to Scotland saw a pair of Essex anglers land six huge skate between 177lb and 204lb.
Barry Edwards and Chris Warren spent two days out of Crinan, Argyll with Matthew Burrett’s boat ‘On Yer Marks II’. Using big cocktail baits consisting of mackerel, rainbow trout, squid and octopus on 14/0 hooks, 80lb braid and 250lb mono traces, the pair took three fish each, fishing inshore in 450ft of water. Barry’s biggest skate weighed 193lb and after taking blue sharks to 161lb last year, he said that the skate was the next species over 100lb he had wanted to catch.
“The long trip up was well worth it for fish like this. It usually takes you between 30 and 45 minutes to land skate as big as these, the first 15 minutes are the toughest as the fish hug the bottom and you have to try and move them! All the fish were safely released alive after being quickly photographed,” he said.
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Mighty 91lb cod is the biggest of the season
The biggest cod of the season has been landed in the form of this record shaking 91lb specimen.
The monster fish was caught by Danish angler Tommy Neumann from the Norwegian resort of Soroya and follows the recent capture of numerous 70lb-plus fish from the region, including an 83lber boated by European angler Peter Fors, reported in the Angling Times just two weeks ago. Tommy tempted the giant skrei version of the species using a homemade jig lure while fishing with Danish squad, Team Hvidovre but despite being the fish of a lifetime, it is still some way short of the World record cod of 104lb, banked by German angler Michael Eisele, also off Soroya last year.
Anyone interested in travelling to Norway and catching cod should visit: www.sportquestholidays.com or call: 01603 407596
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