FIVE record sharks... one amazing trip
These images depict one of the greatest shark catches in UK history, when four anglers boated six record-breaking six-gilled sharks in just 48 hours.
One remained unweighed, but the other five giants scaled 204lb, 237lb, 242lb, 320lb and 512lb – all of these eclipsing the official British record that was taken way back in 1976.
Adrenaline junkies Phil Riley and John Owen, along with Sea Angler magazine’s Dave Lewis, had boarded Liverpool charter boat ‘Size Matters’ in search of the record-breaking sharks.
The trip was conceived months ago by skipper Kevin McKie after a local commercial fisherman told him of a mark where giant six-gills had been spotted.
Kevin said: “It was fantastic to witness history being made and prove beyond doubt that there’s a healthy population of six-gills in British waters.
“I’m especially proud I’ve pioneered the fishing for them, as no-one has done that before.
“My boat is twice the size of your average charter vessel and one just of a handful in the UK with a deck big enough to bring a big shark aboard. It’s fitted with a harness to assist this, as some of these sharks can weigh over 1,000lb.
“It was the only way we could accurately measure them all to determine their weight.
“The trip demanded a lot of dedication. The mark was in the region of 60 miles west of the Isles of Scilly near the Continental Shelf, more than 100 miles from the port of Plymouth.
“It was a long steam out but it was certainly worth the wait.”
Once on location it was a matter of whose rod would be in action first – and the four anglers didn’t have long to wait as conger eels, blue sharks, blue whiting, cod and the rare blue skate were pulled from the depths.
But six huge six-gilled sharks also found the party’s mackerel hookbaits irresistible. The first, at 204lb, fell to Phil, followed by a fish of 242lb for John, and then a 237-pounder for Dave.
Kevin was next to score with a six-gill that went unweighed, before Phil smashed the record with a 512lb fish.
John ended the proceedings with a 320lb shark.
“Every six-gill we caught was a new record, but we just seemed to better it every time the rod went off,” an elated Phil told Angling Times.
“I’ve caught 1,000lb six-gill sharks off the Ascension Islands before, but nothing beats the feeling of knowing you’ve caught a British record.
“You’re playing a big shark in around 400ft of water with nothing but a belt harness and your rod, so the experience is incredible.
“At that depth the fight is fairly subdued, but once they can see the lights of the boat they begin to scrap in a more dogged manner.
“I’ve usually only caught them at night, but we’ve had them during the day here – maybe it has something to do with the fact these sharks are juveniles?
“Our waters are getting warmer each year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing bill fish soon - that will be my next challenge!” added Phil.