I’ve received a fascinating account of a days Shark fishing from Graham Bush.  Here’s what Graham had to say.

“Saturday, 28^th July, 5.30 a.m.  The alarm was ringing and the sun was beaming through the gap in the curtains.  Time to get up and make a packed lunch, ready for a days Shark fishing.  As usual, my brother Jason wasn’t out of his pit.  Eventually he answered his door.

We got to the boat at 6.30 a.m. and did the usual checks, oil, water, diesel, then headed into the Town Quay at Dartmouth, to pick up Justin Weeks, (who runs ‘Sport n Fish’ in Dartmouth).  He supplied the tackle.  We also collected Ross, who supplied the entertainment (funny chap.)

We left the mouth of the Dart and headed south-east for 12.5 nautical miles, in a slight swell, which took us about 1¾ hours in our privately owned 32 foot boat, “Keeley Ann”.

We had caught two fish boxes of Mackerel in the days prior to our trip and had frozen them down to keep it fresh.  They thawed by the time we needed them.  We used a length of drainage pipe with one end capped off and holes drilled in it, hung over the side of the boat.  We stuffed this pipe with mackerel, which we pounded down, using a length of smaller pipe to smash it up and release the oils and juices into a good slick.  This method is a lot cleaner than the traditional bag; and the sharks can’t bite through it.

While a thick scent trail was being carried down-tide, it was time to tackle up.  I used an up-tide rod, matched to a Daiwa S120 reel, loaded with 25 lb mono; then a swivel; followed by 10 feet of 200 lb mono, (sharks have sharp teeth and rough skin, you need this to prevent chafing); a 10 foot wire trace finished off with a 8/0 hook.

We used a plastic bottle instead of a balloon to suspend the live mackerel bait at about 30 feet below the surface.  You can remove the bottle by hand, from the trace, as the fight with a fish nears its conclusion, without jettisoning it as litter into the sea.

The wait began.  We took turns to smash more mackerel in the tube.  The morning went by without a sign of a shark.  We caught a few mackerel and garfish on very light float tackle, just to pass the time.

After dinner, the tide changed and the fish slick began to work.  Justin had the first take.  His reel screamed off line – then nothing – he thought he had lost it and wound in some slack.  Just then he felt the weight come onto his line and off the reel went again with more line screaming out.  Then it was his turn to get some line back, pumping his rod up and down and reeling in.  The fight went to and fro for about 30 minutes, until there it was, a Blue Shark, beside the boat and looking mightily peeved off!  After three more runs, we managed to get a rope lasso around its tail and heaved the fish onto the deck.

We removed the hook from its mouth, took a photo and admired this magnificent creature, before carefully handling it back over the side of the boat into the water. We estimated its weight to be about 70 – 80 lbs.  With one thrash of its tail, it was off.  We were pleased the fish appeared unharmed by its experience.  Justin was pleased to have retrieved his hook, as he took great pains to point out to us that they cost over £3 each!

The next one was about 30 minutes later and this time it was Jason’s fish.  Another Blue Shark, about the same size, but this one wasn’t the same fish coming back for more.  It already had someone else’s 3/0 hook and a length of 20 lb mono hanging from its mouth.  A disgruntled wreck fisherman must have complained he had lost a “Big Pollack”.  We removed both hooks, ours and the other one.  (I’ve still got it if anyone wants to claim it!).

An hour went by and then a bigger Blue was seen sniffing the rubby dubby tube.  This one was 110 lbs plus.  It turned and went straight for Ross’ line, took his bait and headed for the bottom.  Ross struck and reeled in 50 feet of line – and then nothing – it had gone.  We re-baited and got the line back into the water without delay, hoping it was still there somewhere.

The next thing we knew, it was 4.30 p.m. and we were just thinking of calling it a day, when another Blue Shark was spotted 30 feet off our bow.

I was fishing my bait just to the stern of the boat, in the slick.  It was time to see if the lightest tackle, mine, would stand up to one of these sharks?  I set the hook and the shark screamed off some line, so I tightened the clutch and started to wind in.  My rod was too long in the butt.  It made my arms and back ache.  Sweat was pouring off me.  Three quarters of an hour went by before I landed this one.  This shark was a bit like me, shorter and rounder than its colleagues, but weighing about the same.

It was time to head for home.  The sea had flattened to become a mirror and the temperature was about 30 degrees.  Looking at the GPS, we had drifted to Start Point and back, ending up 10 miles off Dartmouth.