So it seems winter is now firmly upon us,my god it's cold in the mornings.A classic scene for any pike fishers out there! not me tho,too much work to do right now but I'm sure I will be soaking some dead-baits in the not to distant future.
I still have a lot of material to get through so lets make this one snappy.So as you have seen the sea has offered me an almost new lease of life when it comes to angling.Shore fishing has become a real passion for me but every now and then I have left the relative comfort of the land and set aboard a few charter boats.
I cannot help but feel that its kind of cheating, but then again my decent catches of coarse fish from a boat have always brought me the same level of satisfaction and feeling of achievement as that of a fish caught from the bank.So why is the sea any different?
I kinda saw the charters as a confidence booster when the shore fishing was really kicking my ass,a bit like visiting a commercial for carp after a ton of blanks fishing proper waters.
I love fishing for big fish so as you can imagine I was made up to receive an invite from Pete Gregory to fish for blue sharks on Bite adventures out of Penzance.I had everything possible crossed in hopes of the weather not scuppering my excitement.
After weeks of waiting the session was looming,we decided to head up a day early to meet the rest of the lads that were also booked in on the trip.The traffic was a bloody nightmare but Pete kept me entertained with many a piscatoral yarn.After finally arriving we headed straight to the dock to grab a bite to eat and meet up with fellow predator angler Chris Lowe who was due to be back in from a shark trip that evening.
After a quick chat we were told that the fishing had been a little bit slow,and the conditions a bit rough.But still, the lads had managed a few Blues and a bonus small Porbeagle! which I thought was a great days fishing!anyway,we got the go ahead from Chippy (our skipper) that we would definitely be going out the next day.
That evening we met up with the rest of our gang which consisted of Wayne Thomas, his son James and Nick Hart.All three are very handy anglers but had yet to tangle with a Blue shark.The next day,spirits were high as we boarded the boat.I must admit to feeling rough as shit after sleeping in the back of Pete's van and perhaps a pint to many the night before.
The first thing we had to do was catch some fresh bait,a bit of feathering about produced a shed load of mackerel. I even caught a pb Coal fish of around the 2lb mark.Chippy commented that it had not been easy gathering bait recently so we could count our selves lucky.With no time wasted we were soon steaming out to the sharking grounds,after about 30 minutes or so the boat slowed,by now I was feeling dodgier than Trotters independent traders.Chippy had a quick look about and told us we would need to go another ten miles or so where the water clarity was more favourable.Bloody hell I thought,the boat was in danger of being decorated by my internals.My iron gut survived the trip and we set about drawing straws to see who would be up first,I drew second which I was happy with, as after all who said we are going to tempt five fish that day?
Three float fished mackerel baits were placed in the chum trail, each at various depths.The furthest being the deepest to compensate for the torch-beam like fall of the slick.
A fourth rod was kept on deck to pitch to any sharks that may come into sight as the scent trail picked up.It was now just a case of playing the waiting game.A mill pond it was not and after bobbing around for 20 minutes with no land in sight my stomach took a bad turn.A generous amount of thatchers chum was ungracefully dispatched.
I felt rather embarrassed but the attention was soon taken away from me as that sweet tune of a ratchet rang aloud.
James was first on the straws so up he went into battle with what would be his first blue shark.These fish pack an incredible amount of power,and bearing in mind we were fishing in 300 feet plus of water they have a lot of room to show it off! however, after a good old tussle James did a sterling job of taming the first blue of the trip and his first of the species.I still felt like shit and knowing that I was up next sent my stomach into a bit of a flutter,the thought of passing my turn briefly crossed my mind before a much wiser part of brain told me to stop being such a wimp and get a grip.
A few minutes later I was called into action,I struck the long rod to be met with one very angry shark.This thing just took off nearly taking the rod from my hands,a few minutes into the fight the adrenaline had firmly kicked in.The sickness had gone and I felt great but I would feel even greater if I was to land the fish and get it on board for a cuddle.
As you can see the above was achieved,after 20 or so minutes of enjoyable punishment Mr blue decided to let me have my moment.The day went on to be that of a red letter ting for all of us.
Firstly the weather changed completely bringing calm sea's and a warm sun, and the fishing....well that went off the scale!
The blues came thick and fast,during the day we had multiple double hook ups and even got the chance to pick out fish on the free line rod.Sight fishing for them was fantastic!watching them circling the boat and seeing the take was breathtaking.Over all we landed 35 blues with the 2 largest going to me....which was nice.Overall I rated the day as one of my best ever,not quite as extreme as mine and Chidgey's sharkin exploits but a dam site safer non the less.
Big up Chippy,Bite adventures Penzance.
Til next time
good luck
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