Martin Bowler’s Adventures
Join him on a hunt for thresher shark
IF DANNY Vokins were a stick of rock, the word ‘thresher’ would run right through him.
In angling, the names of notable fish and their captors are often inextricably linked. Danny Vokins, skipper of Midnight Rambler, will be forever associated with one of the rarest and most exotic summer visitors to our shores.
Yet, amazingly, he was neither born into the pursuit of giant marine species nor particularly interested in them as a child.
The bug bit as he entered manhood, and the event that would shape the rest of his life took place on June 13, 1981…
Danny and four friends had gone afloat on what they expected to be a normal normal fishing trip. A shark jumping was a rare sight to see, even more incredible in that this one leapt so close to them that it tangled in a line before tearing off, snapping the boat’s radio aerial.
Another jump and the party were agog with what was happening, but how could they be prepared what happened next?
Four hundred pounds of fish flew through the air and on to the deck, smashing into the engine box and snapping a rod.
How nobody was killed or injured was nothing short of a miracle, but this was the point when Danny Vokins’ life changed forever as his obsession with thresher sharks began.
SEA-TO-AIR MISSILES
I have fished and enjoyed the company of many men similar to Danny, but none had such a challenge on their hands to make their dreams a reality.
Growing to over 1,000lb, with a huge scythe-like tail used to stun their prey, thresher sharks are capable of launching themselves like sea-to-air missiles during the fight. Going years without meeting one of these fish, yet holding on to the desire to do so, takes a certain mindset. So I was never going to turn down an invitation to find out more about Danny – and indeed the other central character in this story.
Paddy Keogh is a Dubliner and the salt of the earth, both a friend and a fellow angling addict. His diminutive stature belies his huge heart. The day-to-day challenge of hospice work and caring for people in their final days leaves me in awe of this special fellow, and I’ve enjoyed many adventures with him in the past.
Now his kindness to me saw us on a ferry crossing to the Isle of Wight, accepting an invitation made to Paddy by the Vokins family to spend time on Midnight Rambler.
SHARK CENTRAL
As the port of Yarmouth drew closer we discussed what it would be like to catch a thresher. Once in our digs, sleep didn’t come
easily, but an early morning start would see the adventure begin in earnest.
Bembridge harbour is ‘shark central’ where threshers are concerned, although the number of tankers and cruise ships in the vicinity made it an unlikely departure point.
THE RIGHT MAN
Happily, we knew different and made our way along the pontoon to where Midnight Rambler was berthed. Danny’s face is full of character, etched by exposure to sun and salt. His handshake was warm, but he was not one for small talk. The day was young and there was a shark to find!
Without further ado he scaled the ladder on to the fly bridge, from where he would steam towards the thresher grounds.
The odds were stacked against us but already I knew we were with the right man!
The boat ran with a smoothness you’d expect from a crew who had just caught their 50th thresher.
After a short journey to a favoured mark the drift was set, a chum bag went over the side and balloons were put out supporting mackerel flappers or livebaits.
Truth be known, Paddy and
I had little to do – any success would be down to the expertise of others. If you don’t own a boat you can never be a true man of the sea, and I was a mere tourist.
No matter, my friend and I had a rod each to watch and the third was rotated on an hourly basis.
With the fishing underway and waves lapping against the hull, wind and tide were now in control. On the horizon huge vessels loomed, waiting to dock on the mainland, and I once again wondered why this was the place to find threshers – it was surreal!
However, somewhere in the deeps was this pelagic marauder that uses its huge tail both to roam the ocean and swipe its prey into submission. Time passed until the crew’s patience with the drift we were on ran out and it was apparent a move was on the cards.
Why the sudden switch I didn’t know, and why should I, given my lack of experience? Paddy and I simply followed orders and tried not to get in the way.
Twenty minutes later everything was set again and a fresh drift was underway. It was my turn to monitor the third rod, armed with a livebait – Paddy, meanwhile, had a meagre flapper to watch, but not for long. The thresher, sweeping in through a wall of blue, ignored the two outside rods and headed straight for the middle bait. The supporting balloon vanished
beneath the swell and Paddy was in – he deserved it for being such a nice guy!
Paddy grabbed the rod and Danny stood by his pupil’s side. Meanwhile son Dan headed to the fly bridge to skilfully manoeuvre the boat. I followed him up the ladder, which afforded me a grandstand view of proceedings.
I have watched many epic battles at sea before, but nothing to equal what followed. The thresher, China blue from cone-shaped nose to muscular flanks to scythe-like tail, was magnificent, and with the leader touched and Paddy’s dream realised the Vokins took no time in releasing the sleek predator.
No-one could argue with the family’s decision never to bring a shark on deck. Its welfare was far more important than a picture.
As reality kicked in aboard Midnight Rambler it was as if we’d scored an FA Cup-winning goal. In that euphoric moment I ‘got’ Danny – a man in love with an incredible creature and addicted to the mystique surrounding it. The Vokins family’s love affair with this shark will never end.