Martin Bowler’s Adventures Big-game fishing off the UK!
Martin assists in a tuna research project off the Cornish coast
SURF breaks on pure Cornish sand beneath towering cliffs shaped by time and its relentless winds. This stunning and dramatic shoreline gives way to the open ocean, making this place a magnet for tourists.
I can hardly believe I’m writing this, but is Cornwall, this southwest extremity of Britain, on the way to becoming the big-game capital of Europe?
Today my pulse was racing even more than usual on the three-hour journey from my Wiltshire home as I drove to fish once more with my friend Jerry Rogers.
You’ll understand why when
I tell you what I’d already experienced under the guidance of this expert skipper. If sharks the size of a VW Beetle sound farfetched, be assured they are here. Once we landed a porbeagle a mile-and-a-half from the point where it was first hooked.
Jerry’s roots as a bass fisherman have served him and his customers well, because seldom have I witnessed such levels of finesse in the marine world. There’s no ‘chuck it and chance it’ with this skipper and such attention to detail would, I was convinced, bring us success on his new boat Dreamcatcher when we made our latest voyage together.
This time, porbeagles weren’t on the agenda. Nor were blue sharks or even threshers. All three species are possible off Cornwall, but recently these waters have played host to a legion of bluefin tuna. How could these be ignored?
It’s an open secret that over the past five years or so the west coast of the British Isles has seen an explosion of tuna, and by that I don’t mean hundreds, but thousands upon thousands.
To directly target tuna here hasn’t been legal, although they are now so prolific that accidental captures occur regularly. With such sport on offer to an angling addict like me, this had been a hard pill to swallow, which is why I paid more than one visit to Irish waters, where again the tunny are back.
Why the return? Extra protection for the fish or warming seas? Nobody really knows, but when you’re strapped into a fish that can
accelerate like a Ferrari you’ll be happy it’s happened. Their brutal strength is incredible, especially when you choose to take on a tuna in standing mode, foregoing a fighting chair.
There will be moments in the fight when you wish you’d never taken the rod. Line is pulled from the drag so easily you’d swear the reel was in freespool. I’ve experienced this many times now, as my back can testify! Such knowledge, however, was part of the reason I was heading to Cornwall to fish for bluefins. Let me explain…
Defra and the European Union have decided to fund the Thunnus UK Project to better understand the ecology and distribution of these iconic fish. To do this, tuna are being electronically tagged using state-of-the-art satellite technology to record crucial information such as location, temperature and depth every 15 seconds.
All this information is at our disposal when the tag is retrieved as much as a year later. It’s important to stress this is a scientific project and not an angling one, although we, as fishermen, are playing an important role in the process.
Tuna need to be caught to make tagging possible, and the sport angler offers the best and safest way to achieve this.
The Thunnus team tags fish speedily and with the minimum of fuss. To enable this to happen, experience is vital – hence Jerry’s involvement as the skipper and mine on the rod and reel.
Falmouth Marina was just awakening when I boarded the catamaran Dreamcatcher for the first time. She’s a stunning vessel built by the best in the business, Cheetah Marine, and I have never been on a better-equipped charter boat. Jerry was as enthusiastic as ever, especially given what we were planning to do, as was Tom Horton from Thunnus UK. He was keen to learn more about a fish I guess all of us in childhood felt would never cross our path.
To be in at the beginning of such an important project was special for all of us. So, without delay, Tom boarded the mother ship, which would handle the fish, and alongside Dreamcatcher the two vessels headed out to sea.
Steve Murphy was also on board, and his job was to prepare the tackle to tame these prized fish. Because the scientific nature of this task had to take priority over angling, the gear was chosen to ensure the shortest possible fight. Only trolling lures was allowed.
However, I had no doubt we’d be doing it in style – Steve is the founder of Blue Fin Tuna UK, a body working hard on behalf of sport fishermen to ensure our representation on the top table.
Once in open water the spreader bars with teasers and stingers carrying 10/0 hooks on 400lb leaders were lowered on to the surface and the search began in earnest. Gannets were to be our eyes, and their missile dives our cue to investigate.
Baitfish were being pushed to the surface in a feeding frenzy now within reach of the birds. Only one creature could be responsible – tuna. Flat, oily spots appeared on the water as
mackerel flesh was squeezed and pulverised. Scenes straight out of The Blue Planet are being played out right here around Britain!
Occasionally tuna leapt free of the water and we all marvelled at the sheer size as fish running into hundreds of pounds smashed back down into the waves.
If success can only be measured in catch terms this wasn’t our day, as our lures failed to be hit. But I’m certain that before too long Cornwall will become a renowned destination for the mighty bluefin. A few bumps in the road on this journey are surely more than worth it.
As we steamed back into port, over the radio came reports of an estimated 700lb thresher shark being played a few miles away. Special times indeed!