Late show for sharks

A late shark trip out of Poole in Dorset produced a 200lb porbeagle and a massive thresher estimated at up to 600lb.

Sam Cumming, skipper of Silver Spray, out of Poole, reports: “All the excitement from last month’s shark trips encouraged us to have another go, which proved very fruitful. Tony Lees (below left)boated his first porbeagle shark, weighing around 200lb. The fish fought for 90 minutes and was returned unharmed.

“Later in the day we had our second run with an enormous thresher that jumped clean out of the water 100 metres behind the boat. After three more hours we managed to get the fish alongside the boat and touch the trace to confirm the catch. It’s the biggest thing I have ever seen on rod and line by a long way. It must have been between 500-600lb.

“On the boat’s last shark trip, Karston Murray landed two Atlantic bonito (centre below) at the same time on feathers while fishing for bait, a first for us on Silver Spray.”

■ Meanwhile, an angler fishing for tope in Scotland’s Luce Bay caught a surprise porbeagle shark.

Neil Charters (below) was fishing out of Drummore, Wigtownshire, for tope when he thought his mackerel flapper bait had been taken by a tope, but it turned out to be a distinctively marked porgie.

“After 10 minutes of fighting, 80 per cent on the top, I got it to the side of the boat, then on board for a few pictures and then safely returned,” said the angler from Carlisle, Cumbria.

Neil, who was aboard Go West, skippered by Spike Millington, caught a 65lb tope a week earlier.