OFFSHORE SHARKING
A group of adventurers hitch a lift on a charter boat to experience a thrilling ‘Milford Haven sleigh ride’ with both porbeagles and blues
Extreme kayak fishing for porbeagles and blues.
FINALLY, AFTER SEVERAL YEARS of trying, our planned day kayak fishing offshore coincided with a favourable weather forecast, allowing me and a small group of enthusiastic kayaking friends the opportunity to relive one of the greatest angling experiences I have photographed in the UK – fishing for sharks aboard kayaks in the Celtic Deeps, approximately 30 miles off the coast of Wales.
On that first trip in 2016, I joined the lads on their maiden trip and now I was going to have another chance to photograph some more truly inspirational images.
Once again, we were fishing aboard Lady Jen with skipper Rob Rennie. As we ran past St Anne’s Head at the mouth of Milford Haven a little before seven on a perfect midsummer’s morning and headed offshore beneath a cloudless blue sky, our already high levels of enthusiasm and expectation were given a further boost when we were greeted with a glassy calm sea that stretched all the way to the horizon. ere was the slightest hint of a ground swell pushing landwards, just enough to gently lift Lady Jen’s twin hulls and remind us we were actually at sea.
Ordinarily such conditions are far from ideal for drifting for sharks because a lively wind-blown chop invariably creates a more effective drift, but this was no ordinary day. Fishing from a kayak is far more pleasurable under flat calm conditions, and we knew that the tide was large enough to ensure we would drift and cover ground at a reasonable rate.
Cruising at over 20 knots it took us 90 minutes to reach the fishing area. Rob was confident that we would catch, and the profusion of birdlife along with the presence of several commercial boats confirmed there were fish in the area.
On our previous kayak/shark trip, Greg Bowes and Mike Burnett both caught blue sharks averaging between 40-80lb, nice fish that provided great sport along with wonderful subject matter for my cameras. We had shared an experience that was very different from the norm for even these hardcore kayakers, who are widely recognised as being among the most experienced in the UK.
During the following years several other trips were booked with Lady Jen again acting as mothership, but on every occasion the weather had forced a cancellation. is was actually their fifth trip fishing for sharks from their kayaks, but I was unable to join them on the previous three when they also caught a lot of sharks. For me, my goal on this trip was to photograph a 100lb kayak-caught fish.
WAITING GAME
As soon as we stopped Rob dropped several chum bags over the side, and immediately their contents started to seep out and establish a fish-attracting slick of oil. Within 10 minutes we had launched three kayaks, Greg and Mike having been joined by Mark Kemble. Lady Jen is sponsored by Shimano and is equipped with tackle for her crews to use. For sharks, Rob uses Shimano Tyrnos 30 reels fitted to Tyrnos rods, a balanced combination providing excellent sport with the mostly small to medium-sized sharks this fishery typically produces, plus the necessary power to deal with an occasional bigger fish. Bait was frozen mackerel and rainbow trout.
In response to the demand for good quality shark tackle, Rob has developed a range of traces under his Custom Traces brand. He has started producing his own blocks of chum too. ese incorporate Holy Mackerel oil, which is the best additive I have used, which, depending on availability, he will supply to other boats and anglers.
Shark fishing is a waiting game. Certainly our slick was an effective one, streaming out steadily behind us with the wheelhouse chartplotter confirming we were drifting at a knot and a half. Before too long the first fulmars were sitting within the slick as close to the chum containers as they dared, pecking away at the more substantial scraps of fish that leached out into the tide. Further back diminutive storm petrels danced daintily above the water, occasionally upending to dip their bill into the oily surface film and pluck out a small piece of fish. roughout the day we saw many sunfish, their high black dorsal fins flapping from side to side and looking for all the world like an oceanic tailing permit.
Greg was first to hook a fish. From the moment the hook was set it was clear it was a big fish, with the first run stripping well over 100 yards of line through the rod rings. e ratchet on the Tyrnos screamed loudly in protest and Greg shouted in excitement as his kayak was towed in the general direction of Trinidad. As previously agreed, the other two kayakers immediately ceased fishing, and moved across to shadow Greg, ensuring they were close enough to be able to offer any assistance required. Likewise Rob started the engines and throughout the fight we remained as close as was practical.
SURPRISE FISH
On social media some have commented that fishing from a kayak is in some way detrimental to the welfare of the shark. Firstly, Greg is a hugely experienced angler who knows how to fight a fish with maximum effect. As we have already seen he was using suitable tackle, with the reel clutch correctly set to offer the perfect amount of drag. When fishing aboard a charter boat these two important elements ensure reasonably tight fights, but when aboard a kayak there is a third element that further ensures that fight times are likely to be reduced further. Even a small shark is capable of pulling the kayak, and this combined with the resistance of the reel clutch applies even more pressure on the fish. I would argue that fight times for fish hooked from kayaks are noticeably shorter than when fish of similar size are hooked from a boat.
In confirmation of this Greg successfully grabbed the leader somewhere around 20 minutes after his initial hook-up and would likely have got to that critical stage even quicker were it not for my constant demands with the camera. Often, I have watched anglers fishing aboard a boat fight smaller fish for much longer.
Finally, from my high vantage point at the bow, I got that first glimpse of colour in the clear water, the fish still well below the surface, I was able to confirm that firstly the fish was cleanly hooked and secondly, something I had quietly started to suspect, that is that it wasn’t a blue but a porbeagle.
When the shark was sufficiently close for Greg to be able to grab the leader, a well-rehearsed drill ensured a swift and safe release. As soon as possible Mark paddled his kayak alongside Greg’s to offer both support and additional stability, taking the rod and reel off Greg which left him with two free hands to deal with the fish. is gave Greg chance to put on a pair of gloves, which is recommend when handling a wire trace attached to a large, powerful fish with sharp teeth. After quickly holding the fish at the surface for the glory shot from my camera, he leaned over the side, and with a pair of sharp wire cutters snipped the wire leader close to the fish’s mouth. I watched in awe as the fish swam off strongly into the depths.
BLUE HEAVEN
Within half an hour of resuming fishing we spotted our second shark. We watched in silence as the classic vee-shaped dorsal worked its way through the slick, tracking back and forth in a clear attempt at locating the source of the attractive smell that had drawn it towards us. e fish disappeared and moments later the ratchet on a reel coughed once or twice as a few yards of line were plucked off the spool, prior to howling a staccato scream as many yards of line were stripped during the fish’s first run. Mark Kemble had hooked up, now it was his
term to experience the ‘Milford Haven sleigh ride’. We had already seen enough of Mark’s fish to know that his was a blue, and a decent sized one. Mark is a hugely experienced angler and managed to grab the leader less than 15 minutes later and again the team swung into action. Our second shark was quickly freed and swam off.
For the next hour or two things went quiet, which is normal over slack tide. Eventually the chartplotter confirmed that the next tide was gathering in momentum and that, once again, we were drifting at a steady rate. Rob added a couple of fresh chum blocks and it wasn’t long before we spotted another blue shark working its way towards us.