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 Shark Fishing

Pictured above, caught and released 155lb Blue Shark, caught fishing late August 2011, Falmouth Cornwall on a sunny day, that's what Shark fishing is all about. Pictured below is skipper Nigel Hodge and Angler Jason Hawk holding a 70lb Blue Shark that was caught whilst fishing for Garfish and young Jack Hodge ( 10 Years Old ) on his first Blue Shark Fishing trip holding on to his fishing rod and playing the Shark like a pro,watching the Shark rip line off the reel, then fighting back finally brought his Blue Shark to the boat in no time at all, using a barbless size 10 hook saw the fish returned unharmed

 

               Please Note That we have a strict Catch, Measure, Photo and Release policy whilst fishing for Shark onboard the “Wave Chieftain”

 

A typical days Shark fishing onboard the “Wave Chieftain” from Falmouth Cornwall sees us leaving from the quay at 9am and reaching the fishing grounds within 1 hour, a maximum of six people fish during each Shark fishing trip and all fishing tackle is supplied, unless you have your own Shark fishing tackle that you want to bring along, however make sure its up to it !! Our Shark fishing Reels are backed with 150lb mono and all the fishing floats and Shark fishing traces are supplied along with fresh bait. Once the chum is set we spend the rest of the day drifting down the coast. At 4pm we will stop fishing and start to head home, getting back on the quay by 5pm and traditionally finish a days Shark fishing with a pint. Below is Jack Hodge with a Blue Shark and Andy Butler getting to grips with a Blue Shark that was tempted to the boat whilst he was fishing for Garfish. Both Sharks were returned back into the sea  to fight another day.

 

Pictured below is the “Toyota / Kia” boys from Plymouth who joined us for a days Shark fishing onboard the “Wave Chieftain” with two Shark being caught on the day, the first within one hour of starting fishing and the other just before we finished fishing at 4pm, as you will see from the photo the last Blue Shark caught whilst fishing on the day was only small, amazingly taking a huge bait that was intended for a much larger Shark. Both Shark were released after measuring, another great days Shark fishing onboard the “Wave Chieftain” from Falmouth, Cornwall.

Whilst Shark fishing on board the “Wave Chieftain” we pass the time by fishing for the big offshore Garfish as pictured above, this type of fishing gives some fantastic sport, and fish up to 4lb  !!! have been landed during this years Shark fishing season at Falmouth. Shark fishing is dependant on a good fishy oil slick flowing from the boat as we drift, using our dive lift keeps the deck clean of chum and a good continuous run of bait in the water.

 

The “Wave Chieftain” is equipped with a side entry door that enables us to bring all of our Shark onboard without the need to harm them by using a gaff, or rupturing them by pulling them up over the gunwales and railings as seen far to often on other charter boats, the Shark are then placed onto rubber matting, not non slip deck paint that wrecks their undersides and then hosed down continually before a quick photo and then lowered gently back into the water.

Cornwall has always been noted as a Shark fishing hot spot, with several British Records coming from the warm clear waters that surround our coast line, a continuous supply of  Mackerel and Herring provide a staple diet for an array of Shark that roam the Cornish coast year round.

 

                                                          

The Blue Shark is a one of the  most common Shark at Falmouth and we have seen as many as twelve landed onboard the “Wave Chieftain” in one day, however the Blue Shark should not be underestimated, and should be treated with the greatest of respect once onboard the boat to avoid injury.

 

We have successfully caught Blue Shark during the day and night up to 150lb in weight. Due to the rulings involved over claiming Cornish or British records we decline to operate such unnecessary measures that involve killing these truly magnificent creatures and bringing them ashore to be weighed on certified scales, therefore we measure and release all our captures at sea.

 

The Porbeagle Shark is more common around some of our wreck marks and often takes great pleasure in totally destroying a good sized Pollack that is being brought to the surface by and angler. As a pack fish they can be found in numbers. The Porbeagle Shark is quite often mistaken as a Mako Shark to the untrained eye as it passes the boat, side on, however its dorsal fin is more rounded with a white flash to the rear of the fin and a symmetrical tail fin, as can be seen in the pictures opposite.

 

The Porbeagle  Shark will challenge the best of  anglers and equipment, and is quite often the reasoning behind sightings of “White Shark “ in Cornwall.

 

Several Porbeagle Shark of 350lb have been landed within five hundred yards of the shore during breeding season, were they dominate the feeding chain, munching on small inshore Pollack and Mackerel.

 

The Mako Shark has recently returned to our waters and is with out doubt a truly awesome beast with an impressive sprint speed of 50 mph, The Mako Shark will empty your reel in seconds, We hooked into two of these fish this year but unfortunately both equipment and angler failed miserably .

 

The Mako Shark is most definitely to blame for many a huge run ending in disaster for many an angler, followed by the famous phrase “ I Think we need a bigger boat” The Mako Sharks in Cornwall grow in excess of 500lb.

 

The Thresher Shark is  easy to identify by its huge rear tail that it uses to round up and stun, bait fish.  The Thresher Shark is almost impossible to target and more luck than chance comes into play when trying to catch one.

 

The world record Thresher Shark comes from Cornish waters and was caught in 2007 by Roger Nowells onboard a commercial boat from Newlyn whilst fishing for Scads, a Female Thresher Shark, that weighed in at 1250lb and unusually short at only 15ft 10ichs long.

 

Another noted Thresher Shark of 400kg was also accidently caught in October 2007, whilst tangled in lobster pot ropes near Falmouth.

 

Onboard the “Wave Chieftain” we have seen several Thresher Shark and hooked into one that we managed to get along side the boat, due to its size,  it stayed in the water and was released unharmed.

Blue Shark

Porbeagle Shark

Mako Shark

Thresher Shark

Great White Shark

The Great White Shark, the big question, is it in UK waters? Well the chances are that the Great White Shark has been visiting Cornish waters for quite some time. All factors considered, water temperatures, quantity of bait fish and general habitat, then there is no reason for the Great White Shark not to.

 

During 2009 we have seen consistent warm water temperatures as late as November, and summer species seem to be staying with us later and later every year. The Gulf stream plays a big part in this and swirls around the Cornish coast during summer months, bringing unusual species with it and  its now surely only a matter of time, before a Great White Shark is landed in Cornwall.

 

There are some 453 Shark world wide of which some 21 species of Shark live in UK waters , Blue Shark, Porbeagle Shark, Mako Shark, Thresher Shark, Basking Shark, Big Eyed Thresher Shark, Blunt Nose Six Gill Shark, Sharp Nosed Seven Gill Shark, Greenland Shark, Frilled Shark, Lantern Shark, Kite fin Shark, Bramble Shark and more commonly Lesser Spotted Dogfish Shark, Bull Huss Shark, Tope Shark, Spur Dog Shark, Smooth Hound Shark, Starry Smooth Hound Shark and Monk fish Shark to name a few.

 

 

How can you tell if a Shark is Male or Female ? This is quite a common question that we get asked, The Male Shark has two claspers extending from his pelvic fins and uses then to transfer sperm into the body of receptive Female Shark. Another marked difference between the Male and Female Shark of some species is the thickness of their skin, The Skin of a Female Blue Shark is nearly twice as thick as that of the Male Shark.. It is believed that this is because of the viciousness of mating where the Male Shark will often bite the Female Shark leaving wounds that would severely injury them without the extra thick skin. We have seen that the larger Female Sharks do carry some serious scars, with some missing large chunks from the main dorsal fin area.

                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Shark Facts:  Shark have a bite strength of 25,000 pounds per square inch ( Same as a Human)

                                A Sharks largest organ is its liver that contains an oil called squaleen that helps its to float as the Shark lacks a swim bladder

                                Shark can turn their stomachs inside out if they eat something they cant digest

                                Shark have no rib cage and out of water its own weight can literally crush its body

                                The Short fin Mako Shark is one of the worlds fastest fish, 50 mph !!

                                Shark cannot swim backwards because of their fins

                                The Green land Sharks Teeth are so sharp that Eskimos used then to cut their hair

                                Shark can detect one part of blood in a million parts of water

                                A Female Blue Shark can produce a litter of up to 135 pups

                                A Porbeagle Shark only produces 4 pups ( 2 in each Uterus)  after a long gestation period

                                The smallest Shark is the Pygmy Lantern Shark of Just 5 inches long

                                The biggest Shark is the Whale Shark that grows up to 40 foot long

 

In 2010 we will be running specialists trips for short fin Mako Shark off the Cornish coast, there are limited spaces available on these trips, however if you are serious about this type of fishing then give us a call to get your name down and reserve your space, these trips are for the dedicated Shark fisherman ( Call us to discuss in more detail ) Over the coming months we will endeavour to get some Shark fishing video up on the site, so watch out for updates.

 

 

 

 

 

We have fished for Shark with great success over the years and specialise in Shark fishing trips. Shark fishing requires patience and stamina. The Cornwall Shark fishing season starts in May and can run up to as late as November depending on water temperatures.

We supply the specialist  big game Shark fishing tackle and fish with a maximum of six people at a time, All Sharks are tagged, measured and released. Targeted species are Blue Shark and Porbeagle Shark. Mako Shark and Thresher Shark are known in Cornish waters and have been sighted throughout this years Shark fishing season, although proving very difficult to catch as a targeted species. Cornwall is home to an array of Shark that we believe exist here all year round due to the clear semi tropical waters around the Cornish coast and the vast abundance of bait fish such as Mackerel and Herring. If your looking for a days fishing that will be one to remember then Shark fishing is the one for you

When you stop and look closer at the Sharks fins and shape, it is truly a masterpiece of design and advanced streamline all in one, from its advanced sensory system that can detect the smallest of electrical pulses given off by other marine animals making finding food easy, extremely effective levels of visual signals, especially in low light, gives Sharks high visual accuracy, along with its speed and stamina ,truly make the Shark the ultimate predator in UK waters.

 

Fishing for Shark at night is just as productive as in the day, and both live and dead baits work effectively. However seeing a Sharks dorsal fin smoking across the horizon with your bait is truly an exhilarating experience, even for the most advanced angler, making the day time Shark fishing more attractive to most.

   

 Shark Fishing