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09/2021
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
Sep 2021 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
Our fourth and final 10 day live aboard charter has come to an end, after our previous 10 day live aboard charter was cut short for a combination of poor weather forecast, algae bloom and myself getting a nip from a shark, we needed to pull it out the bag on this trip!
The team we had for this trip was Team Cockney consisting of Sam, Lee, Gary and Mr ? who can not be named or be seen on social media due to his high profile job of being Prince Andrews body guard.
The day before we started the trip me and Sam went out for fresh bait, we got very lucky indeed and landed 250 to 300 mackerel and about a dozen Grater Weavers the best eating fish in the sea.
The next morning at 4am the rest of the lads turned up, we had an amazing forecast for the first six day’s, I explained to the lads we can go anywhere they want.
I was personally hoping to go the shelf off the west coast of Ireland but the lads had Six Gill Sharks at the top of there list so we decided to steam straight to Jurassic Park from Pwllheli, that’s a very long way indeed.
When we arrived at Jurassic Park there was dolphins everywhere, after the first hour Lee caught the first fish a Blue Skate of 22lb from then on it was steady fishing for the next 17 hours before the lads where beaten up and decided to call it a day.
The lads managed 12 Six Gill Sharks the biggest one measured 548lb a new unofficial British record beating our previous biggest Six Gill Shark by 36lb, Lee was the lucky angler and he also caught two Blue Skate to 28lb that he could claim as another unofficial British record!!
Sam caught Six Gill Sharks to 445lb,
Gary caught Six Gill Sharks to 294lb,
Mr ? caught Six Gill Sharks to 178lb,
The lads also caught Ling, Haddock, Whiting, Scad, Poor Cod and Dogfish.
It was now time to steam through the night to Newlyn to refuel, get an update on the weather forecast and get a well earned hot shower.
The next morning the forecast for the rest of the trip was looking good to head to Ireland or Milford Haven, the lads decided to try the Celtic Deeps before heading into Milford Haven.
As soon as we got to the Celtic Deeps the lads where catching small Blues to 60lb and just the one small Porgie, the lads pull the hook on a big porgie as it wrapped the trace up and to add salt to there wounds pull the hook on a Tuna at first light.
As we drifted into algae patches the fishing went quite but as we drifted out of them that’s where the sharks where waiting.
The next morning we where greeted by a Basking Shark swimming along side the boat buy the time we got the camera ready and steamed up to it we just managed to get a short video before it slipped away back into the depths.
We decided to check out a few wrecks for extra bait if we ever needed it while Sharking, the wrecks where full of Pollack to 10lb and the odd small Ling.
Surprisingly we came a cross a few wrecks being netted over 50 miles from Milford Haven, It’s been a few years since we have come across wrecks being netted and that was in Plymouth.
It was now time to head to Milford Haven for a well earned rest on land for a day to recharge the batteries and wet our whistles.
On our day off we done what any anglers would do and fished in the harbour for Mullet catching about a dozen to 3lb.
The next morning we headed back out Sharking in the deeps for the last leg of our trip, the plan was to try all different methods of sharking to see if we could try our best to stay away from all the small Blue Sharks that can become a pain when trying to target the bigger Sharks.
As in most cases things didn’t quite go to plan the lads caught over 50 Blues to 108lb and just one small Porgie, at one point we just used one rod because the bait was only in the water for a few minutes before it was taken.
Around 2am the weather picked up and it was 2 to 3 meter waves, the fishing went dead for about an hour then all hell broke lose, Sam hooked a Tuna after an hour he had it to the boat we roughly measured it at around 93 inch (530lb) before reviving it and watching it swim away.
We decided to go back to where we was previously fishing and get the chum going again to try a get a big Shark, as soon as we put a bait in the water it was taken by another Tuna this time Gary was on the rod, he got it boat side in 75 minutes in very tough conditions during darkness, this fish was around 96 inches (620lb) and we released it straight away.
By this time we where all feeling knackered Lee decided to have one last go for a shark before heading home, you guessed it as soon as his bait went in the water the reel started emptying and he was into a Tuna.
He got it to the boat five times I had hold of the wire but just could not turn its head it was a very big fish, sadly on the fifth attempt on the wire I had to just pull to try and turn its head but the hook pulled.
Now we had all had enough it was daylight and it was home time, as I walked into the wheel house the sonar was lite up with Tuna all over it, I said to the lads check this out, we had about 15lb of bait left so we decided to see if we could get them up to the surface to feed.
After just a few minutes we had them boiling under the boat all you could see was the out line of the Tuna and there yellow fin lets as they took the bait 20ft under the boat then a big boil of water followed on the surface, the Tuna where 200lb to well over 700lb it was amazing to see and something that will live with us forever, we did try to get them on camera but you couldn’t see the fish on the photos.
Please note shark welfare is our top priority, all sharks that are brought on board are lifted out of the water with a specialist lifting sling, measured, tagged and released in the shortest possible time while keeping well watered at all times.
Sharks that are brought onboard are measured, girth x girth x length divided by 800 to give us the formula for the weight.
We have now decided to stay in Pwllheli until Christmas before heading to Scotland to fish for Giant Skate, the reason for this is the Scottish government have recently made lockdown restrictions law and can implement them as and when they deem fit with minimal notice.
When we are in Scotland our anglers travel for all over the UK, Ireland and Europe to fish with us, they rely on accommodation to be fully open with no restrictions.
Jimmy Cranky and her associates (Scottish government) are already talking about circuit breaker lockdowns and it’s not even flu season yet, you don’t have to be the great grandson of Einstein to work out what’s coming next!
This now means we have dates available in October, November and December from Pwllheli North Wales.
OCTOBER
Thursday 7th Tope fishing £85 pp 1 place available 7am.
Wednesday 8th Tope fishing £85 pp 4 places available 7am sailing.
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters (Pwllheli)
07999628511
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