And now for something completely different....

Right really need to get back to a few more posts so here we go. Angling time has been a little light of late with a sporadic quick session with Mike SULLIVAN when and where I can. Hope to rectify that this weekend. Looking forward to it and trying a new mark I discovered from a recent activity that has had me side tracked ... I'm doing a bit of Geo caching and boy it's superb! Now not going to turn this post into a geo caching update as there has been a simply unforgettable trip that today's post really about. However if any of you haven't heard of geocaching before or done it then I would recommend it and you can find out all about it at www.geocaching.com . Just tell em TheSeryph sent you ;p

Anyhow the geo caching has been fun and I have managed to tie it into a spot of mark hunting for my Wrasse fishing but this week I had the most amazing fishing experience to date. Monday I went out on the Crusader out of Plymouth Harbour for a spot of Blue Shark fishing!!

Now although we did do a lot of lure fishing for Whiting and Mackerel the sharks were on bait which is the first time I have bait fished in an age. Amazing how all the new techniques I have learnt over the past year and so have dislodged the old bait techniques. Luckily I had my old fishing partner in crime Nik MORTIMORE along on the trip and work buddy Nick BLOOM to help me through the boat fishing again!!

We were greeted by a glorious sunny day at 0700 in the morning as we headed off shore some 25 miles or so and commenced our day out to find the sharks. After a tremendous amount of mackerel and whiting coming up on the lures, a fin!! Everyone became really animated as we saw our first signs of shark activity. We had been waiting hours to see the sharks come in but this one was very cautious and just played with some of the baited rigs we had out in the water. Then all quiet.

We continued to wait out the sharks when more fins approached our rigs area!! Then a sight to behold as two dolphin leapt from the water and arched their way across the open water to the side of the boat! I have seen dolphins in warmer waters abroad and they never fail to really touch a spot somewhere deep in your soul that really moves you. And so the wait continued... we had a take on a lighter rig which failed and so it came to me to take the next rod. One of our floats disappeared into the deep and line started to peel off the reel. Silence..... whizz.... off the line peeled OMG BIG FISH ON!! I took over the rod and the force pulling on the rod was something unlike I have ever experienced in my time fishing. The float was still under the water and not visible until..pop.. it arrived on the surface and moved toward the boat. It was soon that a dark shape could be seen and we sighted the beautiful form of what we found out was a female Blue Shark. Now this is THE biggest fish I have ever had hooked and the pressure was on to land this fish with all the boys watching... no pressure then :))

This is a short vid clip courtesy of Nik MORTIMORE... Thanks mate :)

The Shark circled the boat some 4 or 5 times during a session of over 35 minutes to get it close to landing on the boat. Its a rare thing to actually land one of these fish and this was one of the fewer occasions the Crusader skipper allowed the landing of the shark. I was going to actually handle this thing!!

Finally aboard the Crusader it was time to water the shark down.

Hose down to keep her watered while I try to settle her for photos.

Steady girl I'll need that hand later.

Quick photos before returning it to the water to fight another day. 95lb Female Blue Shark.. boy what a beauty! Big thanks to the Skipper Rick and his crew

I cant describe how amazing this experience was. To be hands on with such a powerful and beautiful fish goes beyond words. Certainly a high point for my fishing times and one I hope to repeat at some point as it was an experience like no other. I hope to finish this post with a vid of the Sharks release and will add it as soon as I can get hold of it.

Till then all.. I have some Wrasse to hunt so tight lines!!