On a conger fishing trip about 15 miles south of Poole a couple of weeks ago we had hooked into a large shark. After 30 minutes on 30lb braid the line had parted - just after we had a chance to see the fish about 20 feet below Silver Spray. So it was with tremendous anticipation that we looked forward to Charles McDowell and his mates coming for a crack at sharking today.
Within 30 minutes of the rubby-dubby slick being started we spotted two sharks just a few yards off the boat. They disappeared below the waves and within a minute one of the shark reels started to run out. The shark was hooked and Charles spent over an hour fighting a very energetic shark on 50lb class tackle with monofilament line . The fish went around the boat and sounded a number of times. After a terrific fight the shark was safely released at the side of the boat and swam safely away. We estimated it to be over 7 feet long with a huge girth and expected it to be over 300lbs. A second shark was hooked up within the hour but once again braid prooved not to be suitable for tackling these tough fish.
Dereck Willis 10lber
