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  • 08/2020 Fishing Report by Kevin McKie on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)

    Aug 2020 by Kevin McKie

    Report on-board Size Matters

    On our return trip from Baltimore to Liverpool we decided to try an area I had been told about several years ago by an Irish skipper who sadly passed away a few years ago.

    The plan was to catch enough bait to last us for a 24 hour session before we headed back to Liverpool, this was easier said than done.

    It took three of us 7 hours to catch the bait, the problem was no wind and very little tide so the boat wasn’t covering ground.

    I give Tom Collins and Kieron Collins a call who are both local skippers to try and put us on some bait, they give me half a dozen marks to try, thankfully the last one we tried produced 3 Mackerel, 2 Coalfish to 7lb, 15 Cod from 3lb to 8lb and 25 Pollack to 8lb.

    Over 8 hours later we arrived at our chosen area to fish in the early hours of the morning, we decided to stick to 200lb mono leaders and try lights and glow sticks in the dark for a Broadbill Sword Fish because not many people if any try different methods like this.

    We set three rods up fishing at different depths, as dawn broke one of the reels started screaming it was clear to see it was a big Tuna, Sam was on the rod and was amazed how hard the fight was, everything was going well until an hour and thirty minutes in to the fight and a pod of dolphins went straight into his line parting the braid, we where all absolutely gutted.

    We steamed back to where we started and set up the baits again, we didn’t get a bite for hours so I decided to get some sleep, what felt like five minutes later but was over an hour I woke up to Tony and Sam screaming Mako Mako.

    I jumped out my bunk and started the engine, Tony was hanging over the back of the boat holding on for dear life then in seconds the Mako rolled on the mono trace and parted it like cotton.

    I said what happened, they said they thought it was a little blue attacking the live whiting on the rod set just under the boat, when Tony hooked the shark it shot out of the water 20ft from the boat and over 6ft in the air!

    We where all devastated beyond belief because you only get one shot like that in UK waters in your life time, Tony has seen three Mako sharks in South Africa so he is 100% sure it was a Mako.

    We made the decision to change all three rods to wire and start chuming but we only had bran and fish oil.

    After a few small blues one of the shark rods took off and the reel was emptying fast, Tony was on the rod and I was on the wheel, it was another big Tuna, 30 minutes into the fight the fish shot to the surface about 70 meters away, as we backed down on it it shot towards us and as we picked up the slack line it popped off under the boat.

    At this point we thought what are the chances of having this much bad luck in one day, as the night closed in we decided to drop down to one rod to make it easier so the others could have asleep while one was on watch at all times.

    Tony suggested to put an orange glow stick at the top of the wire trace to see what it could attract, that was when lady luck was on our side.

    First drop in with the glow stick and Tony was bang into a 101lb Porgie, we boated it because it had a plastic band around it’s head and it’s skin had grown over it, at one end there was a bit we could cut but we could not pull it off without damaging the fish, at least now it has a much better chance to survive.

    Next drop in and Sam was straight into a Blue Shark of 84lb his biggest Blue Shark, the glow stick was working a treat.

    At this point know one was going to bed and I was next on the rod, I put a 4lb Cod on for bait and thought go big or go home, 15 minutes later the reel was screaming I grabbed the rod hooked the fish and it shot straight down to the sea bed I thought great I big porgie, then it started to empty the reel.

    I said to Tony this is big you best take the rod I need to get on the wheel if we are going to see what this is, Tony fought the fish for 2.5 hours it turned out to be a cracking Tuna, I put the gaff in its bottom lip so we could tow it along to help revive it then it swam off in to the darkness.

    Sam was on the camera so the photos are not great it doesn’t give the fish any scale, we used points on the boat to try to get the length, it was 92 inch to 94 inch around 450lb before we let it go.

    We had lots more small Blue Sharks and Sam had his first ever Porgie about 80lb before it was time to head to Liverpool, what an end to a fantastic holiday in the UK and Ireland.

    The wild life was amazing we seen a school of Sunfish with one coming onboard for a quick photo, we caught a few a Blue Whiting and seen lots of whales, seals and dolphins.

    Losing that Mako will be the one that got away for many years to come onboard Size Matters!!

    Massive thanks to all the Irish skippers, marina staff, harbour master and Navy for being very welcoming.

    Also a massive thanks to everyone who wished us good luck on our trip to the shelf.

    Over the last eleven days Size Matters has done more miles than doctor who’s tardis in our quest to fish new areas around Ireland and the UK, there will be a lot more of these trips in the future, as we like to say onboard
    Size Matters HAVE BOAT WILL TRAVEL!!!

    Thanks
    Kevin Mckie
    Size Matters (Ireland/UK)
    07999628511

    #Mckiesfishingcharters
    #Shimano
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