jaws on the loose?

[micky-quayle]

Biggest rod caught fish in british waters is a 851lb tuna caught off whitby in 1933

This is good reading.....

http://www.worldseafishing.com/species/exotic/tuna.shtml

[Edited on 9/3/2005 by Davyred]

believe it or not i was actually holding the rod that caught that 851lb tuna on tuesday night. we had sam harris doing a talk at the tyneside branch of the pac and he owns the actual rod and reel that caught that tunny. the rod and reel were specialy made by hardys and the rod and reel together weigh an astonishing 60lb+ they have to be seen to be believed. the method used to play them is just as incredible, when hooked the angler would get off the main boat and into a small rowing boat and play it from there getting towed all over off the fish until it tired.
if you\'ve never been to one of his talks make the effort too, very interesting. he believes the same as me that in the warmer months sharks and tuna are still regular visitors to the north east coast and if a charter skipper was so inclined and targeted shark and tuna some would certainly be caught. i witnessed personally a shark in the water about 10 yds from the small wall on shields pier several years ago, it came up to the top of the water then slowly swam back down it was i estimate around 12ft long and was visable for 10 to 15 seconds, i\'m no shark identification expert but believe it was a porbeagle.

[Edited on 10/3/2005 by micky-quayle]

[codlips]

good reading that mate

[Ian_D]

I wouldn\'t mind betting that sharks often come quite close in. I\'ve seen one swimming alongside the jetty in Abersoch and another swimming close in to the rock edge a bit further up the Lleyn. Wouldn\'t like to guess what species though.
And there was bloke in Southern Ireland used to specialise in catching blues from the shore, back in the seventies. I think he had them to around the 100lb mark.

But for real giants have a look at http://www.divernet.com/biolog/1202monster.htm
or a bit closer to home
http://www.cornes1.fsnet.co.uk/filey.htm

Sharks? Usefull as live bait maybe.

[Chippy]

I seem to remember a thread a few weeks back about some one who caught a fish that had been bitten in half, thought it was a seal or a conger?

[Davyred]

Jack Shine was the fella who used to catch them in Ireland. There was a good article about him in the Sea angler a few years ago.

[Red5]

Went home sick yesterday and as I was lying on the sofa stuck on Dic Home & leaisure. Screaming reels was on and first half of the programme was deicated to the tuna fishing off Whitby and Scarborough during the 30\'s. Micky was right about the reels and rods being made specially by Hardys and how they\'d hook up with the fish and then jump into a little boat to play the fish.
Apparently one woman fought for 12 hrs to get this Tunny in and had to pass the rod onto some bloke who fought it for another 1 1/2 hrs before it was landed.