24 May: With a settled day in the weather I thought I would head offshore for a very early attempt at a Blue Shark. After all I haven’t had any sharks since January. Admittedly I haven’t tried since then either.
I thought that I had missed my chance when a large Blue rolled suddenly and bit through my trace.
Four more followed in quick succession, being alone and having recently broken 2 ribs, I knew I couldn’t get the larger fish on board but I did manage to bring a smaller 175cm (2 meter LOA) shark on for tagging.
Catch of the week – the first blue shark of 2024
Exhausted and sore from playing and landing and tagging and safely releasing the sharks I made my way slowly back to shore.
Great to see so many large females arriving this early, hopefully it’s a sign that the crack down on shark finning is showing results.
41′ Rodman 1250. Twin 430 HP Engines Skipper: David Edwards Licence: P5 Licence Base: Courtmacsherry Operational Area:60 miles to sea from ports from Kinsale to Portmagee
Authorised blue fin tuna boat 2024
Notes:The range of fishing found within close range of Courtmacsherry is superb, with trips producing anything between 6 and 15 different species as a norm and in excess of 20 is possible if anglers are prepared to change methods and use different baits and lures throughout their trip. As a rule mackerel, pollock, cod and ling are usually encountered but several species of wrasse along with whiting, pouting, coalfish, bull huss, conger and many more are often added to the catch.
If you do choose to head offshore to sample the superb shark fishing available within 10 miles of Courtmacsherry, there is a very strong chance of encountering blue sharks and an increasing chance of bringing a porbeagle shark to the boat.