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LAST year in association with Danny Goldrick of the Western Regional Fisheries Board, Connaught Telegraph Editor Tom Gillespie went sea fishing out of Clifden on board the 40-foot state-of-the-art "Blue Water" and its skipper John Brittain. It turned out to be a trip with a difference as he learned of a new art of fishing for blue shark, a species that abounds off the West coast. IMAGINE CATCHING "JAWS" ON A LIGHT FISHING ROD! EVER fancied fly fishing ---- for SHARK. Impossible you say. Well not anymore thanks to Clifden skipper John Brittain. He is unique in that he runs the only sea angling boat in the country that indulges in such a bizarre but heart-stopping sport. John's boat "Blue Water" is a 40 foot Cygnus Cyfish built to his specifications and launched two years ago. She has twin engines for power and safety and a huge deck space for comfortable fishing. Capable of going out in most weather, the "Blue Water" has a maximum safety licence for 40 miles for up to twelve anglers. Last year with angling buddy Paddy McGrath we ventured out with John and were pleasantly surprised at the size and comfort that the "Blue water" offered. John is an experienced seaman and a keen angler constantly exploring new ground. He has a huge number of marks to choose from and has recently discovered some previously unfished deep water locations that are very promising. Accompanied by several Dutch visitors we streamed out of Clifden, initially in search of mackerel for bait and having caught enough we set off for some reef fishing which proved highly successful. We took Conger, Cod, Ling, Pollack and Coalfish. Before we departed for another mark a small minke whale passed us by. We moved close to Crow Island with High Island and Inisbofin in sight. It was here I caught the large spider crab which you see in the adjoining photograph (it made a delicious meal the following day) while Paddy McGrath hooked a fine ling (also pictured). RUBBY-DUBBY It was then time for lunch and as John boiled the kettle the conversation turned to shark. He told us that every year Blue Shark make an appearance from June to October when you can encounter fish over the Irish specimen weight of 100 lbs. The fishing peaks in July, August and September and John has seen catches of 35 - yes thirty-five shark in one day. Now having sharked off Achill where we took fish to 90 lbs we were instantly anxious to know John's secrets. But I was speechless when he told us he fly-fished for shark. It all came about when he two angling journalists from the UK magazine Fly Fishing & Fly Tying chartered him and introduced him to the sport. Initially mackerel is required to make rubby-dubby (a pulp of mackerel, oil and bran). This is suspended over the side of the boat in an onion bag. With the tide current an oil trail is created in the water which attracts the hungry sharks towards the boat. This is the conventional way of shark fishing. Using a heavy sea rod and reel you attach a full mackerel to a hook and trace and trail it in the water on a long line until you get a hit. One the shark are in a frenzy around the boat it is time for John to try his hand at fly-fishing. He uses a Fenwick HMG #12 fly rod, a System Two 1213 fly reel filled with some 500 yards of 30 lb Dyneema backing, Amnesia running line and a leadcore shooting-head. The leader was little more than a length of heavy nylon plus a piece of steel wire. The white and blue streamer was tied on a 7/0 hook - total length about 12 inched. You can see John holding them in the photograph. LIGHT TACKLE A piece of mackerel without a hook was cast and fished back on a 20 lb baiting outfit. Whenever something took it, the rod was jerked heavily yo pull the mackerel from the shark's mouth. This entices the shark to follow the bait closer towards the boat. If the streamer is in his path he will take it and the fun is on. On John's first encounter it took ten minutes to land the 35 lb shark which was lifted into the boat by a rope drawn over its head, and released. John set up the fly-rod and gave us a demonstration. It was fascinating to think you could land such a huge fish on very light tackle. John has landed many more shark on the fly as have his fishing clients. John explained: "We made an experimental trip in the summer of 1996 which were successful. "It was a first for Irish shark angling and in anticipate plenty more shark caught on fly aboard the Blue Water in 1998. I have the specialised tackle necessary and most importantly the technique for this very exciting way of catching shark." He added: "It is not every sea anglers cup of tea as firstly they must be able to cast a fly and secondly only one person can fist at a time. But for those that are prepared the results are well worth the effort." The days outing from Clifden was memorable. John Brittain's skills as a shipper par excellence proved invaluable. He knows the marks, the methods but most of all the Blue Water has to be the best sea craft this writer has fished off in the past twenty-five years. The speed with which it can get from A to B is an added bonus. To complete the day after docking back at base, John set about filleting the large box of fish which we had decided to keep - all the rest were returned alive to the sea. John Brittain's "Blue Water" Fishing can be contacted at Sharamore House, Streamstown, Clifden on 095-21073; fax 095-21678
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