Blue shark encounter while digging lug (yes, that's right)

People: Me

Duration: 1 hour

Tide: Low water

Weather: Sunny

Bait: Me

Rigs: None

Results: Blue Shark




Report: [Note: A national newspaper has expressed interest in the pics below, so I may have to take them down later. Apologies in advance if so.]

My ability to catch fish is embarrassingly modest, despite all all the effort I put in. The odd thing, however, is that every so often genuinely weird things seem to happen to me when I go fishing. Well, in the grand history of weird, nothing even comes close to what happened yesterday.

On Saturday, my wife spotted a good deal on an apartment somewhere in the Mizen peninsula. We took a gamble with a the weather and booked it--firstly because West Cork is fantastic at an any time of year; and secondly, because it's too early in the season for Affluent-From-Ballsbridge to wreck it for everyone. So, optimist to the last, I packed off my bass gear with a view to hitting some silver notes.

Naturally, this left the problem of bait. Was never a fan of spinning (my bad), so the best I could do was stick a few peelers into a thermos. I used these on the first night (no takers), which meant I had to go local for night number two. The complex manager put me on to a spot for lug, so off I went at low tide yesterday (Wednesday 22nd) to do some digging.

The digging was middling difficult, but I got enough decent black lug to make it worthwhile. Then, as I was finishing up, I heard a serious but of commotion from the gulls. I turned around, and I kid you not--I nearly fainted at what I saw. There, not ten foot behind my back, was a blue shark cruising in the shallows. He (she?) was about four-and-a-half foot in length. Thankfully I had my phone with me, which has a pretty decent camera. I walked up as close as I could and took a few snaps. At no point did the shark display the slightest fear of me.

This, of course, leaves the question as to why a blue shark should be in such shallow water. Possibly, it was sick, though it seemed fine to me--not that I'm any marine biologist. More likely, I think, is that there was a pod of dolphins in the harbour (I could see them) and that they drove the shark into the shallows to protect their young. This is speculation on my part; I'd be interested in hearing any other ideas.

Still in West Cork at the time of writing ... and I've yet to catch a single fish

Lodore

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dear god man some picks

i can hear the cello music

Has to be photo of the year.

If I Was you I'd be down there first thing in the morning with mackerel flapper

Cool photos

Thats a great pic but its not a blue. I think its a small porbeagle or (very unlikely) a mako. Shape and nose is all wrong for a blue. Would also make more sense as blues tend not to come inshore.

Caz

ive seen a fair few hefty fish caught in the shallos at low tide over the years but that takes the biscuit!!!!

deff a porgie

A blue shark on a bass rod, now that would be some craic

A photo of you and the shark wrestling would be more craic...

thats mad,,,,,there must of being something wrong with him..why was in that shallow,,,,i dont think his depth finder was working ,,,class picture thou,,,,hes very light blue under the dark blue up front too aint he

was it actually 'cruising' in the shallows? from the 3 photos it looks like it hasnt moved an inch.. was it defo alive?

i think me and you are thinking the same thing

was it actually 'cruising' in the shallows? from the 3 photos it looks like it hasnt moved an inch.. was it defo alive?

What a fab photo!!! A number of years ago there was a blue shark swimming in shallow water off Ballyquin beach in W Waterford. Unfortunately we did not get any photos.

deffo a small porbeagle shark, they are a bit more squatter than blue's

Pretty amazing. Well done on capturing the moment in pictures.

Cheers for the comments folks.

deffo a small porbeagle shark, they are a bit more squatter than blue's

This is quite likely true. Thing is, it's gone to the paper as a blue, and I'm thinking now that nothing I can say will change the record. Pity--and thanks to you and Caz for setting the record straight.

As for the doubters, you may be sure the shark was alive. The only reason I was able to get clear photos at all was because it went on to beach itself on the side of a sandbar. I went back later and there was no sign of it, so the rising tide must have moved it on.

There's a lot to be said for buying frozen bait

back page of the examiner today great shot

Class photos It's great when you see something really differenrt and this comes into that category!!