30kg Shovel Nose Shark Landed.
Date: 19-03-2005 Time: 0100am. Rod: Penn Powerstick 11.6ft. Reel: Penn 555GS Line: 30lbs mono line. Rig: Single hook long snood bottom feeder. Bait: Night Herring (Tua bak) Hook: Short shank size 5/0 live bait hook with wire trace.
I was there around 9pm and set up one rod for bottom fishing and another with a short snood rig for any goodies. Tonight current was slow and the water flow was one direction. Try to set up my kerosene lamp to catch squid but it was leaking air pressure n was aborted. Anyway no squid also as the surface wind was very strong. Chuan come n join me around 10pm plus. Hong find out that I was there and join me around 11pm plus. We use tua bak as bait. It was about 1am when Hong reel gave a short scream. He pick up and stike and we could see his Penn powerstick bend. He easily bring the fish in and we thought it was a small stingray. I told him to hang on as I prepare my gaff. The fish than make a move to the left side. Hong manage to surface it once and I was surprise to see it was a big shovel nose shark. I shouted to him to be extra careful as this shark was very near to the jetty and if it just turn under the jetty, every thing will gone. Luckily it just move along the jetty and than turn to the direction toward the shore. Hong was tired by now and ask me to took over the rod. I manage to surface it but the fish make a right turn and my rod was block by a lamp post. I shouted to Hong and get him to took hold of the rod when I passed it back to him over the lamp post. By now the fish was surfacing and look tired. I quickly sink in my gaff on it stomach. It fought vigorously on the water surface and cause water to splash everywhere. It was too heavy to lift with one gaff and we decided to have one more. I told Chuan to hold on to the first gaff rope while I sink in the second gaff nearer to it tail part. We manage to bring it up with the help of another two guy. It was too big to weigh as our weight has a maximum of 22kg only. We waited for about half n hour before we cut into two part for weighing purpose. It total weight was 28kg n plus the fluid loss during cutting out it could easily exceed 30kg. Phew! What a successed to bring up this monster while Hong complaint of his both arm tired.
