In the same week Galway fishermen reported sightings of a Great White Shark, jaws dropped when Thomas McPhillips from Multyfarnham snared his first smooth-hound shark off the coast of Wicklow.
The 21-year old captured the moment, casting it to his YouTube channel and snapping a picture. The smooth-hound is a species of shark in Ireland that grows to about 30 lbs and is the only shark species to have no teeth.
Thomas told Topic about the thrilling catch that left him reeling.
“I’d gone out on a charter boat looking for smooth-hound sharks and ray. Everyone was catching dogfish, they’re really plentiful in Ireland, and three out of the eight people on the boat had caught smooth-hounds – one weighing around 20 pounds and measuring 115 centimetres long. It was so big, he really struggled to get it in. When he put it back in the water, he handed me over his rod and I reeled in my first ever smooth-hound. I think it was four or five pounds and about 60 or 70 centimetres.”
“I’m used to catching things like pollock, mackerel, rockfish – that sort of thing – but it’s such an adrenaline rush to see a shark in the water, because of how the media build them up and especially in the same week as the reported sighting of The Great White. I’ve had some other memorable moments too: my first salmon was a great one and my biggest pike was 19lbs, but if there’s one thing everyone likes to talk about, it’s a shark.”
The past pupil of Wilson’s Hospital School has been hooked on fishing since discovering a television program as a child.
“Most people learn to fish through their father or their grandfather but it was different for me. When I was nine or ten years old, I used to go up to the attic and watch a show called Total Fishing with Matt Hayes on an old TV there. He would go around the UK and I’d watch, thinking ‘One day, I’d like to try that.’
“I remember one day going to a trout lake and buying a rod for my birthday. I was unsure; I’d never fished before but that day I caught my first rainbow trout. It only weighed about a pound but the rush was mad. I knew it was going to stick with me and I haven’t given up that passion since. I’ve been fishing for over 10 years now and will continue doing so.”
The fisherman, who always throws his catch back in unless he will use it, is planning another trip with Wicklow Charters at the end of July to fish for pollock and cardinal. He recommends having a go to anyone thinking of dipping their toes in the water.
“It’s great because your mind is busy on fishing and the outdoors is known to be better for your mental health than being stuck indoors. It’s always better to be outside and then you have the bonus of fishing itself. Back in the day, young people were stuck in their house gaming and didn’t go outside unless to the shop or something but now it seems so many young kids are fishing. Just the other day, I went past five kids fishing on the canal bank no more than ten years old. It was great to see.”
Considering his future career, Thomas’s thoughts turn to a hammer head, but not of the shark variety. “I’d like to try carpentry,” he stated. “I’ve done some and enjoyed it. It’s tough but it’s something I think I’d enjoy.”
Follow Thomas’s adventures on his Youtube channel – Tsn Fishing.
