In October 2007 I passed around this news story with the pictures of some guys who went fricken shark fishing in kayaks. I didn’t find out until today that my uncle Allen was one of the fishers!
He’s the one on the far left holding the tail and paddle:
Here’s the context from the full report in the UK Daily Mail:
Brave fishermen set a new world first when they went hunting for sharks using simple rods and paddling in kayaks.
The extreme sportsmen shunned the traditional idea of a peaceful day’s fishing when they rowed into the freezing shark-infested waters off Alaska.
The daring team of four were surrounded by 200 to 300 salmon sharks which were up to nine feet long and weighed between 400 and 1,000 lbs.
They baited their Avet 50 reels with large pieces of salmon, and managed to catch four of the sharks during their intrepid expedition near Hinchinbrook Island.
….
The team, which also included Allen Sansano, Chris Mautino and Allen Bushnell were taken by a Pacific Mountain Guides charter boat across Prince William Sound to the back of Hinchinbrook Island.
“We are all experienced anglers and kayakers so either as a whole or individually, we felt confident in our personal abilities and limits,” said the captain.
“The sharks were concentrating on feeding on the Pink Salmon and I really don’t think they gave us a second thought.
“We slow trolled the bait behind the kayaks with the rods laying across our laps.
“Our biggest concerns were staying upright in the kayaks and keeping from getting tangled up in the gear and pulled over as well.
“There were so many sharks thrashing around us it was crazy. Even while fighting these fish, others were crashing the surface only feet away.”
The group’s four sharks were thought to weigh between 375 and 350 pounds and were an average of 7ft 10ins in length.
