Revenge of the Mako
Australia is recognized by many anglers as a unique continent with some fantastic fishing, and subsequently some fantastic fish stories. Paul B. Kidd, author of the book
The Greatest Fishing Stories Ever Told, relates an experience that happened to Australian Harry Finnegan.
Finnegan was fishing southeast of Sydney over The Peak, an underwater mountainlike structure that attracts all species of fish, including sharks. On this particular day, Finnegan was alone in his 30-foot wooden boat. He had caught some striped tuna, and he hitched one of the tuna on a o. 14/0 hook that was tied to a cable shark trace and 50-pound-test line. A balloon was attached to keep the bait about three yards beneath the surface.
After releasing the bait behind the boat, he started fishing a handline for snappers. Suddenly, the reel’s ratchet went off, signaling a pickup. Finnegan allowed the fish to take 80 to 100 yards of line before he slam-set the hook.
An enormous mako shark, one of the most terrifying ocean creatures, came hurtling out of the water, leaping 15 feet into the air, gnashing the tuna with its savage mouth. As the shark arched upward, its huge body scissored sideways while its tail ripped the air.
When the predator’s 600 to 700-pound bulk hit the water, it landed on the line, instantly breaking free. Finnegan’s disappointment at losing this huge fish changed to curiosity when the shark’s fin started coming toward the boat. Fear replaced curiosity when the mammoth fish charged Finnegan’s craft.
“What’s this rotten mongrel going to do?” Finnegan asked himself.
The huge shark leaped into the air and landed right in the back of the boat. As it thrashed and crashed inside the craft, Finnegan did what any intelligent individual would do: He ran like the devil up to the fly bridge!
He watched in amazement as the crazed shark smashed supplies and flung buckets, rods, reels and tackle every which way. It ripped the bolts loose from the game chair and with a flick of its tail, sent the chair into the ocean. Knowing that something had to be done, Finnegan grabbed an old .303-British rifle and snapped off a half-dozen shots. He hit everything but the shark. Holes appeared in the boat’s engine and flooring, causing water to pour in so fast that the bilge pumps could not keep up. In the meantime, the shark had had enough fun; it flipped out of the boat.
Somehow the engine started, and Finnegan directed the sinking boat back to port. He looked on in horror as the huge mako slowly stalked the wounded vessel. Finnegan radioed shore to plead that he was in “diabolical trouble.” Fortunately, the police reached him before he sank. Only after they had secured lines to his boat and boarded his craft did the giant shark give up its thoughts of deadly revenge and swim away.
