Joe Catterall is proud of the ‘positive community’ he has built
Joe Catterall, who runs The Fishing Place, with a smooth hound shark(Image: Supplied)
A man keeps getting recognised thanks to what he finds in the River Mersey. Joe Catterall, 36, from Wirral, has been fishing in the Mersey all his life.
Joe loves the ‘fresh air, peace and tranquility’ that his hobby provides. A few years ago, he wanted to showcase his passion to others and build a like-minded, positive community.
Joe started posting videos of his fishing discoveries and tips on Facebook but things really took over when he started posting on TikTok. His Fishing Place channel now boasts over 58,000 followers on the platform.
Joe told the ECHO: “I’ve fished all my life. My dad got me into it. It’s all to show people what I do and get more people involved. Since I’ve started, I’ve got hundreds of people involved in fishing that would never have done so otherwise.
“I’ve got people watching me who don’t fish, they just enjoy watching me do it. I get a lot of messages as well from people who say how much it helps their mental health.
“I’ve got a lot of people watching me who are in hospital. They watch me throughout the day and they love it. They message me and ask me to come online. The fishing community is really nice.”
Some of Joe’s most viral videos are about the sharks he has found while fishing in the Mersey. The comments of these contain many lifelong Scousers and Wirralians unaware that there are sharks swimming in the Mersey.
One viewer said: “10 years of living in Liverpool this year and never knew these were in the Mersey!” Another added: “I never knew the Mersey had sharks in it.” A third said: “Lad, a Mersey shark?”
Joe Catterall with a bull huss shark(Image: Supplied)
However, Joe is not phased by this. He has been catching sharks in the Mersey since childhood. Joe says there are a variety of different shark species in the Mersey, including the smooth hound shark. Within this category, there are starry and common smooth hounds. There are also bull hush, tope and dogfish sharks.
Joe has enjoyed seeing people’s reaction to the Mersey sharks. He said: “ They’re here every summer, they come and visit us. They’re all over the country and they migrate, so they’re a migratory species.
“A lot of seasoned anglers will say, ‘that’s not a shark’. But they are sharks and we have various species of shark in the Mersey. Topes have got proper shark teeth. There’s five species of shark in total that you will catch in the summer.
“They’ve always been there, it’s just that no one’s ever brought them to the public’s attention. A lot of people don’t realise but the hounds won’t bite you in the water if you go swimming.
“They’re not going to attack you and drag you under. The other ones like tope can bite you. I just find them really interesting fish, and I think, from a weird point of view, they’re really beautiful fish. They’re fantastic to catch, they give you a really good sport, and they look amazing as well, and then it’s just nice to watch them swim back.”
During winter, Joe says you’re more likely to find whiting, dabs and rockling fish. His videos have meant Joe now gets recognised a lot when he’s out fishing which has had its benefits. He said: “I get recognised quite a lot and they always say, ‘are you catching sharks?’
Joe with a cod(Image: Supplied)
“One of the main things about the smooth hound is that I know how to catch them and where to catch them at a specific time, so it’s quite good. I think I’ve helped catch a smooth hound for six or seven people for the first time.
“Once a family who couldn’t speak any English came up to me. I helped them catch their first fish. I posted the video with the caption of ‘fishing does not have language barriers’. It was really nice.”
However, Joe is still getting used to being a minor celebrity. He said: “It’s weird because I’m just a normal guy who likes fishing and happens to film his fishing. I’m not anyone special. Overall I would say it’s a 99% positive experience when I meet members of the public.”
Joe argues that the popularity of fishing is climbing in Merseyside. He said: “ It’s definitely a lot more popular now than it has been. I do think I’ve contributed to that. It is something I am quite proud of. The main thing is that it’s a positive community. What we’ve built is absolutely fantastic. It really is fantastic.” You can find out more via Joe’s TikTok here and YouTube channel here.