Graham Nash Posted January 11, 2012 Report Posted January 11, 2012 (edited) Having been watching the weather reports since Christmas this was the first time that both favourable weather and a quiet day at work coincided so it was off out on the boat for me and my usual crew. I had decided on a mark before we left but as we neared it we noticed that there were lots of boats in one area a little further on so against my original plan we decided to act like lemmings and follow the pack. Found a little spot but it was too close to another anchored boat so we motored round a little to see if we could find anything else of interest and decided on a little lump showing on the sonar. Within minutes my mate was into a small whiting, minutes later it was my turn for a slightly better one then there followed a steady stream of whiting to 2lb 5oz for most of the rest of the afternoon. Once the tide changed my mate hooked the obligatory doggie then as the tide ran stronger I got something a little heavier. Excitedly I told my mate to get the net but was a little disappointed (and surprised) to see a small Blonde Ray of just over 5LB curled up using the tide to make me work to get her up. Lifted the anchor around 3ish and headed back for home. Was lovely to be out but my sea legs seem to have been left somewhere in 2011 as my tummy was doing some strange things every time I concentrated on anything like tying a knot or untangling a mess. Was also nice to hear a few other club boats out and hopefully we will get their reports in due course. Edited January 11, 2012 by Graham Nash Quote
lofty Posted January 11, 2012 Report Posted January 11, 2012 Heard you chatting on the radio. Who had a 17lb ray? Quote
Graham Nash Posted January 11, 2012 Author Report Posted January 11, 2012 Heard you chatting on the radio. Who had a 17lb ray? not me Quote
Matt Posted January 11, 2012 Report Posted January 11, 2012 3boyz was out i will do a report tommorroe but we connected with something probably better than a 17lb ray! Quote
Matt Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 well we headed out to our chosen whiting mark,at first it was a real kennel with a lot of Dogfish. Then a surprise (and very pissed off) smoothound made off with Dads bait not huge (4-5lb maybe) but put up a scrap on lb class gear Fortunately the Whiting arrived with the tide and bites came all afternoon (with a few more dogs mixed in) About three oclock I looked up and saw Dad with Rod bent double, line running back under the boat, thought oh joy the Anchors slipping and hes snagged on the bottom. However something had grapped his bait and motored up tide like a bloody train. Dad got it off the bottom and from the way it arced back in the tide it was obvious it was a ray, most likely of the blond variety. I then cleared the 3 other lines from the water (Just my luck Dads other rod had a doggy attached for me to deal with) so with deck cleared checked to see how the fights going, not to well the rod was fully locked over and the fish was still taking line even with the clutch ratcheted up as tide as was dared. Virtual stalemate ensured for five minutes or so with very little progress made (dad was starting to look more knackered) Dad tried to get some line back by shuffling backwards and winding as he went back to the back but it was fairly obvious by now that something was going to give and it did, Rod was sudenly straight and a few expletives rang out! I dropped some heavier gear down but all I got was some exercise hauling doggies and 2lb leads up (a game I got bored of surprisingly quickly!) A few more whiting and we headed in at just gone 4 pm. The new trim tabs on the boat work a dream as well so a good start to 2012 Quote
alun j. Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 Sounds like a big fish lost !! Had you thought of buoying off the anchor and using the boat to get you over the fish ?? This has worked for me when a big bass has dived into the snaggy bottom here. Quote
Matt Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 Yes we did, about two minutes after it was lost! Quote
Rob Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 Nothing bigger that a lost fish! Any mid teens \ twenty pound Ray in tide with the wrong (whiting) gear will seem huge, shame, you'll never know! And that is why we keep going back for more! Well done chaps, Rob Quote
Rob Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 Re-buoying off the anchor rope - I have often thought it isn't easy. Is it safe to assume you can just dump 100m of rope with a smallish buoy (my alderny buoy only has to lift a 5kg anchor and similar weight chain) and you "should" be abel to recover it on your return. Assuming it hasnt been pulled under by the tow on the 100m of rope. Or you have to hope it appears again at slack \ slacker water? Correct? Rob Quote
Graham Nash Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Posted January 12, 2012 I buoyed my anchor rope at a wreck off the Isle of Wight Rob. Big buoy and left some slack in the rope but it just disappeared in the tide. I would have been better just cutting the rope as short as I could, instead I lost extra rope AND a big buoy!!! Have not had the chance to ghet back there at slack water and to be honest it would cost me more in fuel than the cost of a replacement anchor & rope anyway so I'll put that one down to experience! Quote
Graham Nash Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Posted January 12, 2012 Incidentally Matt, we caught some pretty decent Blonde rays last year, many between 16LB & 20LB most were caught on 20/30LB gear but one of my crew caught an 18Lb'er on an 8Lb class rod. It took him forever to get it off the bottom and even longer to get it aboard. They were both knackered by the time he got it into the net Quote
niggle Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 That's what keeps us fishing.......thanks for sharing..........think I'll tell Mr Bettle you lost a tuna Nige Quote
great white Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 Sounds like a Bluefin to me Fish always keep growing after you lost them My cod the other week must be 40lb by now More than likely a good ray, that why they use the heavy gear down you way for the big blondes. ref the anchor I have a buoy on the end of my warp that does not pass through the alderney ring. If we have to let the anchor go its just a case of releasing the knot on the cleat and letting the rope pay out all the way, then toss the small buoy over to trap in the alderney ring. After doing this last time and struggling to pick it up , I now intend to move the buoy 10ft up the warp and put a soft eye in the end, so that recovery is simpler. Simple in hindsite Quote
Matt Posted January 12, 2012 Report Posted January 12, 2012 we had a 14lb blondie from the same spot in similiar tides this time last year on similiar gear (20lb class) and landed it so I reckon it was a bit bigger.(Never know for sure now!) However I suspect in Dads mind its at least 35lbs now, in a few years it will be a 100lb common skate! Annoyingly we had all the heavy gear in the cabin but hadn't bothered to put it up,(I was using two rods for the whiting, dad one pure whiting rod and the slighlty heavier one with a single squid bait in the hope a Bass might pop by). Quote
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