Woohoo FINALLY!
Finally caught my 1st big fish! Even though it was an eagle ray it was my 1st big fish. IT weighed roughly 15kg give or take a kg.
Got to Woodmans pt at around 7.40pm set out with and running sinker rig with 2 big snelled hooks a mullet head on it and with 50lb leader,25lb mono on a 12ft surf rod. Cast it out and let it sink set the drag properly and tried for tailor on another rod, managed to get on the 2nd cast was roughly 40cm. And managed in a couple of smaller fish. reeled in the big rod and decided to use a yellow as live bait cast it out. and left it after 10 mins i reeled in and only half was left. Hooked the remainder of the yellowtail on to the hooks and cast it.
While helping a guy next to me do his hooks and line. Another guy was looking at the reel and said " I think you got a fish mate" I was like OMG yes finally. It was pulling heaps of line so I tightened the drag and started reeling it, My uncles thought I was joking when I said I got something. Then all of a sudden one of my uncles caught my line and there we were trying to untie his. The ray pulled on the line I was holding and then only did he believe me. I grabbed my rod and went under his line to free myself and started fighting this fish. I was savoring every moment of this. All this time I wanted to catch something big...and I have finally.
It was pretty hard because I didnt have those belts with a plastic plate and hole in front to put the rod in. So I was basically supporting the rod near the groin.. and that was painful... It started pulling of more line so I tightened the drag a lil bit more. Rod was bending, the fish was pulling and I'm HIGH on the excitement. Managed to get it close to the jetty and we saw this ray at the bottom and my uncles were like anyone got a gaff? and nobody did. So were like damn... were trying to get it out by using crab pots and crab nets etc. and all failed. Then out of nowhere this nice guy came up with a giant crab net. and got it under the ray and pulled it up. Took 5 mins to bring it in but 15 to get it out... haha. Too damn happy to sleep now, thus why I'm typing this at 2 in the morning.
Next target a small shark. Any tips?
What else can be caught of Woodmans point?
PS. why is it then when i tightened the drag really tight the ray was still available to pull more line out? Is this normal?
gregk
Posts: 169
Date Joined: 03/02/09
well done
well done mate now your hooked lol
wopjrb
Posts: 1407
Date Joined: 05/03/09
the drag lets line out so the ray doesnt snap the line
if you just tighten the drag up the line will snap .....let the ray run and choose a drag seting where you can pump the ray in and the ray can run without busting the line - p.s. fishwrecked member peterb gets a few landbased sharks around perth he got a 4ft bronzie this week on mon night .......maybe send him a pm
Paul G
Posts: 5215
Date Joined: 12/12/07
Good stuff good to see you
Good stuff good to see you got your first big fish even if it was a ray, they give a good fight ,who knows what will be next. did you keep the ray or release it.not to sure on the drag ,what sort of reel is it.
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Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Good one Gareth
It was just a matter of time. Now to aim for a nice, big, good eating fish.
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sunshine
Posts: 2640
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Dont over-tighten the drag
The whole idea of a drag is to give line when the fish pulls with a force potentially likely to break the line - you should set it at around 50-60% of breaking strain of the line (I actually prefer a little less) and DONT under any circumstances try to tighten it if the fish takes a heap of line out as the smaller the diameter of line on the spool the great the drag being applied.
When the fish gets real close my recommendation would be to actually back it off a litte as it is when they get close that they are likely to panic and make one or two last ditch efforts to escape - this is often where fish are lost.
Great to see you finally got a large fish, you'll get plenty more and I hope the thrill of the chase and catch stays with you forever
scottnofish
Posts: 1621
Date Joined: 28/08/07
drag should be
set at 1/3rd the rating of the line 30lb line should have 10lb of drag
Bluebonefamily
Posts: 218
Date Joined: 15/08/09
Well done Gareth at catching
Well done Gareth at catching you first large 'fish'. We call rays 'bath mats' because they create a lot of resistance and can really pull on the line.
The ones that we have managed to hook also get really cranky when they get to the boat. The smaller ones get brought on board, de hooked and released while the larger ones have been dehooked in the water and released, too large to handle and way to angry.
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fisherking
Posts: 730
Date Joined: 29/05/08
Well done buddy
Well done buddy
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HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
nicely done gareth
now the aim is to catch something (more) edible thats 15kg!
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deepwater
Posts: 1921
Date Joined: 09/05/07
Well Done
another young fisho has got the bug big time well done mate
jeff
Ganged
Posts: 410
Date Joined: 16/02/09
Well done M8 surely one of
Well done M8 surely one of many more to come. Like above i had to learn the hard way about tightning the drag too much as i lost a whopper of a Mulla, never gona do that again.
Still learning
Riaz
garethgkr
Posts: 317
Date Joined: 16/12/09
It was a keeper.
The ray is actually a delicacy. Being asian my whole family actually wanted a ray and well they got it!
How do I know how much lb of drag im putting on?
Damn addicted now gonna go tonight again. What else can be caught at woodmans point jetty?
hlokk
Posts: 4293
Date Joined: 04/04/08
By hand held scales or by
By hand held scales or by feel. If you have a home set of scales, you can put some water in a bucket then use that. As you get more experienced, you'll be able to do it more accurately by hand. If you know how much your rod bends at a certain drag rating you can use that as a guide too if you're playing around with it in a fight.
garethgkr
Posts: 317
Date Joined: 16/12/09
thanks
how do I catch sharks? like gummy sharks? what sort of rigs?
fisherman1992
Posts: 320
Date Joined: 06/11/09
same rig mate with a snell
same rig mate with a snell and a running star sinker with a live herring on lots of schools of black tips hanging around
fishing isnt a sport its a lifestyle
garethgkr
Posts: 317
Date Joined: 16/12/09
alright
which part of woodmans point jetty? and wont the bait sink and a ray get it?
Shorty
Posts: 1549
Date Joined: 10/05/08
Thats fishing mate,,where
Thats fishing mate,,where you catch good fish Rays are around, theres no fool proof way around it, they will take a bait in mid water by turning themselves on their side.
I prefer to let stingrays go myself but my father caught one when i was younger,,it was very tasty in fact,,if you want to catch Eagle Rays for food go for it.
At the jatty you might also catch sharks,mulloway and snapper,,,,,,,,,just remember you can't keep snapper till the start of feb as Cockburn sound is a banned zone for them,,good luck.
fisherman1992
Posts: 320
Date Joined: 06/11/09
well i have neva got a ray
well i have neva got a ray on that rig but rays will take it i gess but yer use full for all kinds of fish and i would say go to asi groin
fishing isnt a sport its a lifestyle
kanbenjamin
Posts: 4
Date Joined: 08/10/09
Good on ya Gareth. Have
Good on ya Gareth.
Have caught a couple of rays as well and I find that the Eagle rays tastes better than the sting rays!
"Fishing is only an addiction when you are trying to quit"
Roger Knife
Posts: 710
Date Joined: 12/01/09
well done young'un. Good to
well done young'un. Good to hear that your lucks in, you got the bug for sure!!
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wide open
Posts: 444
Date Joined: 24/12/09
yeah
at the jetty livies are excellent, better than dead bait
BUT the biggest tip for the is put in the hours
kavman
Posts: 87
Date Joined: 09/02/09
great catch mate, and also a
great catch mate, and also a great write-up as well. Need more like that. so at what time did you hook the ray?
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18108
Date Joined: 11/03/08
well done on the landing.
well done on the landing. but maybe you need to invest in a gaffe for next time. even still you got to be stoked with the effort
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
fishing fanatic
Posts: 809
Date Joined: 01/05/09
woody point is an awesome
woody point is an awesome shark fishing spot. i am very suprised no one had a gaff? when eva we go there there are at least 4-5 other groups of ppl going for sharks all with gaffs. u get some some nice black and white tips on the surface and some times hammer heads and bronzies. all up to about 5ft. if ur on the bottom there are lots of eaglerays and sometimes gummys,pjs and even mulloway if ur lucky. lots of biggggg fish there. and some of those rays are much much bigger. bigest i have seen and picked up was easily 50kgs. after the barb was removed(most of the guys there do it for the photos) and dam that thing was heavy, angry and very big
cuthbad
Posts: 1266
Date Joined: 22/04/09
Nice work man! Rays can be
Nice work man! Rays can be great fun, good way of working out the drag especially. Good luck with ya shark hunt, whole different type of fight!