Part 3 continues...
Arrived at the hot spot at around 2:30 very early for the tailor but the boys couldnt help themselves. Again the tailor took awhile and didnt arrive till about 5 and this time werent as big as the previous times only ranging from 30cm to 48cm. Weird! Ok so night time approached out go the baits. Plenty of runs but again all RAYS!!!!!!! We landed a couple including the monsters which has taken as on several runs previous times. An 80kg plus ray landed on 40lb braid!!!!! Took almost 2 hours to land!!! Well done Kingy!!!!!
Next morning tried a little reef fish caught several different kind of species including what i think looks like a juvenile sweetlip emporer or even spangled emperor. Makes us think next we might go for larger one!!!
Took graeme76 along also landing a couple of rays and some tailor. Hope you like the pics!
Cheers!
kill it??? eat it!!!!
Brody
Posts: 1024
Date Joined: 06/02/07
Nice tailor, how do you
Nice tailor, how do you weigh your rays ealzee?
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
didnt have scales. Scott99
didnt have scales. Scott99 and myself could barely lift it
kill it??? eat it!!!!
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
There is a converter in which
There is a converter in which u can type the wingspan and it gives u an estimated weight of the fish. sorry i dont have the link....
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
ahh sweet! would be helpful.
ahh sweet! would be helpful. though there are alot of different sorts of rays out that way and I cant ID them all
kill it??? eat it!!!!
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
The top one is a smooth ray
The top one is a smooth ray and the bottom one is a eagle ray. i would say that are the 2 most common rays around here. and its worth investing in a fish id book like the australien fish guide from frank prokop. you will come across some weird fish around here mate
cheers seb
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
good catch and well done !!!
good catch and well done !!! I forgot to say earlier!
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
haha cheers matey!! and your
haha cheers matey!! and your right, I have seen some weird stuff here. I'm familar with the eagle and smooth rays, but how about the middle one in the pics? Have seen other ones around there too
kill it??? eat it!!!!
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
hard to tell but my guess
hard to tell but my guess would be a black ray.
RAGBAG
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 30/05/08
rays
Top pic - smooth ray also called short tail sting ray.
Middle ray - black ray ( thick tail and normally to spines on the tail)
Last one - eagle ray .
Nice catches .
U pretty new to targeting rays ..... ? Not the best spot to gaff them ,I wouldn't use a gave to land those little fellows , but if u must put the gaff into the top lip and just slowly slide them up with the wave .
That's if u going to be releasing them , if not do what u need too.
Blue Whaler
Posts: 382
Date Joined: 05/10/10
Good catches ealzee; that
Good catches ealzee; that smoothie is a good sizer; have to agree with RAGBAG about gaffing, - me personally, I have yet to gaff a fish with landbased fishing. Another way to slide them in towards you is to make use of the waves momentum. From there you could put your hand in their mouth or the upper lip to pull them back into the water if going to release.
Cheers
Every day at the Beach is a Good day!
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
i hate the gaff!!
yup personally i didnt wanna use the gaff, but others insisted we did. i hate it!! thanks for the comments and the advice too
kill it??? eat it!!!!
scott99
Posts: 180
Date Joined: 11/10/11
my back hurts ....never agen
my back hurts ....never agen
adam87
Posts: 291
Date Joined: 16/05/11
well done some nice fish
well done some nice fish there mate!
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
Thank you
onya Adam thanks man!!
kill it??? eat it!!!!
Graeme76
Posts: 287
Date Joined: 03/10/11
Never again hey Scott? Yeah
Never again hey Scott? Yeah right. That's what you get when you hang off a ray for 2hrs. I think next time round if there's an offshore blowing it might be an idea to float the baits out, that way you/we can avoid the rays.
Ealzee, I'll PM you my email so you can send me copies of the photos.
GlennO87
Posts: 182
Date Joined: 29/01/11
nice, but cut the line, dont
nice, but cut the line, dont just jam a gaff in them....
I love fishing. It`s escaping reality for a few hours for me!
TAPOUT
Posts: 885
Date Joined: 27/01/06
I would have thought a gaff
I would have thought a gaff on the edge of the wings would be a better place than in it mouth. If I was a ray that would be my prefered spot. If you had a sore arm you can still eat but try eating with a big hole in your top lip. JMO
RAGBAG
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 30/05/08
gaff
i hear what u saying , but if know what u doing the gaff go's onto the jaw bone and is pulled up gently using the waves , not jamed in the wing and ripped up the beach.
If u gaff the wing on big ray's the weight of the fish and the person pulling on the gaff just tears through the wing - leaving the ray bleeding when returned to fall fictim to a bigger "fish" or they will just lie on the bottom and probably die.
dkonig82
Posts: 2091
Date Joined: 06/07/10
Couple of solid rays there
Couple of solid rays there
When asked by a non-fisherman 'how many fishing rods do you really need?' the correct answer is either:
n+1 (where n is the number of fishing rods you currently own); or
n-1 (where n is the number of fishing rods which would cause your significant other to dump you.
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
plus i have to mention
plus i have to mention Graeme76's black ray he landed was easily 45kg plus was done on 20lb mono. Not a bad effort that
kill it??? eat it!!!!
scott99
Posts: 180
Date Joined: 11/10/11
ray
i have seen rays with out tails an with seal bits in em ...so a jaff in the wing an slowly pulled up with the wave was best idea at the time...hahaha i wouldnt be puting my hand in its mouth
Graeme76
Posts: 287
Date Joined: 03/10/11
Well it wasn't my idea to
Well it wasn't my idea to gaff any of the rays & I honestly don't know who's idea it was, that said if you want to use your bare hands to drag a 40-80kg thrashing ray 20m up a shallow sloping beach with practically no wave action at all to a spot it can't just swim away while you work on it in the dark, go for it. I really doubt many of you actually could, even if you were willing to try. By the same token if you want to get in the water with a thrashing ray, turn it over & get your pliers in to cut the wire your using, go for it. I see plenty of photos on here of much smaller fish that are bleeding from what is clearly a gaff wound & don't see the lectures we are getting. If you don't like the way we did things, tough, you'll get over it.
Blue Whaler
Posts: 382
Date Joined: 05/10/10
Relax in your slacks
Relax in your slacks mate.
There are a lot of experiance on this site, some of it might be usefull for novice anglers to actually learn and take note note of the correct procdure of handling a ray that size. Therefore a forum of this nature.
The first and foremost attribute is to have confidence and respect for the sea creature. Be cocky and you'll gain a sting or two.
Secondly when fishing with mates have them assist you. Pull with the leader untill the ray is onto wet sand, not dry. Then use the butt - end of your rod to pin the tail.
At this point;
1. you can keep the butt of your rod on the tail
or
2. use a wet cloth to tie the stinger to the tail.
(If the ray is still thrashing; use a wet cloth to cover his eyes.)
Then un-hook the hooks - normally barbless for quick release; or else use a long nose plier, if the hook is too deep cut trace.
Then slowly turn the ray around, never on his back, facing the ocean. If the ray is to heavy and your alone, use the butt end of your rod to dig under the ray, into the sand, and push. This works. Never put your fingers into it's spiricles. Use your hands either in the mouth / lip to pull or slowly pull on one of the wings, this said, always on wet sand where you can easily move the ray with water coming in.
I know the first time is quite an experiance with these beasties but as you gain confidence you will get it right. Before going to the beach to use your gaff, read up about the anatomy of sharks and rays to give you an idea as to where the safest bet would be for gaffing is so desired.
Tight lines mate.
Every day at the Beach is a Good day!
ruste13
Posts: 249
Date Joined: 07/02/10
Yeah no worries ill just
Yeah no worries ill just shove the butt of my $400 graphite rod into the sand and push a 40 kilo ray back in.
Most of what you wrote was good advice up until that.
Graeme76
Posts: 287
Date Joined: 03/10/11
Blue Whaler, while I can
Blue Whaler, while I can appreciate that there is alot of experience on this forum & that I certainly don't know everything, I'm far from a novice angler. I've been fishing every week, more often than not 4-5 times a week for well over 25yrs with a substantial amount of that fishing being from the beach or rocks for big fish. I respect & take the utmost care with all things I capture so you (& others) more or less saying that I don't pisses me off. I garuntee I go to greater lengths than 99% of people to ensure that any fish I catch is treated with the utmost care & respect. That goes for fish I intend to kill, not just those that I intend to release, which is 99.9% of what I catch. If you read through properly you will notice that we were using 20lb & 40lb line to land fish that weigh far more than that. In case your math is bad you can't drag a 40kg fish up a beach with a 9-14kg line, it will break everytime. If you want to stuff your rod & reel by showing it into the stirred up water & using it to lever a ray, that's your business, I've got more brains than that. Have fun with your grinding reel & your rod with a busted butt section. There were 3 of us & we did all help each other, you will notice in the photos that all the rays are on the wet sand, not on dry. If you were there you would know that each time a wave came in the rays were still getting covered in water, they were'nt skull dragged up some beach by a few larakins that didn't give a rats about what they had caught.
Everyone: Being treated like some first year fisher that doesn't have a clue what he's doing gives me the shits. So you can all get off your soapbox & quit with the lectures. You were not there, you have no idea what went on. You see a gaff, too bad. Not the way you would do things, too bad.
fisherking
Posts: 730
Date Joined: 29/05/08
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde
Blue Whaler
Posts: 382
Date Joined: 05/10/10
Rant over mate - get the
Rant over mate - got the point!
Every day at the Beach is a Good day!
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15644
Date Joined: 29/11/05
chill chill
Cmon crew, just chill out - everyone has their own methods and we all appreciate you sharing methods to improve handling. Take the advice or don't, everyone's here to help each other and if your not, you won't be on here for long. Keep it civil or it gets locked up.
Merry Chrissie all.
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
Noxious
Posts: 504
Date Joined: 22/12/11
Nice catch there. Looks like
Nice catch there. Looks like you guys had fun.
I'm not sure who recommended it, but don't go sticking your fingers in the mouth of the ray. That is plain stupid.
Not having a dig at you, but I'm not sure why gaffing it was appropriate. Once the Ray has been brought to the shore, why does it need to be dragged onto the beach? The ray is beat. If the ray was gaffed up onto the beach to take a blurry pic of it then that just isn't right. Cut the line and let the bugger go. Just my thoughts.
Alex
cuthbad
Posts: 1266
Date Joined: 22/04/09
When I was first told to
When I was first told to handle rays by the mouth i thought it was stupid as well, but after watching guys pull around some bloody big rays in this way and seeing how easy they made it look, I gave it a shot. I'm still pretty carefull about it incase there is an old hook in there and tend to use gloves for the big ones, but to me this is the best way to handle them.
each to their own though...
RAGBAG
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 30/05/08
its
The only way to handle flat fish safely(unless u cutting the line) and It's pretty easy to move a car bonnet size ray as well once u have your fingers in there as they can't suck the bottom once the head is slightly of the sand and u just walk backwards .
There is a gap between the top lip and the jaw bone if u worried about putting fingers in there mouths.
There's only one ray I won't put my hands in there mouths , the spearnose ray - has a shark like set of teeth .... but they are not found in these waters .
All the rest have got a molar mouth with the black ray some staggered rounded teeth,but nothing to worry about.
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
we gaffed them on the side of
we gaffed them on the side of the flap. they swam away happily and healthy a little buggered of coarse but they released well. Enough of the gaff biso!
kill it??? eat it!!!!
scott99
Posts: 180
Date Joined: 11/10/11
theres no point fighting it
theres no point fighting it for 2 hours if your not going to take a pic + noxious i dont know what hooks u use but mine arnt cheap .....thanks blue whaler for the info
Jeffree
Posts: 489
Date Joined: 23/02/11
how much could a set of hooks
how much could a set of hooks possibly cost?
Gammas? $5 for a pack of 6
Black magic? $8.5 pack of 6
everything said here on this thread had at least some validity to it, and everyone is entitled to an opinion. but what u just said is plain selfish.
In other words u are saying " im willing to cast my rig out into the ocean, and risk it being snagged, but if i dragg out a large ray, i'd rather put a hole in him than to lose a set of hooks" if ur that cheap, maybe u should not be driving a 4x4 to cervanties and spending money on bait, lures, fuel, tackle.
not all asians keep undersize fish.
Jeffree
Posts: 489
Date Joined: 23/02/11
Just to clear things up. Im
Just to clear things up. Im not criticizing the fact that u gaffed the ray . My point is directed at your attitude towards it.
not all asians keep undersize fish.
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
mate. Well done. He has a
mate. Well done. He has a great attitude towards fishing and how to treat a fish humanely. but yeah good opinion hahah real good nice one!
kill it??? eat it!!!!
scott99
Posts: 180
Date Joined: 11/10/11
so u want to have a go at me
1 . we dont have a 4x4
2 . i dont lose my rig to the reef like u ,i only lose my sinker
3 . rig is $23 so if i can get it back i will
4 . your entitled to your opinion not that i care
Lastchance
Posts: 1273
Date Joined: 02/02/09
Thats the spirit mate.Copping
Thats the spirit mate.
Copping this amount of shit over the fact that Old Mate here used a gaff to handle a Ray? Cmon, really? I hope no-ones Tofu gets spoiled whilst reading this!
I thought the ban was over and everyone was friends again.
Touchy lot.
Merry Xmas Picure_Perfect.......where ever you are
AlwaysFishin
Posts: 644
Date Joined: 13/11/11
Haha
I'm glad some people have a sense of humour! The gaff was designed for a purpose wasn't it?
Graeme76
Posts: 287
Date Joined: 03/10/11
I find it amusing that some
I find it amusing that some people here feel that viewing a series of photos qualifies them to comment on the attitudes of people that they have never met. This place must be full of either phycics or people who think they are smarter than they really are. How else can you explain apparently knowing everything that happened on this trip without having been there or having met anyone that went on the trip? The gaff issue is over people, let it go & move on.