either looks like a shark (unlikely) or a Dolphin, as you said. would have been an experience haha

did you hook a car behind you? would've been funny haha

maybe that 4-5m shark that was sighted before came to say hello?

but honestly no idea!

No cars, but I have accidentally hooked a boat before, most embarassing. I've even intentionally sent a few heavy sinkers at those bastards in the tinnies that "coach" the rowing crews but definitely no cars. I'm figuring a dolphin myself but I couldn't feel a tail beat through the line, just a few headshakes every now & again.

Obviously a great white around 3-5 mtrs long.

Probably from the Dunsborough area, swimming through to Cottesloe for some brekky before heading back to terrorise folk at Eagle Bay.

They are thick at the moment.

Having done a bit of prawn diving just up stream, I would guess at it being a ray. Use to see quite a few eagle rays in the area. Second guess would be a 3m white. :)

Wouldn't think there'd be eagle rays in the swan at all, let alone ones big enough to spool me on that sort of gear. I always thought eagle rays were open ocean species rather than estuary. I'm not saying they arn't there or that you havn't seen them, just that I havn't come across any evidence of them in the swan before.

I've stopped sharks (more with luck than skill) up to 1.3m with this gear so it must have been a gw. Probably that rogue that clown reckons he saw in the swan a few weeks ago. Must have been having a rest break before making a guest appearance at dunsborough. Honestly I've never seen a gw up close & personal but if I did I think I'd keep my mouth shut, (hopefully it would return the favour). No need to stir up anymore hysteria than there already is over a poor bloody shark.

20 years of night diving the river and I've never seen a ray, but I'm sure they are there.

Cheers Pete

I'll take your word that they are in there. Me & the sharks have an understanding, if I don't go into thier home they won't try to find out how I taste. No night diving for me, not even in the river where it's safe as. I'm not much of a recreational swimmer. I can swim a couple of km's to save my life but it's not something I do for fun.

I thought I'd caught every species that gets into the swan, including a bone but apparrently not. I've caught heaps of regular rays out of the swan but never an eagle. You learn something new everyday.

I have caught eagle rays at claremont jettty on several occasions

I will confirm 1st hand that Eagle Rays exist up to Chidley Point (Where Blackwall Reach joins Mosman Bay)

I have caught several from Chidley Point, but NEVER in Mosman or anywhere upstream of that.

Seems Blackwall Reach is the termination point for them.

Edit: (or not as tailor marc says claremont, and I remember reading on here once someone got one at the narrows... Put it this way, they are significantly less likely in my opinion past Chidley Point)

I too have had an unstoppable like you speak of, peeled of 300m of 40lb in about a minute flat, and busted off, I was around East Freo Yacht Club for that.

Given that my gear has stopped even large eagle rays, (sadly not mulloway as yet), I figure that there is something more beastly than a eagle ray in lower Swan.

I wouldnt rule out the chance you hooked a decent shark in a way it couldn't bite through...

But it raises the question, Does the Swan have its own version of the Lochness Monster ???

I have caught rays up as far as Burswood while fishing for Mulloway and I sat and watched a bloke land and de-wing a fairly big Black Ray at Belmont boat ramp so yes they go a fair way up the river.

 Definitley get eagle rays around the stirling bridge area. Whilst it is in the river, I wouldn't really call it estuary, because it's basically a marine environment (>30psu salinity there most of the time). In fact most of the species found in this region are marine marine/estuarine oportunist species - tailor, tarwhine, herring, skipjacks etc.

Plent of big eagle rays around e-shed, and stirling bridge is only a couple of Km upriver from there. 

Furthest up ive seen a ray was in the Canning River at rossmoyne on the flats. Startled the crap out of me, as I almost stepped on it whilst wading at night 

i agree with dicey must of been a large ray dolphins arent that stupid guys they know wots going on... any head shakes?? only neaded to feel one or two and u mighta been on one of the largest bulls in the swan!!!!! Someone pls land a river bull!!!! a large one

lol must admit if i saw someone down the river with 50+kg gear id larf until now thinkn bout it, ive been spooled at mossies b4 but at the time thought it may have been a huge mulla (never landed a big 1 so dont know from experience). maybe there are more sharks in the river than we think.....its time someone proved the theory and landed a submarine ;)

Dolphins certainly won't take a bait Ealzee, like you say, they are far from stupid but one could get tangled up or foul hooked accidentally. I was using a paternoster rig with the top hook about 6ft up the line so if a dolphin swam past just right it would be possible for a 8/0 to bury itself in a fin.

That said the most likely explanation is an Eagle Ray by the sound of it. Bullshark would be the next most likely thing. Maybe it's time for me to put my money where my mouth is & invest in some serious stand up gear to target whatever is in there.

Graeme i'm with ya!!!! i got some heavy stuff lets get ourselfs a front page cover in the west australian!!!  check out my report from the last 24 hours. my first one :)