So I have had my Loomis Sharkey around 9 months now, and I was starting to wonder what this rod is made for. Even the exmouth sharks never REALLY tested it. Tonight it finally got a workout.

After getting an ass kicking from a big ray on sat night I was telling everyone at work I was goin back tonight for revenge. Went down about 8 after the rain had cleared and found my usual spot empty, which was great since it really only leaves room for a couple of people to fish the gap in the reef. With very little wind, conditions were good and the first cast sailed a good 90m out I reckon. Rigged up a nice fresh tailor head and start sliding it down to my sinker.

After this the next hour or so was quiet till I start seeing some herring in the water not far out, quickly pull out the bait rod and use a small pieve of tailor to catch a herring. Reel in the heavy gear and by now the wind has dropped off to nothing and the next cast flies a good 110m out, Im finally getting the hang of casting this broom stick and 8oz grapnels! Rig up the live herring on a single 9/0 gama occy and start sliding it out, by now I think the tide has just turned and the bait moves out fairly quickly.  

Again the waiting game begins and I have a chat to a nice old bloke that walks past the spot often. maybe 45 mins later I hear that amazing sound zzzz.zzzzzzzz.ZZZZZZZZZ quickly grab the rod and knowing how much reef is in the area I dont wait, thumb the spool n BANG BANG BANG, 3 quick strikes to set the hook, tighten the grag down to around 8kg and hold on. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ this thing just keeps running, at first I call it for a shark, must have been the tail or the wings hitting the leader cuz it felt like some decent shakes. 30 seconds later the rest of my mono dissapear as my PR not goes through the guides and the braid backing gets its first use in a while.

When I lost my ray on sat night I was convinced I had over tightened my drag too early, so I stayed patient and sat on around 8kg as at least another 80 or so metres of line dissapeared, by now my spool had emptied a bit so perhaps the drag had increased slightly. By how much I have no idea. Slowly but surely the fish started to slow down. At this point I grabbed my phone and called my bro to see if he was keen to come down and help land it/take some pics. Luckily he obliged.

So after about 40mins and climbing across some rocks I had him 30m out. This is where it got tough.... doing the typical ray move he was covering himself in sand and just sitting.... by now my arms are almost giving up so I repeatedly try every move i know to get him out of the sand and through the shore break. At some stages thumbing the spool and putting all my weight into him, other times giving some slack line then once he moved giving it stick, and my go to move of reducing pressure, running 40m down the beach then trying to hammer him from there, this last one never works I dont know why I keep doin it lol...

Anyway, another 20 mins or so and he was right in the shore break, working with the waves I get him as far in as possible, back the drag off a bit and give my brother the rod, run down to the shore and use the leader to get him another 2m up the sand. Pliers in hand I lift the front of him and feel around for the mouth. The hook is pretty deep down the throat so decided I had to cut the steel trace at the mouth. I hav heard stories of south africans putting half their arm down a rays throat to remove a hook but I dotn have that kinda experience, so it was cut off. A few happy snapps courtesy of my bro then I reached under, grabbed the jaw plate (knowing from the lenth of my slide trace that the hook was a good 10cm further down) and pulled the fish back into the shore break to watch him swim away.

Awesome night, and good to get my PB ray in a spot where they have been giving me hidings since I first went tailor fishing as a little kid.

Cheers,
Adam
 

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