Nightmare on Fenit Pier 24th May 2009

People:Me and Me Father

Duration: from 1am to 4 30 am

Tide:moving from mvery low to fairly high

Weather: warm south wind, dry, nice night

Bait: Mackerel and razor

Rigs:three hook flapper, two hook flapper, 2up and 1 down rig

Results: Tears......... Heart break..........




Report:First cast landed a nice distance in an area i reckon has some clear sand surrounded by rock and weed.
About five mins leter the rod bent nicely and i hooked into to good weight. After about ten mins of going back and forward i managede to finally surface a beautiful thornback ray. it was massive. After a bit more fighting i managed to get him directly under my feet at the pier. At this stage my father had the pier net in the water and moved in under the ray.
Now disaster strikes. The pier net is THREE FEET WIDE, no joking i can take pictures but there was no way the ray would go into the net he wqas hanging well over.
Deciding that i did not want to cause him any extra stress i decided to move to the rocks at the side and try land him that way.
Walking towards the bank the line snapped as i tried to move the rod around a lampost.

Bye bye my first Ray... AGAIN!!!!!!

Not a bite for the rest of the night but driven insane with crabs, even on rigs with floating beads

Heartbroken

Steve

Hard luck Steve, Keep at it mate and you will be rewarded

hard luck but stick with it Steve it wont be long till you land one
you now have a good story now about the one that got away

he must have been a massive weight,there is a website i seen before that gives the weight to width for ray but cant find it now,if i do i will let you know

I feel your pain...

Was fishing Feint Pier myself last evening. From 18.30 to 20.30. 2 crabs and a small dogfish. Frozen Mack and sandeel. Dog fish took the mack.

Some local oul lad on a bike stopped and claimed ( after inspecting the rods for 10 minutes) he was on the pier nearly every night and never seen any fish caught. " Them boys up there are only catchin sea weed " he says. " are there fish in there at all at all" he asks." I'd say there's nothin' in there at all at all "

Just then one of the rods hops and I pull in the dogfish. He shut up and went on his way!

Trouble.

that ray must have been a real monster i think i'd have been ready to jump in after it it will happen for you yet just keep at it man

Thanks lads for the comments,
Still gutted but more determined than ever

As for the aul fella on the bike if it was a red and black motorbike i think i know who you are on about. He is a crabby old so and so and has said to me before he knows for a fact that there has not been a fish taken off the pier for ages. He even said this after i just told him i had caught a flounder there.
Think he's a bit cracked if its the same fella. Don't think he likes people fishing on the pier.

Steve

Thanks lads for the comments,
Still gutted but more determined than ever

As for the aul fella on the bike if it was a red and black motorbike i think i know who you are on about. He is a crabby old so and so and has said to me before he knows for a fact that there has not been a fish taken off the pier for ages. He even said this after i just told him i had caught a flounder there.
Think he's a bit cracked if its the same fella. Don't think he likes people fishing on the pier.

Steve

Well done on catching such a fine ray and releasing it in the water . Piers seem to attract those oddballs, ourselves excluded . I think his brother cycles up and down Bray harbour, has never said hello to me but i wont give up on him