Duration:8 hours
Tide:high to coming high
Weather:not too bad
Bait:mackerel and greater sandeel
Rigs:4/0 long and low pulleys,3/0 flappers single and double,flying collars,hokkais and feathers
Results:1 specimen red gurnard,1 specimen thornback ray and a grand box of mackerel.
Report:we headed off out to a mark,that in the last few days on the water had produced fine big cod and pollack about 2 mile outside the harbour mouth,unfortunatly there was nothing in comparison to the last visits,so mackerel bashing turned out to be the way of the morning with the odd few greater sandeels taking the feathers too.after filling the box,plenty for bait and the buddies who cant get enough of 'em fast enough,pure mackerel lovers
especially if they're caught outside the harbour..irish steel boy urrgh... 
anyway after growing tired of the bashing and with the box full we headed east to a small wreck of an ol merchant ship for some real sport,so bow wards i headed and dropped anchor,not for love nor money could i get her to hold ground,so up it came again and we fished the drift behind us pushing us shoreward.i baited a 4/0 long and low pulley with a conger style snood with a live greater sandeel in to the drink and loosened my drag,dropped me other line in with a mack flapper and had a cupa coffee.twas dead calm.
well me poor aul abu bent like i never seen it bend before and my penn 4/0 senator screamed like what i can only describe as an animal surprised with a pain inflicted on it..i picked up me rod and tightened the drag to fight with a little give,only i am sorry to say i was no match for whatever was on my line,i struggled fighting with this fish.i tightened my drag again to give out no line at all and i'd say i got in 2 hawls and winds before it seemed like i was closing the gap between me and this fish.i was winding like mad when i looked down at my senator and she wasnt taking in any line at all! wtf! then there was a crack like a .22 rifle.gone.jesus the adrenaline.the swell and the wind picked up noticably in the 'ol 536 so we headed back in to the shelter of the harbour to a beach mark where 2 weeks ago i landed a red gurnard almost specimen weight,so dropped anchor and line and thank f@#k the anchor bit ground for me.so i pulled out the flask and lit a smoke.seemed i was granted a break before this litttle specimen 2lbs gurnard took my bait.sorry bout the pic! the tide was rising again so we headed in to our retrieval spot,and as gold point was on our way and i know there is thornbacks there we dropped 2 lines in ther about 50 yards form the shore,well within casting distance,inside of a couple of minutes this beauty of a thorny took my mackerel.80 cm wingspan and 23.4 lbs!! one for the nay-sayers. the next report of a specimen thornback ray will be shore caught from this mark.hopefully a spring thornie..just to settle a few doubting thomas'... and a great day was had by all 
And a box of mackerel is far away from being sneered at, so all in all you've had a very good day in my book 
i dont want to put a dampner on things for you, but i dont think your ray is anyway near 23.4 lbs, but it is a nice size male fish that tend to be much smaller than the females.
