That looks like Ed Douglas' secret spot. He will thanks you for running the rays off before the autumn snapper arrive. Good video. You may do better with a softer rod on 12lb line.The snapper don't know where the car park is! Sometimes it is better to travel than to arrive.
Funny you should say that, Gary, only last week I visited the local FCO and took advantage of their closing down sale. I picked up a lovely Diawa rod, very similar to the legendary quiver tip, and with 25% discount I couldn't walk past such a bargain. I will admit the Veritas rods are not ideally suited to 12 pound line unlike the Okuma in the video.
I used the new rod on Tuesday and caught a twenty-five pound stingray on the second cast, is was lovely to used such a soft rod. Once my usual surfcasting rod returns from getting the eyes replaced, it will be put on Trademe. The tussle with the ray, along with a very nice silver eel and three Kahawai were also captured on video, and that will be my next video on YouTube.
The last time I saw Ed Douglas, he was busy trying to come to terms with Golf Lands nine hole course, not too sure of his handicap but he was smiling.
I caught the club record for Pania Club in Hawkes Bay. After a six hour fight I landed a 108.80kg short tail ray. I dont ever need another.
I must say though that eagle rays can give you thrill if they are jumpers. This one is about a 50kg eagle. They dont get a lot bigger.The snapper don't know where the car park is! Sometimes it is better to travel than to arrive.
The problem being we are absolutely spoiled here in New Zealand, we can actually get complacent at the brilliant 'sport fishing' available to all. I target rays because I like to put my gear and me to the ultimate test: Big fish, light gear. The comments from New Zealand posters are vastly different to those I get for Europe, where large fish are just not available from the beach.
This is one comment I received this morning, words such as this make the videos all worth while.
Epic. What a scrap. Fantastic edge-of-the-seat action to watch Hutch and you did a great job with the editing to convey all the drama and all the emotions that come with hooking a big fish. Brilliant stuff and how many people would have got a sudden bout of tourette's syndrome if they had lost a big Ray like that eh ! I thought you handled that 'parting' moment like a (very relieved) seasoned pro lol......I would imagine (although I have never caught one myself), that dealing with a large Stingray like that, once you have landed it, presents another set of problems in itself ?.....You know I love to see Mrs Hutch getting in on the action and I just want to mention the footage Mrs Hutch took of you with the rod bent over when she was filming you from the left, with the Sun itself as a backdrop behind the bent rod. That was video gold that was so well done to Mrs Hutch on her 'capture' too. You make a great vid-making team. Cheers Hutch and tight lines. Great vid......Billy :-))
You are dead right Hangler. I wasn't meaning anything against your fishing. It is just that different fisherman like to fish for different species and ray's dont spin my wheels.
I like trout fishing and most of my mates hate trout fishing. As you say we are spoilt in NZ for all the different species and types of fishing that we have on our door step.
Great if you're targeting them - pain in the ass if you've driven 2hours + in search of snapper as they can soak up so much of your fishing time.
Handling them once landed is pretty simple - just flip them over - much like sharks, once upside down they are docile and the tail only whips upwards anyway.
Nice pics, RP. The smile on the face says it all. Like them or loath them, you have to admire the work out they give you, they will test every bit of your equipment and angling skill.
Bob, the last couple of years I spent running the fishing lodge at Lake Aniwhenua, I purchased a spinning rod for fishing the Rangitaiki river. Now before you groan, this was made by Avion (sp) and was thinner and lighter than my five weight fly rod. This rod is so lively (I still have it) I would spin fish with weighted nymphs, no shot was necessary. A 250 gram fish tested the rod - a two kilo model tested me. A tiny Shimano reel loaded with two pound braid completed the picture, I usually fished a weighted 'hair and copper'.
Once more this was the kind of sport I love, and probably got me hooked on light fishing in all it's many forms. I have much happening in the near future, a four month trip to China in May springs to mind. On my return I may take a sentimental journey to Aniwhenua. This will not be just to fish the waters but to pay my respects to my first wife, her ashes are scattered on the front lawn of the fishing lodge. I would like to introduce my new wife to her, somehow I know she will will approve.
The video clip (the subject of this thread) has had over 100 views in just eighteen hours. This is the best result yet. I don't ask for likes or a thumbs up, and I don't ask people to subscribe to my channel.
There are some that are just unstoppable of course. Years ago I was stray-lining a whole pilchard using my Alvey rig at Blackead beach. Hooked what I presume was a huge ray (on 20lb line). It went east for about 500 metres and spooled me. Never stopped, never turned, just bye bye into the distance. Nothing I could do about it. http://www.paniasurfcasting.org http://www.surfcaster.co.nz
Hi Anton, that spot holds very fond memories for me. You mentioning it in an early post encouraged me to revisit but this time take cameras.
These videos are not really well received on this site as it seems everyone dislikes rays ... they are more at home with red cod, spiney backs and small tope, or fish that haven't shown up this year , yes I am joking. I make these clips for an English website where they have a large following, I am trying to turn out one a week.
Rays are certainly a good way to test your knot tying skills
But as you mention in your video, getting them to shore is one thing. Getting them out of the water is an entirely different matter. Sometimes 50% of the fight time is spent with the ray less than 5m from the rod tip.. You might think that once the shock leader is on the spool you can clamp down and bully them on to the beach. Not so, I did that once and it just snapped the shaft of the hook
I agree with you, RP, I did say in the video the shock leader knot parted. I was quite amazed the knot took such a battering, especially as that was the first cast after tying the knot. I have just switched to using a variation of an 'Allbright knot' and I really like the small, slimline size when joining light braid line to heavier nylon.
It was a proof of the knot's strength it held up for so long. Usually a knot requires a few casts and retrieves to settle down quite snugly, well this knot was truly thrown in at the deep end.
I haven't had any problems with the hooks I use, I get these from the UK. I like them because of the long shank with a wide gape, there is still plenty of hook point and barb hanging out, a large bait does not block or crowd the hook. They are nowhere near as heavy as say a 'Black Magic' and the way I can present a whole anchovy is very life-like. I use a 4/0 with a 3/0 as a keeper.
I have noticed one anomaly that is a bonus: if I hook another specie of fish, frequently the fish is caught on the keeper hook. When the fish has removed the bait from the main hook it then gets nailed on the keeper, the double hook pennel rig really does have a double advantage: it keeps the bait in place for casting, also at times hooking the fish when the main hook has 'missed'.
Well I like your video's Hangler. But after Ray number 20 they may become a bit repetitive,just same ole scenario. I have compared catching large rays with catching a massey fergusson tractor, not that I have ever hooked one. Well as yet. But they are on my target species list.
How do you actually target rays, they will take any bait so I assume you fish a known spot where Rays hang out, like say Rayville in the Hawkes Bay.
Down here West Coast. Buller. South Island. There is a fishing Comp at a place called Mokihinui. I refuse to take part in it. The major prize is for heaviest fish. And of course year after year a ray takes that prize out. Imagine cathing a 30lb snapper only to be beaten by an 80lb ray.
And what really irks me is, the ray is caught, killed, taken to the weigh station and then discarded. So its a kinda death to all sting rays type of competition for a few hundred bucks in prize money. Not my cup of tea thanks.
Probably the heaviest fish any surfcaster is gonna catch at some time or another will be a ray. If you are not fishing for the table they are a very worthwhile adversary indeed. Trouble is they take so much time to land and you can be wasting time, while nice big snapper or rig are swimming by. Plus as you have found out, they leave ya buggered.
Have you considered a gimble belt to ease the pressure a bit. Jamming the rod between your legs kinda knocks the ole gooleys around a bit.
Anyway keep up the good work. You and the Mrs are turning into a very good video team.
Hardy, many thanks for your message and I agree with most of what you have said ... but not all.
When I was secretary of the Pania club, the heaviest fish argument was raised at virtually every large competition. My argument then, as it is now, I cannot accept a one pound - fourteen ounce snapper is worth $2000.00 and a sixty pound ray was worth $50.00, heaviest non scale. I know which one of the two fish is the most meritorious and was by far the greater achievement in landing, but that is the way it worked and still holds firm today.
I was great friends with a member caller Gerry Derricut, he may still be a member. We argued this point many time over glasses of ale. On the competition match day, a Napier High School boy caught a very small shoalie snapper and walked away with the top prize, plus the junior prize, his was the only snapper landed. My friend Gerry caught the fish of a lifetime that day, he landed an eight pound - twelve ounce Blue Moki, at that time it smashed the club record. he got a $50.00 consolation prize. I am confident you will agree which fish was the better.
In Europe 99% of competitions are run on the heaviest bag of fish. In many cases stewards measure and record the fish so they can be returned immediately to the water. This in a conservation effort - all fish are returned. In those far off days with Pania you would have been quite surprised at the number of undersized fish that were brought to the scales, I remember small trevally were frequently presented in the hope of snaring a prize.
Perhaps there is room to reduce the spot prizes and boost the prizes for fish of the larger, non-scale variety ... I don't know and as I now don't fish comps I have lost any interest.
You are so right about the rod being stuck between the legs, one false move at it can do a terrible mischief to the wedding tackle.
I have another video to put on YouTube later this week, I also wish to record an eagle ray from being landed, to being presented for the table. As my wife is Chinese she will be able to give some good tips on flavouring the less popular fish. However, I also have one special video project I wish to work on, and this will be truly interesting. I wish to hook a small ray, hand the rod over to my wife, then I will take over the filming. Now this could be a very fascinating venture: my wife weighs exactly 46 kilos, I believe anything over 5 kilos could very well pull her down the beach.
Thank you for your nice comments, Hardy, you would be surprised at the encouragement gained from posts such as yours.
I think it is becoming obvious to most that if you are are fishing braid you use the softest rod you can find.I have used braid for a long time have very soft Zziplex rods built for carp fishing (up to 50lb plus.The rods destroy snapper and most other fish,they just wear fish out.Even in rough seas a 3 onz sinker does the job. All one has to do is look at the soft bait set ups used on boats 20 years ago you would have being laughed off BOAT.
Any boat set up used off the beach might draw a few chuckles also.
If you own Zziplex rods then hang on to them, they are now worth a fortune and will possibly improve in value now that Terry Carrol has passed away.
A Zziples 15ft surf rod now sells for close to a thousand dollars and there is a pretty long waiting list just to purchase a blank. My pension doesn't quite run to that but we can all make a wish list.
on 27/3/2015, 6:17 pm
