Sandwich Bay, Kent. UK
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| Best Ray Bait |
Warren kicked the night off with a Dogfish, and not long after I had a big bite as my rod tip bent over hard, it then slack lined and I watched the loose line start to bow over my other rod, I picked the rod up, no dogfish could of pulled the rod like that, I reeled in the slack and struck to set the hook, reeling in with a fish on the end, I was sure it was a Thornback Ray if only a small one, but my face dropped when I saw a Dogfish, Warren clocked it straight away, " That's a Smoothhound!" I looked again and sure it was!, that explained the big bite, only ever catching one before I was actually quite happy, and catching one so early on in the year and on fish baits was a bit unusual to say the least. the rest of the session for me was a mixture of Dogfish and Whiting, whilst Mark managed his first ever Rays of 4lb and 5lb with Warren landing 1 himself and the biggest at 10lb, it just wasn't my day, but we proved they were there.
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| Warren Showing Whos The Ray Master |
The next session was a return to sandwich a few days later where myself and Warren both blanked on the Ray front, and I only just managed the one bite, which resulted in a small Whiting, such a big difference a few days can make, but 'Im finding with Rays they go as quickly as they come with each tide. Convinced Sandwich Bay was a bit too quiet, my next 2 sessions were a day and night fish over high water on the Isle of Sheepy at Leysdown, a known Ray mark, but totally new to me, I was helping my Father renovate a old clapped out shell of a holiday chalet into a luxury apartment,luckily just round the corner from my mark, both session resulted in bite less blanks with as much action as a documentary about garden wildlife, my baits were totally untouched and only necessary to change as to put some scent into the water in the hope of attracting a passing fish.
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| Leysdown, Shallow And Sandy |
Reports of Rays were now coming thick and fast as if to temp and tease me, and annoyingly from marks I had been fishing, It seemed they were all over the North Kent coast now. It was decision time, with a new order of Blueys for bait in the freezer and new rigs pulley rigs made up with pennel Sakuma 4/0 manta extras, I was still debating up to the last second as to where to go, I picked up an old friend Kieth from his home. Decision time! I followed my instinct and gut feeling to fish Sandwich Bay, I went against the grain, I wanted to keep away from the masses following the reports, weather conditions were ideal with light 10mph NE winds, 10 degrees at night and the water still a little cloudy. it was Friday night and would of been very busy at any producing mark, Sandwich was going to be quieter, and I decided to fish along the bay where I caught a Ray last year,
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| Nice 4lb 1oz Female |
We arrived at our mark, a hour before low water, we fished 1 rod for Ray and used a continental rod with flatties rigs to see what was about, well Dogfish, Small Rocklings, Smaller Whiting and even smaller Poutings were about, It wasn't long before the novelty of reeling in these micro fish wore off, We were there for the Rays, The Ray Rods had been quiet all night and only accounted for a solitary Dogfish. Although I tried to keep optimistic, it was hard as all the reports and evidence pointed to go elsewhere, and even Kieth knew that. With a renewed optimism, the tide started to push through which I know will change fishing conditions and with fresh baits hoped would bring the fish in. I was right and my continental rod pulled down hard, I ran to the rod and it down it again, hoping for a a slack liner or movement from the tip, it stopped dead where it was originally, the excitement turned to disbelief, the rod tip did not move a millimeter again.
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| Nasty 5lb 12oz Male |
I stood by the rods wondering whether to reel in the continental rod and check the bait, then my other Rod bent over hard and went slack line, they had finally turned up! I watched the line gradually start to tighten with the rig and fish well down tide now, I picked up the rod and wound up the slack and struck with confidence to set the hook. I was into a dead weight, to say it was a fight would be a lie, I think I dragged it 80 odd yards along the seabed with the Ray using its nose as a shovel. It wasn't the big fight I'd experience before. I though maybe this was a real big fish, but I was wrong, a 4lb 2oz female Thornback slid onto beach, I was relieved that she was hooked nicely in the mouth, she was unhooked, weighed and photographed in a few minutes, and released with minimal fuss. and after a minute of floating in the gentle surf, slowly disappeared in the darkness.
The fish were here, I baited up and re cast the rod as quick as I could, my heart was pumping with excitement, I then reeled in the continental rod, and the bait seemed untouched despite the big pull downs, maybe fish swimming into my leader. It wasn't long and my rod tip started wobbling slowly and deliberately and finally ping straight as the fish pulled the lead free from its grip on the sea bed, this fish was exactly the same fight, a lot of effort and pumping the rod, Then I had landed my second Ray, this time a larger male at 5lb12oz, This fish was angry and arched his back and tail and when upright on the beach looked like he was standing up, I flipped him over and saw that both hooks were inside his mouth, I struggled with long forceps and decided to get closer with stronger long nose pliers and used them to open his mouth which he was keeping stubbornly closed, then with out encouragement he opened his mouth and astonishingly both hooks minus bait flew out his mouth like he was spitting them out, job done, again the fish was released without much drama. It was nice to see a male and female together so close, the male was angry, covered in lots more thorns and more diamond shape with its clasps hanging like a big set of balls either side of his tail whilst the female was calm, had far fewer thorns and a more rounded shape. Unfortunately that was it fish wise for the session, I really wished that Keith had of caught one, but fishing is like that. his time will come, I had found them on my 5th attempt this year, it's a waiting game for them, they are there one night and not the next and even if they are there you may get a hour and they may miss your bait and pick up everyones around you, so the key is putting the time on the beach and waiting, and with some luck your paths will cross in the darkness, I've thoroughly enjoyed targeting these Rays, and makes a nice change to be fishing on a calm night rather than severely windy in your face bad weather Cod session, but there is one down side, I need to warn you about, seriously! Bluey, as good a Ray bait as it is, it stinks real bad, and even after 2 washes my fishing clothes have been hidden in the garage from the Mrs, if she gets hold of them, she won't hesitate and bin them!.
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