Thornback Ray Fishing, Hythe

Rainy Rays and Super Blood Moons

Hythe, Kent. UK

January and Febuary fishing here in the South East UK is normally very quiet, it's been known as the scratching season in the past, where small baits and hooks is the order of the day, and bags are made up mostly of small Dabs, Whiting and Rockling, but in recent years the Thornback Rays have made very late, and very early appearances, giving the impression they never went away. And it didn't take long this year to find them. After a few failed sessions along the coast from Dymchurch to Hythe myself and Paul hit the Jackpot. It was a Thursday night with high tide at 11.50pm and a massive spring tide, which was something to do with the super blood moon, wind was 15mph NE and was briskly off our backs, all though we felt quite sheltered behind the houses, the sea was fairly lumpy with a little surf. the weather was supposed to be dry, but it was raining the whole session, but that soon didn't matter as our minds would soon be concentrating on the job at hand.

Bluey, a Kent Rays favorite

I had made 4 x long 3' pulley pennals, 60lb straight through from lead to a single size 3/0 sakuma manta extra hook, which I offset with a pair of pliers. Bait wise I took 3 Blueys, a super oily fish similar to mackerel, which was cut into fillets and then fairly small pieces and bound onto the hook with bait elastic and a sequin and rubber stop pulled down to stop the bait sliding up the snod line. All though a big super blood moon affecting this big spring tide, fishing was comfortable with a 5oz breakaway lead, and I was able to hold bottom most the night through the flood. I was using a pair of Yuki Taylor Q7 rods, continental rods with very thin tips, I really like these rods, can get a good cast with them and they even show me crabs farting next to my bait. My reels were 2 x Shimano Ultegra XSD's loaded with 14lb Rovex X10 mono in high vis red, I use these bright lines, as it helps me fish at night, seeing the lines I'm able to determine weather I'm crossed over or not, very handy in strong tides where leads and rigs travel in the tide. I don't worry about spooking the fish as the last 12 meters are clear tapered leaders With the baits out, fishing was normal, a few Whiting, a couple of small Dogfish and a Dab, and then it just got better.

New PB 9lb 8oz

Rainy Rays

Paul kicked it off with the first Thornback of the night, a female of around 4lb, this got us both excited as it was quiet early on in the session, and for good reason, they just kept coming, between us we landed 2 Rays per hour right up to the last casts, the amount of bait we went through took us both by suprise, In fact the only reason we stopped fishing was because we both ran out of Bluey, and I'm sure we would have caught more if we did!! WE both caught numerous Whiting and Dogfish and Paul ended up with 6 Rays, from 1lb 7oz to 5lb 11oz, and myself, a tally of 4 Rays from 4lb 3oz to 9lb 8oz. I may have caught bigger than 9lb 8oz in the past, but this fish was officially weighed, and is now my official PB, no more speculation. It had been a cold, wet and windy night, and as I packed up soaked head to toe, I pondered about one of the best nights fishing I've had in a very long time. One thing did surprise me, of the 4 Rays I caught, I never had a big bite, a pull down or a slack liner. I had always seen the initial couple of gentle pulls on the super thin rod tips, then I sat and watched sometimes up to 20 mins without another moment or indication, only to lose patience and reel up the slack and lift into a fish, they were just sitting on my baits and for some reason unwilling to swim off. 

PS in case some of you are wondering, I got  no picture of this truly wonderful rare super blood moon, well it was hidden behind the rain clouds, but I'm assured it was by the news and papers lol