Dont Know What Got Away - Off The Beach

[femalefisho]

Hi there, Its Jim.

Had a very good night on Saturday night on a central coast beach.

Total fish was 1 small jew, a BIG bream (caught on an 8/0) a baby flatty

and 4 salmon. The bream were very thick chompping my baits quickly.

Anyway scoured the beach early and found a huge deep hole in front of my feet

which led onto the channel. I did not have to cast my baits far - thank God as

most were huge baits and hard to cast - even with my 12 ft traverse X's.

Used squid pillies and my 9' softies.

For the softies I took my 10ft live fibre with a baitrunner 6500 loaded with

500 meters of 50 pound braid.

At about 9 pm I said to myself to throw pillies out on the above rod as I could

not be bothered spinning. I ganged 3 3/0 hooks to have a chance at more bream.

As I was baiting up one of my others rods this rod started screaming. I grabbed

the rod and disengaged the baitrunner. Boy did this fish get angry or what.

Within 1 minute it had taken at least 200 meters of line and headed straight for the

ocean. I stood no chance. The drag got hot and the braid was spraying its yellow

pigment in the night sky. Everything got so hot that the braid just exploded

and that was it.

WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT WAS

This is the fourth time in 2 years this has happened. The first time - I had a 9/0

straightened. I thought big shark (bronzy) but they tend to go sideways.

I thought BIG jew - but they shake the head and you feel the tail thump.

Defintaley not a big ray as I have caught them up to at least 100 kg.

Was speaking to someone at a store and they said maybe a King. He also

said maybe a yellow fin. Is this possible? Has anyone else experienced this.

Its got me buggered. Even on 100 pound I would not have had a chance at the

this fish - its power was TOOOOO strong.

[Laredo]

dolphin maybe ?

[Aero]

How much drag can you get out of your 6500 baitrunner?

Maybe the braid was not coiled on the spool tight enough that when the fish took off with some drag on it the braid cut in on itself.

Drag's also lose effeiciency when the get hot, so you may not have been aplying as much hurt as you think, thats why larger game reels have such large drag plates to dissipate heat.

Basically I'm saying theres no reason why 50lb braid to pop unless you apply more than 50lb (or more) of drag to it, and theres no way you even got close to exerting 50lb's worth of drag on a 6500 baitrunner.

Something went wrong somewhere in your outfit, I guess this is an oppurtunity to locate it and stop it happeing for a 5th time.

Chris

P.S It wasn't a yellowfin thats for sure.

[mako1]

Great report Jim.

May have been a big kingfish or I was even thinking

a big cobia as they do tend to feed on the beaches,because alot

of a cobias stomach contense consists of small rays and sand crabs

but it's way out of their season.My money would be on a big shark

that decided to run out instead of sideways.

It could have been the mother

of all tailor

Hopefully next time you can land one and finally see what it is.

Mako

[wettingaline]

Shark....

[bung]

shark or eagle ray - those buggers can go like the clappers.

[Jewhunter]

G'day Jim. We haven't had a post from you or your better half for a while! Thanks for putting one up.

What did you is a tough one. My experience tells me it was a big eagle ray, massive shovelnose shark or a big lip hooked whaler or hammer.

I've had some titanic fights with big eagles & shovelies that have taken an hour. I stick it to 'em to!

One thing is for sure. It wasn't a Dolphin!!!

That's my thoughts anyway.

Cheers.

Edited August 1, 2006 by Jewhunter

[James]

500m of 50lb braid on 6500 baitrunner i serioiusly doubt that, i can hardly get 300 on mine.

anyway forget that take the line straight off because its definately faulty see if you can get your money back. i doubt that it was a cobia or a kingie at best you were looking at a shark, but still you think your trace would have given way before the braid blew up.

mate to be honest i think you had a big beautiful sting ray.

anyway well done mate on what you did catch seems like a productive night

[Hydro]

Had a similar experience off Palm Beach about a month ago. General consensus then was a shark or possibly a dolphin. Gets the heart racing when that much line disappears in such a short space of time. Be nice to get a look at whatever it was, even if you couldn't land it.

Sounds like you had a productive night despite ant disappointment about the one that got away.

Better luck next time.

[Flattieman]

Well done, Jim. Sounds like a very good night. I'll be buggered if I know what smoked you, though.

Flattieman.

[jewnut]

now that would have my knees trembling, we could guess till the cows come home but well never know what the culprit was, thats what brings us back time and again. im thinking big ray also but it could have been anything as many species turn up where they not supposed to. it may well have been a tuna.

[swansea_fisho]

Top stuff Jim, possibly a Bronzie. Quite a few out there.

Steve

[femalefisho]

Have caught sharks and eagle rays - must say nothing huge of the beaches.

The braid popped at the silicon carbide tip I have. Thats where it was smoking so I

dropped my rod tip lower - the line was still making contact to the tip. But capow.

I preset my drag to about 4kg of pressure --- on full load.

I actually turned the knob a couple of revolutions with ill effect on this fish.

This was definately not a sting ray - have landed them and they sit pretty quickly.

I thought big bronzy but an experienced old fisho told me that they do not run

that hard at all. I must say the hole would have been at least 8 foot deep (on beach)

Cobia - dont think so - have caught them on 20 and 30 pound mono - not powerful

enough.

And yes 500 yards of 50 pound braid - you can fit 280 yards of 20 pound mono and this

braid is half the diameter of 20 pound mono ( the size rated on the spool)

I have caught small eagle rays (about 20 kg) and yes they go like the clappers but

the ones I used to get went sideways - simlar to a king as I used to get them of the stones

fishing for jew and snapper on gravel beds.

WHO KNOWS I GUESS

Has anyone been getting decent sized jew of the beaches or only small fellers? been closed

of to the internet till last night due to renovations on house.