Couple BIG Rays

[j.rasta]

Hit the surf two weeks ago to see if the soups were still around. Apparently they only feed durring full moons and grunion runs :/

Beat the skunk with a Legit Surf Bat B)
Put up a good fight. Nick was shocked I landed it in under 10mins. Told him when you know its a bat and dont care if you lose it, just tighten the drag and put the wood to em B)



Nothin else after that..

Hadn't been to the Lil Bay in I honestly dont know how long. Was hot in the valley last week so we went to have lunch and burn some trees down at the bay. Fiesta has been dead for too long for it to be a reliable spot anymore.. Decided to try a spot I've seen some big bats caught at. Parkin was good so we posted up for a lil bit and I soaked some calamari i had in the freezer for who knows how long. Old mackerel for back up. But I wasn't really that serious about the sesh just chillin with TinkerBell waitin for her to get hungry.

About 2hrs in we're pretty much gettin pushed off the sand by the tide, and we're deciding where to go eat when my rod bounces then starts screaming. Oh s#!t that's the right bite lol I get to it, set the hook and its ON! BIGGIN Babe! Drag is screamin she's already took 90yds in 30secs. Ok more drag! That didnt slow her down. Crank it down more. Still not doin $#!T! I've never hooked anything on this reel before! (Fin Nor 8000 Bait Runner) Aight we're losing way too much line too fast ! I crank down the drag to probably 85% and she finally slows down a bit and starts to go dead weight. Its probably been 3mins since I set the hook and she decides shes over it and slowly starts the turn back. Stickin to the bottom for 15secs every 20yds or so. After a few mins of that I see a boil 15yds out but no wing flap. I was pretty confused, I thought for sure I had a solid 50"+ bat. I gained a few more feet of line, and she decides to make a U turn. She damn near yanked the rod outta my hands my drag was so tight. As she tries to get turned around she throws her massive tail outta the water and I see a GIANT barb thrashing through the air.  Holy $#!T thats not a bat! Things just got serious real quick. I loosen my drag a lil and tell my girl to get ready cuz its about to get sketchy as hell in a sec. I get the fish turned back towards shore and ease her into the shallows tryin not to get her worked up. Shes super green and I know I'm gonna need both hands to drag her outta the agua. As soon as she bottoms out she starts flappin and thrashing her tail like crazy. I hand my rod off, and grab her gaping ear holes for dear life. Tryin to avoid a steak knife sized barb flyin from the back, in the process. I manage to get her just far enough outta the muck, to get some epic pics and let the 27 joggers and dog walkers who gathered durring the mele get a look.

Glory shot



Perspective shot



I know for a fact she was HEAVIER than any bat I've EVER caught or sand handed. Definitely was sketchier to handle lol

Not too bad for a couple shark-less seshs..

Rastafar-gone B)<==*~~

[jrodda]

WOW that's a huge diamond. If it was as heavy as you say, it might have been an IGFA world record, which currently stands at 102lbs. Awesome creature, thanks for sharing.

[Latimeria]

Holy Crap!  Well Damn Josh!  That's a Beast!

At first I thought it was a Pelagic Ray due to the extreme size, but it can only be a Diamond Sting Ray from what I can find.  It more resembles a Southern Sting Ray than anything else, but that would be the wrong ocean!

Bravo boss... That girl is pregnant as hell and no doubt the ATWR for a Diamond for sure (at least in my time that I was weighing bats in the sling and gauging the size).
To top that all off, you got it on the coffee grinder...  Wow, nicely done...  Kinda speechless over this ray.

[Tim524]

Pretty epic catch, congrats on landing and getting some cool pics

[Pinoyfisher]

That ray is pretty f'ing epic!!

[vdisney]

I'm speechless, that thing is a monster 

[BenCantrell]

Dude!

[KogaHead]

You are now the master, Tom is officially second fiddle

[j.rasta]

Thanks Guys! Its crazy, I literally just grabbed a rod and said, well I'm gonna be down there anyway, might as well soak a few baits

You are now the master, Tom is officially second fiddle

LMAO the funniest thing is, it was last Tuesday! Never thought I'd catch a potential WR, that itself is pretty dope. Not official World Record Mackerel cool, but still stoked to know I released a world record class fish to continue reproducing future monsters!

Rastafar-gone B)<==~~

[Mr Bones]

Whoa....10 min? WTF You don't mess around do ya?  Congrats on beachin the BEAST. Biggest damn Bat I've ever seen!