Thread: Big Bronzie surfcasting of the beach...i did it!!

Originally Posted by Jhon

I had a similar but not quite as epic an experience many years ago off the rocks at Lang cove except I was fishing for snapper and caught a monstrous ray. When I finally tired it enough to get it into the edge of breaking waves on the one bit of sand adjacent, I had a torch on it to see what it was. At a good 5 or 6 ft span its eyes followed me as I approached. I let it have a good half of the 60lb shock leader. Awesome fish and it was just daring me to step into it's waters.

Well done on the bronze.

This made me a bit angry, and I am sure to get some flack here.
If you tried to head shoot a huge Stag, but blew its jaw off by accident, would you A: say f it and leave it to die a slow starving death, or B: track it down as best as possible and hope to finish it off ?

A huge Ray is an old fish and deserves to be let go without a trace and hook to hinder it. Further more, those that cut the barb off before releasing them, need a sharp kick in the nads from a size 11

Im guessing your cutting barb off bit is meaning cutting fishes barb off??? in which case agree 100% and pretty sure Steve Irwin would do so too....

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Im guessing your cutting barb off bit is meaning cutting fishes barb off??? in which case agree 100% and pretty sure Steve Irwin would do so too....

Yes cutting the rays barb off is a dick move for sure.
The advice all the pros and advocates generally give is to remove the hook if you can do so safely....that's both your and the fishes safety.
Big fish can suffer some serious damage both from their own weight and from being dragged around onto shore and off of it.
And If you can't do it safely then cut the trace as close as you can to the fish.....3foot is not close but 3" is.

And bloody well done @deer243
Watched ya vids on Facebook looked like an epic battle alright!

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Im guessing your cutting barb off bit is meaning cutting fishes barb off??? in which case agree 100% and pretty sure Steve Irwin would do so too....

He was simply asking for trouble imho