Leon Smith from Risca, Newport, South Wales, caught this fine 16lb 10oz blonde ray on fish bait at one of the most famous ray marks along the coast – Witches Point.
Leon, 36, said: “I started fishing with my mate Chris Powell two hours before low water so we could get the best spot. Two other anglers were just leaving, so we moved in there smartish.”
He set up two rods and fished 15lb mainline and 4ft drop-down pulley rigs armed with size 2/0 Pennell rigged hooks off 25lb snoods. Bait was half a squid mounted upside down and wrapped on with bait elastic.
“Our first ray, a spotted, hit at low water and went 3lb 10oz, then around an hour later we had a 4lb 5oz small-eyed and loads of dogfish.
“It was raining on and off all night, then about half an hour before high water my rod tip pulled down hard so I struck and picked up the weight of the fish after a few turns of the handle. It felt good.
“The ray eventually broke the surface 10 yards out and seconds later Chris gaffed it, which was lucky because I hadn’t bothered to take a gaff with me for months.”
