Left wanting more

After weeks of trying for these Rays at Chale I decided to miss it a week, but after checking the tide table and finding that friday evening/Saturday morning high water were during the day, it was back to Chale as that will fish at all states of the tide.

So with Nick unable to make it once again Friday evening found me on Chale beach and set up by 7pm. One rod I started off with half a Bluey on a 4/0 pennel Rig stuck about 50 yards in hope of a Bass. The other was some nice peeler crab cast at distance.
It was an absolute gorgeous evening warm sunshine and no wind and the sea was flat calm, nice for fishing but not the best conditions for the rays.

A few obligatory photos of the beach.




Well arriving I met up with Lighty and dinger who were just setting up so I set up next to them.
Not a lot happened during daylight apart from one good tug on the Bluey which came to nothing, as darkness fell Dinger managed a pout and doggie and lighty a silver eel and Pout.
An hour after dark and watching my rods, one suddenly went slack, picking the rod up I had turn the handle of my Abu 6500 a dozen times before I'd got the line taunt, striking there was a good weight and as the fish came in it was kiteing off to the right,I was thinking it was a Bass, But finally landing it I found my target species for the last 5 weeks finally on the beach, a nice Small eyed ( Painted) Ray.
It went 5lb exactly.



That was a great start and only an hour into darkness so the rays were in and feeding,or so we thought!

We fished on till 5am all I had was a Pout and a doggie and that was it, the fishing just died completely, though as I said Chale always fishes better with some surf, But with good company and my target species caught not a bad night.