I was at the Shem Creek pier today with my son ,down under the shade at the end. Caught some 8-9 inch mullet and hooked one up as a live bait. Using steel leader with circle hooks. Long story short, we got a hit on the line, drag was screaming and the line moving directly toward the shrimp boats. Just as soon as I started to tighten the drag just a little to reel in, the line snapped. 40lb mono. Now, here’s the kicker… This exact scenario happened 2 more times in 2 hours. I figured it could be a big ray, but the second fish seemed to move really fast. Any ideas as to what it could have been?
Thanks from a novice trying to have some good times with his son.
I have caught many rays off of that same pier that act exactly as you have described…they move a lot faster than I would have ever imagined and always run for the shrimp boats for some reason. And they are strong and heavy…great fight.
And I have also caught numerous big reds off of that pier too and they take off like a shot for the boats or under the pier itself. Never caught a shark on there, but have seen them around. Good luck next time…I know that must have been very exciting!
After reading your original post I had to try my luck. Wen out to the end of the Shem creek pier also bringing along my bigger rod with 80lb braid on it. Threw out a live mullet, not 5 min later rod bends over to the water. Line snaps. Happens 2 more times . The third time I actually get a fight in. Get it over to the edge of the pier it’s a stig ray with a 5ft wing span. Also caught a cow nosed ray. Hoping the other two that we lost were sharks but no clue. Hope that clears some of the mystery also
while we were getting our fish cleaned after a charter in fernandina beach some young kid was fishing on the dock near by and nearly gets yanked in. after a lengthy battle i grabbed and drug his 4 foot stingray on the dock for him (also taught him how to avoid the barb) and he could hardly believe his catch. junk or not anything that fights like that is still fun!
I hooked into something north of the boat launch a couple days ago that I fought on a medium rod with 20lb braid and 25lb flourocarbon leader and after a 2 minute battle whatever it was chewed through the leader. I’ve caught several big rays but I’ve never had any of them chew through leader. I don’t think it hit oyster beds either.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Benjamin Franklin
Malibu Stealth 12 with Lowrance Mark 4 Fishfinder/GPS
Perception Access Angler
Reminds me of the night I was shrimping off a dock last season and my in law was fishing. He hooked into a 3.5ft sand shark, brought it in after about 5 minutes or so. Then he hooks into something, fought it for close to an hour, got bruises up and down both his arms from it. Gets it in close to the dock, it was an eagle ray, huge wing span. Tried to get it up on the dock, I reach down to grab the leader and pull it up, as it was maybe only 2ft from the water to the dock. Freakin’ hook straightens out just enough and it slips off into the water. We did get to see the white spots on though.
