A Triple first for me!

[manchesterangler]

Hello one and all, hope you are all well and getting plenty of fishing hours in .

I thought I would have a go at submitting a report complete with photos, so here goes.

In previous years my sea fishing tackle would have been cleaned and packed away at the beginning of March, not seeing the light of day until early October. In between I would be usually yielding a 14.5 metre fishing pole upon commercial fisheries in pursuit of F1, Mirror and Common Carp in a totally manufactured fishing environment! This year no different, I'm still competing in my local coarse fishing clubs Summer league matches. However this year I made a promise to myself to fish the Mersey from mid April through the Summer right to the start of my usual Winter sea angling campaign.

Karen and I visited the Alex Wall in mid April, it wasn't brilliant but there were a few fish to be caught.
Karen's catch return: 4 x Dogfish (marked on match card as 40cm) & 1 x Whiting for 227cm.
My catch return: 1 x Dogfish & 4 Whiting for 171cm.

Yes Karen got the better of me again on the Alex Wall .
It suits her casting distance, the sun was in my eyes, can't think of any other excuses but I'm sure there are loads

Our latest session was last Saturday on the Alex Wall.
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The session started quite well for me at least, . My opening two cast during the first half hour producing a Dogfish and Whiting. This but me in the comfort zone as Karen had it all to do if this session panned out like the previous one!
It wasn't long before Karen caught her first fish, a slim Jim of a Whiting. The stage was set for a ding dong of a match but the Mersey had other ideas as all went dead, we couldn't buy a bite.

I set my stall out for a Ray as we had agreed that this would be the bonus fish and score a double length. Karen on the other hand opted for scratching tactics looking for bonus Dogfish (counting as 40cm) and Whiting along with any flatfish.

It was an interesting session with both of us catching odd Whiting along with occasional bonus Dogfish. I have never caught a Ray out of the Mersey before but I really fancied my chances tonight on this evening high water tide.

Approximately 1.5 hours before high water during a quite period, my rod tip registered some fishy activity. Small touches, not Whiting rattles, more like a cautious Dogfish bite. Then it developed it a slow but solid pull on the rod tip, a classic Ray bite I've read about in the sea fishing magazines .
I lifted into a solid weight on the end of my line that hugged the bottom all the way to the dock wall. As I lifted the fish upwards from the deep water alongside the dock wall it came alive, a solid nod on the rod tip before it kindly glided into our drop net.
[img]/img]

I was over the moon, I had finally caught my first Mersey Ray. It wasn't a monster fish at 41cm wing span but none the less - A FIRST!

The double length score gave me the lead over Karen. This however was to be short lived as Karen had started to regularly catch Whiting. I was in need of another Ray! I'm sure that I had read somewhere that smaller Rays are males and they normally swim around in numbers with a larger female. I wasn't greedy, but another male would help me out in our match. Karen was now beginning to open up a lead with the Whiting she was catching whilst I was sat watching a motionless tip.

A timely drop back bite sent the old adrenaline flowing again. I tightened up the slack line before setting the hook into another Ray. Very similar to the first Ray hugging the bottom until it reached the dock wall.
[img]/img]

Another male at 43cm wing length this time.

All was well now as I opened up a comfortable lead now over Karen, or had I?

Karen bless her, was fishing her heart out and kept plugging. The Whiting had started to slow but she had started to catch the odd Dogfish now! She was a fish catching machine and my lead had now vanished within the space of half an hour. It was a close match and it would take something special to decide this contest.

I said the very same words to Karen not more than five minutes past High Water. At this point we were both struggling for a bite and any bites we had now had to be connected with and fish landed. My rod tip indicated the slightest movement. In banter, I quipped, this is the female Ray having a munch on my bait. The bite just wouldn't develop despite several tiny tip movements. In the end I set the hook into what I said would probably be a Dab trying to eat my bait presented on a size 3/0 hook.

I couldn't be more wrong or right depending which way you look at it. My rod tip bent into a heavy lump that just didn't want to move! The pressure exerted by my rod prized the fish off the bottom and thus ensued a dogged fight. It seemed to take an age before the fish reached the dock wall and this is where the action really started. I had probably pumped the fish to mid depth (approximately 15 to 20 foot off the bottom of the Mersey) when it took line in a strong dive back towards where it had come from . This was repeated once more before this wonderful fish surfaced.
[img]/img].

Not my largest Thornback Ray, but my second best fish with a wing span of 57cm.

I was over the moon, what a superb session and not to mention cracking little contest between Karen and myself.

Our catch returns were as follows:
Karen
4 x Dogfish (recorded @ 40cm), 9 x Whiting & 1 x Dab for a total catch length of 438cm

Me
3 x Thornback Rays @ 41cm (recorded 82cm), 43cm (86) & 57cm (114), 4 x Dogfish @ 40cm & 4 x Whiting for a total catch length of 544cm

I think I might start doing a little bit more Summer sea angling on the Mersey :thumbup: .

[rob f]

Great report and pics mate . I've not fished the Alex for year's . its always bin a great spot for the Ray's . well done mate

[bob1]

Good result mate

[Shane ousby]

A belting report mate from start to finish and pics... We'll done on the rays

[jonniace]

Great report and pics. The smile on your face says it all. Well done on the rays, plus plenty more fish to keep you going.

[djdave]

Great report & pics of your search fishing exploits

[manchesterangler]

Thanks, it been a longtime in breaking my Mersey Ray duck but hopefully now a few more fish will follow.

[Willpower]

So those are Mersey 'ducks'! Great session and well done.