Duration: 3 hours July 8, 3 hours July 14
Tide: Rising
Weather: Perfect...
Bait: Macks, squid
Rigs: Pulley, Up & Over, 3 hook flapper
Results: Grey Gurnards, Yellow Gurnards, Whitings, Dabs, Ray
Report:
Time for our Thornback hunt...
All of this idea to catch a Thornback on that Mark came from our last session when we saw a lad casting twice as far as we can and caught a ray in less than 10 minutes. He again casted and got another one in less than 20 minutes. We got frustrated that day and went home started making new rigs and looking for good casting techniques on youtube and trying to imitate a good cast. We also tried to look for good bait presentation techniques and we even called part of it a make-up session for our bait, putting mackerel blood all over the bait before the cast.
July 8th - Off we go again to our favorite mark thinking we are now ready for new species. Grabbed our gears after office and went on. Dennis & I went out with Gabriel with plans of catching our first Thornback. Gabriel told me that he doesn't want to use his old small pulley rig and want to use the up and over as well so can also catch big Rays. I have to allow him to do it, so he'd stop bugging me.
Dennis tried his first cast and didn't change a bit on the distance. We thought the practice was not enough. We needed more. After a few minutes Dennis got a good bite and reeled in a good sized Yellow Gurnard. Hah... the change in bait tactics and rigs is starting to pay off. After an hour or so Gabriel got his first Yellow Gurnard as well (pics below) bigger than what Dennis got hahaha!
Peace man!. After which we got a few more but small ones mine being the smallest hahaha... only twice as big as a Goby. I also got several bites from my good old friend Mr Crabby even on my small rigs for Dabs.We started reeling in a few fish that day including dabs and whiting but we never got what we came for. We called it a day and tried to practice more on casting the later part of the night before we went home.
July 14th - After a horrible weather on Saturday I saw daylight on Sunday and the tides were inviting. Called Dennis and took Gabriel and Sophie for a drive to the Mark. Again Dennis and I are on the hunt for our first Ray. We know this is the day! We casted longer than usual with our newly delivered finger stalls. Bait presentation looks better and new rigs were used. On our first cast, Gabriel was complaining to me that he is pulling a very heavy weed again and is asking me to pull for him because the cast was a bit far and it will take time to reel it in. As I was busy with my own fishing I told him to just keep on reeling it in and shake it when it gets near us to remove the weeds. After a few minutes he managed to bring the line in very near us and was telling me that he cannot lift the weed as it was too heavy. It was only then that I decided to help him take it in. To my surprise! Hey! I don't think that is a weed it is moving around below the water but we cannot really see what it was. When he tried to reel it in more, we saw a good sized Ray
. Dennis and I have to help Gabriel lift the line and were very careful not to snap it. That was our first Ray and made our day. Unfotunately for me, all the good catch goes to Gabriel... I don't know why. Maybe just my luck. I have a better reel, I have a better rod, I have tougher rigs, I have good baits but Gabriel always gets the better catch! I am very happy for Gabriel. Up to now Dennis and I are on the hunt for our first Thornback.
Overall we got a few Gurnard and whiting on that day on top of Gabriel's Ray.
Looking forward to the next session... we just got new stocks of bait from Castlepoint so shouldn't be far now from the next session.
well done on your first ray and gurnard...try lotto it could be you 
i,d just call it a team effort 
and well done gabriel, that ray is a stonker 