Time was of the essence here and after being directed by a local over the hill and across the fields, I promptly set the two rods up, baited up from the 30 or so surviving rag and 10 crab, and launched them out 80-100 yards into the deep channel from the grassy hillside. I found I was struggling to hold bottom with the 5 oz leads washing back in towards the rocks below me so I switched to them Gemini 6oz leads with the fancy bait clips on top. I had a spare trace on the go, baiting up prior to reeling in, then switching and casting straight back out like a match man with only the clock for an opponent.
While retrieving one of the crab baits, it felt a bit weightier than normal and I have to confess to missing any bite. I saw what I initially thought was a half decent flat emerging from the deep, then a tail and I realised at long last id finally hooked a ray! A small thornback on a 3/0 pulley pennel.
Spurred on now by catching the target species, the half 8 dinner reservations seemed less and less likely with the hunt for mammy or daddy ray intensifying. Alas, it wasn’t to be with only 2 pin whiting and (bizarrely) 4 or 5 starfish taking the rag. In the end I had to bait up one last trace and turf the remaining bait into the drink before casting just to make sure I wouldn’t be tempted to stay on.
All them disappointing trips to Fenit and Brandon hoping for a ray we’re furthest from my mind during the spin back to Donegal Town. On arrival it was a quick shower and straight down for the dinner and celebratory pints perfectly content in my soggy white nikeys I’d marched across the grassy hill in. I doubt a man ever got so much pleasure out of such a small fish!
