# Walmart reel does it again...



## Steelersfan (May 21, 2004)

My fiance's 17 yr old brother is in town from PA so we have been showing him around town. Left the house a little after 1pm today and headed to Galveston. Took the tour of the Aquarium Pyramid at Moody Gardens (some pretty cool tanks in there) and then headed to the West End beach about 1.5 miles West of the water tower. Water was clean and there was hardly any weed to be found. Cast netted up a couple mullet and put out two long rods. Waited a little while and then pulled one line in to find nothing on the hook. I think the crabs robbed me. Re-bait and swim out to the second bar and heave away. After about 15 minutes, the sweet sound of singing drag greets me. I get the rod in my hand and immediately know this is no redfish. After a 1/2 hr battle on a $20 Walmart surf combo reel, a $20 Acadamey Hvy Action 7' spinning rod, 40# topshot and 30# power pro, I land this brute. It was b/w 5'-6' wide (didn't
tape it) and two of us couldn't flip it over to remove the circle hook. I am thinking b/w 200-250#'s but I am not good on stingray weights. Had to cut the leader at the hook. I was exhausted after dragging him back and reviving him. He swam off after about 5 mins. of resusitaction. I am just glad the equipment held and I got to put on a good show for my fiance's brother. He had a blast at the beach and now wants to move to TX! Topped off the evening with a nice dinner at Richard's on the Bay in Sea Isle. Tomorrow we are off to float the Guadalupe then Sunday, if the weather holds, offshore out of Matagorda. This boy is going to be one whopped puppy when I am through with him. 

By the way, lots of activity in the water but I only tried live shrimp under a cork for about 10 minutes. Lots of glass minnows, mullet of all sizes, gafftops, trout, spanish macks and others I couldn't see too well swimming in the water.


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## Lou (May 22, 2004)

*That's a good one!!!*

Way to go !!!!! That could have kept you and Jolly Roger in bait all summer!!! LOL Bring back some bonito or bluefish from off shore for bait. 
Good luck


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## animal (May 20, 2004)

man thats one huge mofo ... nice job landing that on the gear you had..... does anybody else see that old shark bite mark on the wing ? .... or am i seeing things? lol .... cause it sure looks like a old healed over bite mark to me....i could be wrong though


animal


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## Jolly Roger (May 21, 2004)

That is a monster, way to go!


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## Brady Bunch (Jul 12, 2004)

Whata catch. We were over on access # 6 on the surfside....side and were using ~12" mullet on a homemade double rig. After about a half hour of waiting my buddies reel starts singing at a constant rate. After about half an hour of steady fighting he had the fish to knee deep water and it broke him off. We had about 5 cars pulled over watching and one guy was saying by the way it was fighting (just holding steady in one place) that it was most likey a ray. I wish I could have seen this fish but we did get our fight on film!...... just the ending sucked! The water was nice in the early morning but around 10:30-ish the color started to change to brown and weed started showing up. Might go out next weekend.


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## ArtificialOnly (Jun 21, 2004)

my buddies and I caught a ray that big on saturday at surfside near access 6. We also had a bunch of people watching, the coolest thing was when we pulled it up on the beach it gave birth to 7 little sting rays. we had to keep flipping them over and directing them to deep water as they learned to swim b/c the waves were making it hard on them. it sure is cool to see the instinct of some animals, after a few minutes they got the hang of it and were gone.


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## Fishin-Inc (May 27, 2004)

*Lost one on sunday*

I was near the new tower on Surfside.

We finally got a pick up on a 454 Newell w. 40# using a whole whiting on a 14/O circle hook. I fought that thing for 45 minutes. Finally he just came unbuttoned. I assumed it was a ray because we never saw a fin and it never moved much. It never sucked down either?

That was it besides one gaftop. No bait at all in the water that was left due to the North wind. Water clearing rapidly after 5 pm.

Latters, Inc.


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## Captain Spike (May 31, 2004)

ArtificialOnly said:


> my buddies and I caught a ray that big on saturday at surfside near access 6. We also had a bunch of people watching, the coolest thing was when we pulled it up on the beach it gave birth to 7 little sting rays. we had to keep flipping them over and directing them to deep water as they learned to swim b/c the waves were making it hard on them. it sure is cool to see the instinct of some animals, after a few minutes they got the hang of it and were gone.


Do you have a picture of the baby stingers? they must look cute.


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

Nice catch! I know how you felt.

Same ole story July 20 two years ago. Big ray birthing pups. We couldn't lift mine to get the hook either.

I am 6'3" tall and weigh 200 lbs. at the time anyway. lol!

I wear a size 12 shoe.

I honestly believe it was a state record. Yours may have been as well.

July must be the month for the big rays.


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## ArtificialOnly (Jun 21, 2004)

nope, she started having them after we took pictures of her and we were just caught up in the moment we forgot to take more. I guess they were cute....they actually were pretty big, aboutthe size of a dinner plate. They were about 13-18" long with the tail.


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## Jerry-rigged (May 21, 2004)

Those little rays are cute, but they still know how to use their stinger - One of the first times I took my yak out, when we were loading up, these three young Hispanics come over with one in a coffee can - it was only about three inches across - "Do you know what this is? We caught it in the cast net, and it bit Javier". Poor guy had the barb stuck right in the middle of his palm, he was sitting aginst his truck, rocking back in forth in pain - I tell his buddys - you need to get him to the ER - they say Na, he'll be ok. Sure glad those guys are not my fishing buddys...LOL.

Jerry


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## Brady Bunch (Jul 12, 2004)

Jerry-rigged said:


> Poor guy had the barb stuck right in the middle of his palm, he was sitting aginst his truck, rocking back in forth in pain - I tell his buddys - you need to get him to the ER - they say Na, he'll be ok. Sure glad those guys are not my fishing buddys...LOL.


:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:


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