R
Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)
Guest
For me it was something I hooked fishing from Des Taylor's peg on the River Severn in 1996. I hooked it at about 9-15 pm and lost it at exactly 12-30am. I was using an 8lb line with a 6lb hooklength, a size 12 super specialist with a bunch of maggots for bait.
I don't think it was a barbel. My feeling is that it was a large river carp that I had foulhooked in the tail. I never got a look at. It wouldn't give up and eventually the hook pulled. A few minutes prior to this I landed an 8lb barbel which I had out in about 3 minutes on the same tackle.
The other time was when I hooked a sandshark of about 150 lbs off the rocks near a town called Knysna in the Southern Cape. This took me over 2 hours before my companion, one Dave Levy managed to gaff it for me and drag it up the sand. Tackle was an 11 foot "Gully" rod and a ABU Ambassadeur 10,000C loaded with 50lbs mono. Dave wanted the fish so I decided to kill it by firing two .38 bullets into its head. Sand sharks are extremely good eating. It was dark by then and the shots couldn't be heard above the pounding of the surf. I don't like leaving fish to gasp.
We managed to drag the fish back to Dave's pick-up truck where both of us with an effort managed to get it into the back.
Next day I called at his house to find Dave in the process of cutting it up. We cooked a piece on the barbie that night and it was truly excellent.
By golly was I fit in those days?
Let's have your stories?
Big Catfish?
I don't think it was a barbel. My feeling is that it was a large river carp that I had foulhooked in the tail. I never got a look at. It wouldn't give up and eventually the hook pulled. A few minutes prior to this I landed an 8lb barbel which I had out in about 3 minutes on the same tackle.
The other time was when I hooked a sandshark of about 150 lbs off the rocks near a town called Knysna in the Southern Cape. This took me over 2 hours before my companion, one Dave Levy managed to gaff it for me and drag it up the sand. Tackle was an 11 foot "Gully" rod and a ABU Ambassadeur 10,000C loaded with 50lbs mono. Dave wanted the fish so I decided to kill it by firing two .38 bullets into its head. Sand sharks are extremely good eating. It was dark by then and the shots couldn't be heard above the pounding of the surf. I don't like leaving fish to gasp.
We managed to drag the fish back to Dave's pick-up truck where both of us with an effort managed to get it into the back.
Next day I called at his house to find Dave in the process of cutting it up. We cooked a piece on the barbie that night and it was truly excellent.
By golly was I fit in those days?
Let's have your stories?
Big Catfish?