Ray day at Reculver
With thornbacks on the scene, surely it was time for a change of fortune?
Shane Pullen seeks out some of Kent’s rays.
Reculver, a small village about two miles from Herne Bay in Kent, holds fond memories for me. As a 12-year-old, I caught my first cod from the shore there. Over the years I have fished there many times, but the thrill of taking that fish to Ron Edwards’s shop and discovering its weight was 12lb is one I won’t forget.
Noted for its landmark two towers, Reculver nestles between Herne Bay and Birchington. Those towers are what remain of a church; in 1809 the main part of the building was demolished. When I had that 12-pounder, its cod fishing was as good as Dungeness, yet Dungie became the place to go, and still attracts thousands of anglers every year. Sea defence work has changed the look of Reculver since I was a boy.
In recent years the coast of north Kent has gained a bit of a reputation for its thornback ray fishing. I’d been tipped off that thornbacks were showing and, with the country being hit hard by south-west gales, it was an opportunity to try my luck. Here, winds from the south are offshore, and even with them being close to gale force, it would be fairly sheltered.
Early in the week I had fished at nearby Herne Bay and, even with my normal bad luck with rays, I landed two small ones. Thinking I was on a roll, I returned for the next two tides…and blanked. It was time to call the cavalry in the shape of Big Jason White. Being a good all-round angler, Big Ja has a knack of saving the day. I also invited Allan Matthews, another decent all-rounder but, I have to say, that when it comes to shore-caught thornbacks, he’s even worse than me. Yes, I kid you not!
SHINGLE BEACH
The plan was to fish the shingle beach just east of the towers. We set up about 100 yards to the right of what is known as The Apron, which is below the towers; it used to be a favourite mark for cod, bass and eels.
Even though the area has rugged sea defence rocks, it can be fished. The shingle beach leads down to small rocks before hitting sand and mud. Further out, where we would be casting our baits, is broken ground, mussel beds and sandbanks.
As you go further east towards Coldharbour lagoon, the seabed turns to mainly sand and mud and a mussel bed. On big spring tides the sea uncovers these marks, and when you get out there you can see why fish are attracted to them. We had chosen to fish a neap tide for two reasons – it’s meant to be more productive for thornbacks, and the weed can be a nightmare during bigger tides.
We were using pulley rigs. I like the pulley dropper for rays, but having the hooks below the lead weight means it can get caught up as you retrieve. Of course, this wouldn’t happen if I ever had a fish on. The pulley rigs had size 3/0 hooks and 6oz breakout sinkers. Jason isn’t a big fan of Pennell hooks when ray fishing, particularly as all our fish are returned. However, when fewer rays are present, he uses a Pennell to hold a bigger bait and offer more scent attraction.
I honestly believe my ray catches were poor due to my baiting technique with Bluey. You’re never too old to learn and I asked Jason to show me how he did it. Basically, he fillets the Bluey down one side and cuts off a piece about 4in long. A small slice is then cut down the middle of the fillet so it can be folded in half with the flesh on the outside. The hook is put though the fillet, back out again halfway down, and back through so the eye of the hook is just showing halfway down and the barb of the hook is at the end.
The reason why the eye of the hook is showing is so bait cotton can be wrapped around to stop the bait from sliding up the snood on the cast. It also stops it from sliding down to mask the barb.
Soon we had our baits in the water. The splash of our sinkers made me think about how the area was used for testing the Second World War bouncing bomb in 1943. There is still evidence where the test device smashed into the seawall. As budding historians will know, things worked out nicely for scientist Barnes Wallis, and the bomb was a success for the Dambusters. As a result, there is now a statue of the great man at Herne Bay.
As we sat talking about the history, Big Ja’s rod pulled down, sprung back and the line dropped slack. A ray was on and it was a cracker. After a photograph the fish was released. Myself? I’ve recently had some success with rays elsewhere, but that’s another story. Meanwhile, Allan is still waiting for his first shore ray. Well, Barnes Wallis didn’t get it right first time, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. When I do succeed here they can build a statue of me too.