2012 surf catches Spring/summer

The trawlers get gurnard off that coast sounds like they’ve dumped the waste. Stingrays are bottom feeding scavengers I’ve caught a lot over the years. Squid is a great bait for them if you can get nice whole ones, otherwise kahawai and mullet work well. Sometimes I’ll use a whole small mullet or kahawai and cut a fillet off and put it back on flesh side up with bait cotton and can also wrap a bit of squid around them with bait cotton. They will also take small cut baits on ledger rigs. If I’m using whole fish I generally use a strayline type rig with a sinker at the top which leaves it on the bottom. I’ve hooked them at Bluff Wharf, Timaru Wharf, Lyttelton, Brighton Pier and Kaikoura. Most of my ones have been off the Pier, one night I hooked and beached 3 one after the other before I had to pack up for work the next day.

Got a few pics of various rays caught by me and a few other guys over the years mostly small and the two big ones I’ve hooked in the last year I’ve lost.

http://imageshack.us/g/838/25171108704592498068654.jpg/

As for crabs they do eat them but I’ve never hooked one on crab and I know people who have fished with crab baits for years going after rig and never hooked a ray.

went for a fish today, was slow going very slow woth only a skate and a 13lb schoolie to show for the first few hours, about 2 hours before high tide the fish finally came on the bite which saw another 5 schoolies 3 of which were in about 10 min and ranged between 10-16b and a giller small giller at about 30lb , then a few others caught fish as well in the time including one fish that was not going to stop until it bit the guy off, went quiet for a while before i got a smaller schoolie released and then as i thought of going home landed my 5th keeper at about 8-9lb freezer and family/friends will now be happy with some fish for a change! Also left the beach with two crays which i were given

Fished a few hours yesterday in Lyttelton got this ray and a few small schoolies.

personally id stick with the pipi for the eles, otherwise prawns crabs crayfish paua and squid will get eles,

For rig id use crabs prawns or crayfish

have not heard of many eles around kaikoura, try south of birdlings more, you may have more luck

If we get to Kaikoura we will fish round Goose Bay or South Bay, bit of rock fishing. As for the Elephant Fish/Rig, I went up to Amberley on New Years day, sun rise and had one big bite, was impressive whatever it was, did not take the hook then nothing. I’ll head back over to South of Birdling’s hopefully over the upcoming weekends, get there sunrise or sun set, will let you know how I do, one thing – I am enjoying myself.
Cheers for your input guy’s.