THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

fixed spool reels. Fortunately we had taken our own boat gear across, just in case.
The bait was good, the live wells had squid in them, and this time the boat was anchored after we'd
sailed the short distance around off the cement factory on the harbour at Arguineguin.
With half a dozen other anglers on-board at most, we had acres of space, and because we had our own
gear, apart from providing bait, the skipper and crew pretty much left us to get on with it, which we did.
As always, I had a quick look at how the hire rods were set up, which was with short heavy
monofilament flowing traces and a 6/0 hook. As this is my favourite all round trace anyway, Dave and
I knocked up versions of the same, and very soon we were all in to a seemingly never ending stream of
stingrays and eagle rays, typically running between twenty and forty pounds.
There were a few bigger fish. In fact, one chap from Southampton fishing with one of the fixed spool
outfits supplied onboard managed to boat a stingray that went over two hundred pounds, which like
everything else we caught was very quickly released.
Impressed by the day, we booked on again, and this time I persuaded my wife Dawn to tag along, who
like the rest of us caught stingrays and eagle rays. But there were also two particular stand-out moments
on that trip which neither of us will ever forget.
I'd decided to write an article on the venue and was spending as much time taking photographs as I was
fishing, which meant I had to leave Dawn in charge of my rod too which was still fishing while I was
otherwise pre-occupied.
The first incident was a cry for help
from Dawn who had a superb
monkfish at the surface which tipped
the scales at fifty five pounds which
we weighed and photographed before
putting it back.
The second incident shortly afterwards
however, was a bit more serious. A
bite had developed on my rod, which
as I was busy, I asked Dawn to deal
with, little realising the mauling she
was about to receive.
Dave Devine, Sierra Mackerel
To cut a long story short, the fish took
off ripping line from the reel, then
clamped itself immovably on the
bottom. 'Choo Choo Monstrosa' the
skipper said, which I later discovered
translates to monster stingray.
We'd previously seen a two hundred pounder on a fixed spool outfit, but this fish was something else.
In the end they fitted her up with the full stand-up harness normally reserved for the marlin fishing,
lifted the anchor, and literally followed the fish in the direction of Africa, none of which made any
difference. That fish was never coming up.
Eventually, with time running out, Dawn and the skipper started pulling for the break, which itself was
a job and half.
Back at the kiosk I got the English speaking chap to translate. The potential it seems for stingray in
these waters can exceed five hundred pounds. So who knows. It was certainly one very big fish.
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