Mono VS Braid

[stickbom!]

Sorry I had to bring this topic up guys. I've been chatting up with some seasoned pari hunters from my office and they claim that braids are no good for catching bug rays from shore. They would rather sacrifice on casting distance and max line cap than use braids. These guys clearly can afford braid so it's not a matter of cost here. I've gave this issue a lot of thought and figured it might be the fear of backlash when casting that made these guys stick to mono all these years. Lets say I'm using a spinner and backlash isn't a problem, what other negative issues can the use of braid cause? The same guys who told me braids are no good also claimed that spinners can't handle big rays. Personally I've got nothing against the overhead reel but I've seen spinners landing really huge fish so I'm willing to give them a try. What do you think guys? would a spinner/braid combo be suitable for catching big rays from shore?

[Melvin_Ng]

Originally Posted by stickbom!

Sorry I had to bring this topic up guys. I've been chatting up with some seasoned pari hunters from my office and they claim that braids are no good for catching bug rays from shore. They would rather sacrifice on casting distance and max line cap than use braids. These guys clearly can afford braid so it's not a matter of cost here. I've gave this issue a lot of thought and figured it might be the fear of backlash when casting that made these guys stick to mono all these years. Lets say I'm using a spinner and backlash isn't a problem, what other negative issues can the use of braid cause? The same guys who told me braids are no good also claimed that spinners can't handle big rays. Personally I've got nothing against the overhead reel but I've seen spinners landing really huge fish so I'm willing to give them a try. What do you think guys? would a spinner/braid combo be suitable for catching big rays from shore?

Hey Mike,

Go for braided,

PowerPro 30lb 300yds, Penn Capitva CLL5000, Lemax "Ferrari Stick 8ft" ---> 43kg Eel-tailed Stingray from Bedok Jetty last year on 15th Oct 2005. A friend landed the fish.

Personally, I am using braided on surf. If the line is packed tightly into the spool, and with a seasoned thumb and rational casting instead of pure "Gu Lat", there is no problem. That is for multipliers. For spinners, even better!

In fact, for my Barramundi hunting at Bedok Jetty, braided is my choice.

[stickbom!]

Thanks dude... you've just saved me a lot of trouble. By the way, since I can get away with braid, would a 7' rod be good enough for casting from shore? I would think that a properly matched/rigged sinker & bait could probably fly further than on a 7 foot rod with braid than a 10 foot rod with mono? I've been told that 60m or so is the furthest you need to cast at Changi to reach the "bite zone". Realistically whats the distance you guys are doing at Bedok Jetty when targeting rays?

[Birdnest]

Originally Posted by stickbom!

Thanks dude... you've just saved me a lot of trouble. By the way, since I can get away with braid, would a 7' rod be good enough for casting from shore? I would think that a properly matched/rigged sinker & bait could probably fly further than on a 7 foot rod with braid than a 10 foot rod with mono? I've been told that 60m or so is the furthest you need to cast at Changi to reach the "bite zone". Realistically whats the distance you guys are doing at Bedok Jetty when targeting rays?

Wah!! 'Bite Zone' seriously ah brader, from now on i should not cast any further than 150mtr to catch fish anymore.......Hehehehe

[Birdnest]

Hey Melvin

How often you fish at Bedok Jetty, every weekend maybe....

I have not been to Bedok Jetty for a while because i think that place is a bit too cramp....

I also notice our local angler is not very sporting as i've seen baby snapper abt 5cm in length was caught and left to the cats

some even was left to rot..... Very very cruel

[Melvin_Ng]

Originally Posted by stickbom!

Thanks dude... you've just saved me a lot of trouble. By the way, since I can get away with braid, would a 7' rod be good enough for casting from shore? I would think that a properly matched/rigged sinker & bait could probably fly further than on a 7 foot rod with braid than a 10 foot rod with mono? I've been told that 60m or so is the furthest you need to cast at Changi to reach the "bite zone". Realistically whats the distance you guys are doing at Bedok Jetty when targeting rays?

Mike,

IMHO, rays are more commonly encountered from late Mar till end June, and from late Oct till early Dec, though the latter run is shorter and rays lesser. These are not structural fish, and tend to congregate more on the left hand end of the jetty, about 50-80m out, where it is rumoured that there is a sandy bank. I cannot vouch for this, as bouncing sinkers makes me feel that bottom is more like mud to me. Could be the results of sedimentation due to land reclamation though. You know, the 43kg specimen that my friend landed was on the RHS, and less than 50m away from the jetty too. I think hooking up rays is more to luck, bait presentation and bait freshness.

My norm distance is 60-80m, but then again, I don't have very much luck with rays, and again, this could be due to me not targetting them seriously. Prefer to tangle with a head shaking fish anytime.

Back to rods, 8ft onwards should not be a problem, but the rod should have a strong recovery action (some people call this 'backbone') and stiff enough to prise the ray away from the pillars when the fish is near and also to pull it in when the ray uses it's mass against the current. As such, for the former reason, most people uses 10'6ft rods onwards. Also, the reason for size 7 sinkers is to counter the strong current flow at times and prevent tangles with neighbours. Most of the rods that are used at the end of the jetty can handle up to size 6-8 sinkers.

IMHO, if you are into popping or jigging, those cropped 8'6ft or 9ft rods will do the task wonderfully, as they can handle heavy sinkers and also high poundage braided lines. Saw some cropped surf blanks at Sabre often, and MM said they were meant for popping, but IMHO, they can seriously pull in a big prata!

[Melvin_Ng]

Originally Posted by Birdnest

Hey Melvin

How often you fish at Bedok Jetty, every weekend maybe....

I have not been to Bedok Jetty for a while because i think that place is a bit too cramp....

I also notice our local angler is not very sporting as i've seen baby snapper abt 5cm in length was caught and left to the cats

some even was left to rot..... Very very cruel

Hi Birdnest,

Nowadays, not as often as before. When the place is crowded, more problems will surface too. ;p

[stickbom!]

Originally Posted by Birdnest

Wah!! 'Bite Zone' seriously ah brader, from now on i should not cast any further than 150mtr to catch fish anymore.......Hehehehe

hahahaha!! I'm pretty sure the "60m" rule doesn't apply everywhere.

Thanks Melvin. You're input have been really useful.

[sk8]

Hello Mike,

Where I am located (NZ), rays are in abundance at certain times of the year and is sometimes considered a pest when targeting other fish.

I have landed quite a few on mono and spinning reels (from cheap $80 Daiwas to Finnor Ahab) with no problems. These were from clean sandy/shingle beaches though.

It is probably different to Singapore, but I found that most of the rays I caught were hooked within 5-20metres from the wave breaks so no need to cast far. I find that the rays like to cruise parallel to the shore. When I was fishing at Marina South years ago, I also recall seeing a small ray swim pass my feet.

Cheers,
Clarence