Big Unstoppable Fish On Ocean Fluking

[wrktoomuch]

I've been out fluking 4 consecutive trips, and have hooked into something that is very heavy, and initially gets to the boat, and then is impossible to lift on Fluke, Seabass gear. I backed down on one yesterday for 45 mins, and still couldn't land it. 2 times the line was cut, at the hook, so some at least have teeth. One fish took off like a tuna, and spooled the reel in seconds, but the others don't run fast at all. Any ideas?

[Papasown]

Sounds like a Cow Nose Ray to me. I have landed them with 30 lb. Gear after a fight that almost spooled me multiple times. Stay with it.........Papa

[bulletbob]

typically, big rays.. However, if you had a fast run off with hooks cut off, I would consider it a possible sandbar[brown]shark, or something like that.. Anything is possible of course, but I have my doubts about many of the larger tuna types grabbing a fluke rig...keep and eye on your fishfinder some time while drifting for fluke.. The size of some of the critters your boat passes right over is pretty impressive to say the least. Some years sandbars are super common, and those big rays can be totally unstoppable on even the heaviest fluke size gear... bob

[Skolmann]

I’m thinking a big cow nose ray.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Yep probably a Cow Nose Ray or if you were fishing in the Raritan Bay it could have been a Sturgeon... We actually hooked up with a Sturgeon a few years back and got him to the boat...

[Ol Pedro]

Probably a Cow nose ray. Have caught a few around Shrewsbury Rocks. Did have a monster Drum almost spool a rental rod. We got it turned and regained all the line only to get a piece of it's lip. It is the sharky time of year.

[Broad Bill]

Don't rule out black drum. It's that time of year. You hook a 40-50 lb drum, you're not landing it on fluke / sea bass gear unless you chase it. Fish are incredibly strong and could spool you in a heart beat. If your fishing rocky structure, even more of a chance your mystery fish could be a big drum.

Fyi, with rays when they swim their wings will cause a very different sensation on your rod. It's almost like a smooth thumping up and down motion on your rod tip when they flap their wings. Drum will run on you, rays tend to hug the bottom.

If you hook up with a big cownose or other type ray, unhook it in the water or cut the line as close to the hook as possible. Made the mistake once of netting one and bringing it in the boat while jigging bluefins offshore and will never make that mistake again. Foul hooked it with the jig in the wing and took us about 45 minutes to get the thing back in the water. What a fiasco. They're incredibly strong.

One part of your post about getting it to the boat but not off the bottom suggests a ray. Big rays will lay on the bottom when hooked and literally create suction securing them to the ocean floor. You won't be able to budge them on light tackle. Drums will constantly move and not be an up and down fight.

[Detour66]

I would say it could have been a Thresher Shark. They are caught sometimes while fluking/sea bass. But they do like to jump when hooked.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Detour66

I would say it could have been a Thresher Shark. They are caught sometimes while fluking/sea bass. But they do like to jump when hooked.

The most common fish that "can't be budged"
while fluking as we know is those huge cow nose Rays... Only thing is, he mentioned cut offs at the hook, .... Never had a Ray cut a hook off, unless he's mistaken and the line is simply breaking... If he has had ,really unstoppable fish on that are cutting as opposed to breaking his line,I would think shark, typically a brown[in bays and close inshore], or a Thresher.... Threshers will hit fluke rigs with some regularity, as will sandbars[brown shark]... bob

[Gobigblue]

Cow Nose all over the place!! My son almost stepped on noe in the surf yesterday