Overberg Angling

What started as a trip looking for edibles ended in landing a monster of a ragged tooth shark. This played itself off at Arendse Road on Sunday 2009/11/29. The angling team of Wep, PlayOn, Reza, Ryan and myself started early morning with slide baits. My set-up was a Poseidon Magnum 4 HMG rod, a Daiwa SL50H reel with Rapal braid of 40 lb and back-up of .55 KFGA, 1mm leader onto a 200lb steel slide with two 12/0 Hoodlum hooks and a yellow tail head.
The slide was out for 5 minutes when I noticed a slight reaction on the rod, a cob like pull. I picked-up the rod and felt a slight pull. After a while I striked the fish and there was a very slight reaction. I called Ryan and handed him the rod and told him that it was a very small flat fish like a diamond ray or duckbill.
I carried on helping Wep put his slide in the water and PlayOn started helping Ryan, after a while I realized that the fish was actually much bigger than I initially thought. With continual help from PlayOn, Wep and myself stayed at the water.
After a 45 minute fight, the raggie was landed. A female of 2.35 pcl length, 3.05m total and weighing in at 251.7kg according to SASAA. The shark was quickly measured and pictures taken. Then the task of releasing. It took Wep, PlayOn and myself to haul her back into the water.
A very glad and relieved Ryan was met with plenty high fives and smiles. His hands still have red marks from holding the rod.
Like Stef always says, take a child fishing, it was breathtaking to watch Ryan fight the fish, the facial expression when it was seen the first time in the water, when it was landed and released, is priceless. A memory that will live with Ryan forever. One comment Ryan did make on a lighter note was that “Dad the shark needs braces” referring to the ragged teeth.
I need to make special mention and a big thank you to PlayOn, Wep and Reza. PlayOn kept coaching Ryan and made sure he stayed focused. Wep who is mad- brave to meet the shark in the water with the landing and release and Reza for the constant encouragement and pictures.
Afterwards, a proud father told Ryan that, that shark is probably the biggest fish he would ever catch in his life and that most anglers just dream of what he had achieved.
To end off, I would like to say that I and many other friends fish for the fun and love of the sport, I do not fish competitively and I will not join a club. I am not interested in claiming records ect ect. I respect the ocean and support catch and release.
I taught Ryan this same philosophy and as Ryan said, seeing the monster swim back into the ocean is even better as landing it.
Well done Ryan, I am proud of you.

A special moment

Wep helping with measument and showing off the teeth.

The raggie having a go at Wep

Large teeth brigade

The release.

Helping hands

Nearly there

Swim safely to live another day.

Dear friends

Wep, PlayOn, Martin and Ryan - thank you for a memorable Sunday. I loved every second.

Ryan, what a sea monster! Beautiful

Reza

Some members on the Sealine forum picked up on this story and went to great lengths to discredit the Raggie size, claiming that it could not weigh more than 150 odd kilos at best.
In order to put the record straight, i used photoshop to add some measurements. Note that I am not an expert in photoshop, and it took me the best part of 1 hour to add a couple of simple measurements to the fish.

The only way we could add measurements was to find a constant measurable item in the photo and use the length of the item as a base measurement.

We physically measured the rod. from the first eye, down the where the rubber start.. (shown in attached image). Then I copied the line and placed it three times in a straight line on top of the fish from the PCL point 77cm x 3 = 231cm, and still some fish left to measure.

So, we believe that the measurement of 235PCL is in fact correct

I hope this will satisfy the non believers

Ryan

Baie geluk weereens. Ek wens dit was ek en so ook al die ander visser manne, die wat dit die slegste se is die bangste. Hulle is te trots om iemand geluk te se. Jy hoef niks te bewys nie, jy gaan net sukkel om n swaarder vis te vang.

Ek van nou 28 jaar vis en is nog op 125kg

Dit was n moerse haai.

Dit is laag om iemand af te breek wat n hoogte punt beruik het.

Ander sites- Ons(WP Defence Angling) is uitgenooi om by die nationals te werk as weight masters en het genoeg kennis om te kan meet. Ek het genoeg ondervinding en kompetiesies agter die rug(en eerlikheid). Ek het die afstand bevestig 2350mm PCL. Julle haal die fun uit visvang en vat die sport te ernstig op let daarop dat dit net n sport is. Iemand gaan wen en iemand gaan verloor.

Ryan jy het my(al die ander) gewen en onthou n Raggie is nie n Bronzie nie.


Wep

At least the big guns on the "other" forum also came out in support...

Well done Ryan - you can hold your head up very high.

I have also been fishing for more than 38 years now and have never caught anything that big...yet!

Ryan boet there are 3 words that are very important to you at this point in time and that is "Kiss my A*S".... .. (sorry Martin but it's true) To all those super spesialized critics that think they know it all SUCK IT UP because a teenager showed you all that it does not take 50 years as a professional angler to pull out a shark this size, but the will and determination to succeed.

It's an incredible acheivement for a youngster with a lifetime of memories and a story to tell he's kids about one day and a father to feel proud of he's son. Allow him the opportunity to bask in the glory he deserves and as fellow anglers the motivation to now reach for even greater hights.

Congratulations to Ryan and the Team!

Well said Amberjack.

Congrats Rayn on the big fish. You are now hot favourite to win the Christmas box Junior prize from Ashton Angling Club and the Struisbaai 5 Spesie. We only fish eatibles therefore no comment on the weight of the shark but according to me the measurement seems good.

Joining a club is a choice you have to make. Personally I have joined a great club with strict rules to govern us which make comps fair for all and a bunch of great people.

Other Overbergies, Please no club debate!

I agree with Shimano - no club debates pls. It is a personal choice and as far as I am concerned the clubs does a wonderful job on helping anglers and by giving structure to our sport.

Now I have to figure out a way to get a Raggie of over 200kg's

Shimano, thanks for the comment on "no club debates"

Unfortunately certain club members had to go and rip the youngster's fish apart on other forums.

Here at Overberg Angling we support all fishermen, whether they belong to a club or not! However, this forum will not be a springboard for clubs to talk politics or place their arguments.

All anglers, irrespective if they are club anglers or just fun anglers, are very welcome on our wonderful site but any bad / negative talk against other (club) members or clubs or member's catches will not be tolerated.

We have a wonderful relationship with a number of clubs and certain forums and we always cross promote any competitions and / or events, as this is for the greater good of fishing in general.

Overberg Angling strives to provide good quality and informative information to all and is not just a forum.. it is much more than that, and we are very proud of the brand we are building at Overberg Angling. Yes, we are still a young site, and have made numerous mistakes, but that is what learning and growing is all about.

We are not seeing ourselves as competitors to the other big forums. We are building our own unique brand and we are not dependent on the latest gossip or bad comments to grow our website like at some of the other sites.

We don't step on toes, and we don't deserve to be stepped on either.

Fishing is a wonderful sport for everyone that want's to fish. It is not the exclusive domain of certain anglers!

This website prides itself in promoting angling especially to the average fisherman in the street.

We stay neutral and give credit where it is due when someone wishes to share their wonderful catches with us!