Well, how can I put this! Im usually not to bad with catching Cobia from the underside of a Manta Ray, but what happened last week just boggled my mind, an avalanche of bad luck!
Any way, there I was trolling past a shipping port when I noticed the usual flaps protruding from the water that signifies a Manta Ray! So I strapped on the Abu 6500 baitcaster and set off in chase after the ray knowing full well what lies beneath - 10 to 25kg Cobia!!!!!
So we pulled up about 20m short of the first ray, yeah there were more than one...there were three, so here I am casting frantically at the first ray when a moderate 15kiloish Cobia darts from underneath and hits my lure! In a mad dash to stop him retreating back under the ray, I slammed my left thumb on the spool, do you think I could stop him.......No, it only took 5 seconds for the smell of burning flesh to tell my brain to let go of the reel!!! 1st degree burns!!!! Ouch
What happened next just doesnt happen......the Cobia did a full 180 degree loop around the Manta ray wedging the front trebles of my lure into the Manta Rays back and then un-bloody-hooked itelf!!! Two words came out of my mouth, and Im sure you could use your imagination as to what they were!!!!

So, not to be out done I quickly cut my line before the Big Black Freight Train from hell figured out it had a new piercing and spooled my reel!
I grabbed the nearest rod that was already rigged to a nice Rapala Magnum, and luckily it was a 30kg boat rod, this will fix em...or so I thought, I cast the big outfit off into the horizon to the wonderfull sound of a bird nest, *%#@!*!%, right, 10 minutes later I had the mest up spaghetti line fixed and Im on the chase again!!!
Now I was DESPERATE!!! The Manta Rays had become flighty and wernt having a bar of me and my shenanigans, so I had to be quick if I was to get a Cobia off one of these beauties!
We raced up to the nearest manta ray and I cast the Lure into the air, it almost happened in slow-mo, the lure landed.............on the *$&%#@* Manta Rays BACK!!!! Aaaaaaaarghhh, whats worse is I could see my last lure attached to the same beast!!!

To cut a long story short, it took an hour for me to burn the crap out of my left thumb, Lose 2 great lures, a heap of line and my pride! It also only took an hour to down half a carton of beer that night to drown my sorrows!

Thats my story, and I hope it never happens again.

Dave

Great tale , one day I hope to loose a layer or two of skin off my thumb . ???
only 1/2 a slab ???? you wernt thirsty ?

Ha ha ha, thirsty enough, I love Beer, I only drink on days ending with Y though!