Ok, so I'm in Rockport for the week and am staying at Balboa Courts. They have an 1000 foot lighted pier here with many fish. We are catching Trout up to 30 inches and huge Gafftop with some other fish mixed in. But I had some cut bait launched out in the water with 20 pound test. All of a sudden my rod slowly starts bending. I go to set the hook and fish on. Then my drag started going out at a constant moderate speed. It kept going and going. I tried tightening it but it kept taking it out and eventually it just snapped. My first thought was a ray. It was a very slow but powerful fish. Anybody know what it was?

Not sure but if it makes you feel better I kost a big trout, probably 7LBS or so saturday along with a nice mack and unidentified big fiah, probabky bull red yesterday.

Wayyyyyyyy too big to be any kind of trout or Mack. Took the whole spool out and snapped it.

Big ray. Loch ness monster

Jack, stingray, shark, dolphin, chupacabra.....

Moderate speed...could have been a 40" class black drum, but I'm thinkin' cow nose ray.

good ole Balboa, my personal best 32" trout came from the 3rd light there...hate the rooms, love that pier. I have seen LOTS of big drum come off the end there...my $ is that it was a BIG drum...but hey it was your fish you can make it anything you desire.

The only reason I didn't think it was a drum is because they are not in the bays during the summer months and I've seen a 53 inch black drum caught on 15 pound test line.

I've hooked into several jacks when in my boat and you have to chase those things down or you'll get spooled. Given the location of that pier, it's not out of the question.

It could be a cow nose ray like sputerfuss mentioned.

@ Aransas Hooligan.
How did you get that huge Trout. We have been catching small ones on spec rigs, but they were small. So we put live Croaker and hooked up with a 25 and a 20 the next night but that was all night for two nights

Lets see it was back in 94' I was using a 52m mirrolure white/red head...the fish went south and should have gone north. I just let her take all the drag she wanted and literally played her out in the open. PLAIN DUMB LUCK ON MY PART lol. I have since spent 2 or 3 weeks a year fishing their pier. Its as good as camping out, lol. Looking at my logs I have taken 3 trout over 30" through the years...none from the very end of the pier

This thread has got me thinking, its been over a decade since Ive landed a "big" (over 26") trout...uhm

I've fished the beloved Balboa for about 45 years now, Gone through numerous owners and states of repair. Do Sam and Veena still own it? Seems like they had a marital spat or something going on. Sadly it's been a few years since I made it down. It's the best private pier in Rockport and I know every foot of it well enough to fish it blindfolded. Did you check the condition of the line where it broke off? was it frayed or roughed up for a short distance up the line. I've seen some big shark brought up off the T-head a few times over the years. They are never landed, because nobody is prepared for them. On my last visit Myself and another guy watched a 6 footer swim up under the pier and hang around chasing the schooly trout. We thought it was a dolphin at first. I had a pole set out about 5 years ago off the t-head set up for shark with 100lb. big game, going to a steel kingfish leader. About an hour out the big Ugly Stick heavy surf rod just bent over like a truck was pulling it, and the line snapped. The end of the line was ragged and frayed for about 18-24 inches up from the breakoff point. I dunno. coulda been a sea-poodle for all I know.....But the Blacktips and Bulls and such do hang out in the darkness at times......

Might oughta try some night wading next time redfish!

Exactly. The line was frayed for about 2 feet same thing happened on my friends huge Ugly Stik with 40 pound braid. And ended up getting a 25 inch trout also.