BASILDON angler Mick Toomer has now returned from the Florida Keys, having caught a mountain of enormous fish.

After landing bull sharks to 500lb and tarpon to 180lb on his first two days, (Angling Echo , April 29), he decided to extend his visit and ended up staying for almost a month.

Toomer enjoyed spectacular sport with a variety of fish. One day saw him land Jewfish of 15lb and32lbs, two black tip sharks of around a 100lb each, six lemon sharks to a best of 230lb, and a stingray of well over a 100lb!

The stingray was too big and dangerous to get into the boat, and so Toomer tried to persuade the boat skipper to hold the trace while he got his camera ready.

Understandably the skipper was wary of holding the short leader with the stingray attached, pointing out that it was bigger than the stingray that had killed Steve Erwin.

Toomer eventually persuaded him that it would be safe providing he kept a bottle of spray suntan oil pointed at the stingray. Hanging onto the trace with one hand and threatening the fish with the suntan oil held in his other the boat skipper took charge of the stingray whilst Toomer set his camera up.

With the pictures taken and the big stingray released skipper Kip Doughty asked how the suntan oil method worked. Toomer said he didn’t know, but pointed out the words printed on the bottle: “Guaranteed protection from harmful rays”!

Another day produced 14 sharks. Thirteen of the fish came from a boat mark in the Gulf of Mexico, with the 14th one falling to a bait cast out from the boat dock at the end of the garden!