Lowestoft man catches large ray off Kessingland beach

Hayden Green, 30, from Lowestoft, had not been fishing for two years when he found his father's fishing gear. 

Mark Green, who had worked at the fish market in Lowestoft from a young age before becoming a trawlerman, died last December after a six-year cancer battle. 

Mark Green was a keen fisherman (Image: Hayden Green)Hayden said he was "over the moon" after catching the 9lb 2oz thornback ray.

“It was hard work," he said. "I’d only been down there for 20 minutes and within another 20 I had this fish.

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"Turns out it was one of the biggest rays caught off Kessingland beach.

The thornback ray weighed 9lbs 2oz (Image: Hayden Green)"It was the catch of a lifetime. I'll probably never catch one like that again."

The fish, also known as a skate, was considered a large specimen in the area for shore-caught fishing. 

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The record for the largest skate from Lowestoft is not known but Hayden said the average is around 5lbs. 

Mr Green cooked the skate wing (Image: Hayden Green)Hayden, who works as a chef, kept the fish and cooked it for himself and his mum, making pan-fried skate wing with sauteed potatoes and salsa verde.

He added: "My dad would be chuffed. He was definitely behind me this trip.”