craziest fishing story ever!

[mallard matt]

So I and a friend set out for Calcasieu point marina from Lafayette at 4am Saturday morning. We arrived, and launched our boat. We started making our way down the ship channel. The game plan was to fish every spot that looked fishy from turners bay to the jettys. Second spot pick up a couple of keeper trout. Then between the second and third spot I forgot to pick up my bow mount trolling motor, and the prop spun off. So we're drift fishing now. We pop off on A couple reds. Stop and wade fish a few flats. Till we get to the jettys at the gulf. We go out to a break in the jettys, and anchor up. We're catching some sheep's head, and trash fish. It's about 11:30 at this point. The current is coming in to the lake. We're parallel with the jettys fishing. All of a sudden I notice my anchor line moving. Now bot like it's drifting it's freaking taking off behind us, and the boat isn't even moving. Usually the boat and anchor drift together. I watch and as the line starts so go taught I expect it to stop. It doesnt. Now I'm standing on the front of a 17ft duracraft with a 40 two full grown men, ice chest, and tackle. I'm on the bow. When the line goes taught my boat almost got ripped out from under neither me. I and my friend in the back of the boat both fell In the bottom of the boat, and we were moving! I get up and try to pull on the a anchor line that is pulling this whole boat. At above idle speed. It pulls us out to the middle of the ship channel. I begin to pull on the rope. Literally using all my might. As we're getting yanked back and forth by what ever large seas creature has my 15 pound anchor and is dragging us all over the place changing directions back and forth. It drags us back to the jetty. When we get to the jetty. I see the beast bank off of the jetty. A huge black swoop. It looked like a fighter jet. I continue to battle this thing while it pulls my boat in large circles in the shipping channel. Finally after fighting and straining I managed to get it in sight. It was a seven to eight foot wide manta ray. There was a loop tied in my anchors line, and it had got it caught on it's horn. After a good 5 minute fight. I got it along side of the boat. It was at least a foot thick. The width of the wings were half the length of my boat. I got it along the boat. Not nowing what to do I patted it on the head. My friend gave him a pet to. Then I Unhooked the rope, and he was gone. When all was said and done we were two hundred yards from where the ordeal started. Best part my friend videoed it. I'm trying to figure out how to get the videos off of facebook. Never I my life have I felt something that powerful. Truly a once in a life time fishing trip. Here's a still shop from the video. With my hand for comparison.