Stingray handling.
Submitted by knigit on Thu, 2012-01-05 09:28
Can I have my rig back please?
Looking for the best way to handle stingrays.
The smaller ones are fine, but when I can be bothered to wind in the bigger specimens I usually just cut off the trace. Judging by the number of rays I've seen where mongrels have just cut off the sting I'm not the only one a bit wary of them. Don't want to go down the gaf option I've seen others do either.
Cheers.
Noxious
Posts: 504
Date Joined: 22/12/11
I just get the ray onto the
I just get the ray onto the beach. Get my rod holder and place it over the tail to protect me from the sting, sometimes you get one that wont settle down making it impossible to get the holder over the tail, then i just pin the tail to the sand with my rod holder. Once the tail is secure you can more or less do as your please.
I'm with you, i don't agree with removing the stinger. I am an aquarium keeper, and have a group of Freshwater stingrays. The stinger is attached to the flesh in the tails of the rays, not only are you taking away the animals ability to protect itself properly until a new sting regenerates you are also leaving the animal open to infection.
The other day had a session on the beach and caught 3 rays, 2 of them had the tails completely removed which was just disgusting. I wouldn't think many rays would survive this so imagine how many are being thrown back like that!
Alex
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
When handling the bigger rays
When handling the bigger rays in the surf .. approach from the front . Gently place your fingers in the holes behind his eyes (dont go digging them in .just hook your fingers there ) then simply walk backwards dragging the ray out of the surf .. there is no rays in metro waters that can reach you while doing this .. easy enough to pull him back into the water as well... (please note to anyone up north that you do have 1 ray that can reach .. it can be distinguished by a large fold of skin hanging under the actual tail .. and the stinger is about 2 -3 foot back further along the tail )
cudbfishn
Posts: 1311
Date Joined: 06/04/09
I had a ray 3 months ago that
I had a ray 3 months ago that flicked its tail up and stabbed the ground in frount of its face and then proceeded to stab itself many times lucky I was being cautious as it missed my hand by inches. Cant remember what type it was but it wasnt huge lucky I was wearing shoes and stood on its tail. The stinger was about 6 inch long and half way down on top of its tail. This was at preston beach.
Leemo
Posts: 3712
Date Joined: 22/02/07
had a big smooth ray do the
had a big smooth ray do the same at Pinaroo Point one night. Stabbed itself in the head at least 10 times. haha, dopey bugger
bludgin' since 94'
cudbfishn
Posts: 1311
Date Joined: 06/04/09
Yeah easily went straight
Yeah easily went straight through himself and at least 3 inches into the sand so id hate to be on the wrong end of one.
sherbert
Posts: 4717
Date Joined: 10/09/06
Hold the tail down
With your foot, / Were footwere/ And rapp a tower around the tail and stinger and tide it up
That way you hold the towel in one hand and removed the hooks with the other
And then you can drag it backwards in the the surf and removed the towel after
Sherbie
Assassin landbase fishing club
Sharktale
Posts: 88
Date Joined: 13/07/11
Couple of thoughts
Don't turn rays over, you damage organs and they'll die. Use a leader and the surf to handle them. Make a hook remover which is 10mm stainless round bar 800mm long, with a T-handle and a 5mm chain shackle welded to the end. Cut a 5mm slot in the chain. You can then fit the gap in the shackle over the hook and and manouver to remove the hook. Try to use circles as much as possible. Circles hooks in the corner of the mouths, easier to remove and less injury to the fish.
Let's fish so our kids can experience the same one day...........
"I FISH, 'CAUSE THE VOICES TELLS ME TO...."
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Turning over
I have had blokes from fisheries research on board boats I've skippered and the common practice was to turn them over to remove the hook then slide them back out the door and into the water. They have never commented that it harmed them in any way and they are the people who should know.
Doing it that way gives you a bit more time and its a bloody sight safer than trying to reach underneath and fiddle about while holding its tail down.
thesupervisor
Posts: 1137
Date Joined: 10/06/09
the best way is dispatch
the best way is dispatch humanly then remove the wings and
skin and portion egg flour and pan yum
getting the bottom line final answer from a bunch of blokes that use false names and put smiley faces at the end of paragraphs is not the best place in the world to get the information you seek.
knigit
Posts: 115
Date Joined: 19/12/10
He he
Not for me man but you should come fishing with me some time, at the moment they're all I can catch.
Thought I was gonna get attacked the other day, was just cutting off a ray in the surf and some bloke was running up to me waving his gaff around like a madman. Wanted it for supper lol. Told me to cut of the wings and bake them covered in barbeque sauce. Each to their own.
knigit
Posts: 115
Date Joined: 19/12/10
Cheers
Not what I wanted to hear cuthbad. Think I might try practicing Feral's technique on the ones that have been de-stingered to see how far the tail can come forward.
Have previously been pinning down the tail, but using the towel to do this as well seems nice and simple- doh. I only use circles but it's just a bugger trying to keep the bigger ones still if you can't get them into shallow enough water on your own.
Flipping them over seems pretty impractical and I'd need to eat a few more wheetbix to be able to flip some of them but I'll make sure I don't.
cuthbad
Posts: 1266
Date Joined: 22/04/09
hey?
hey?
knigit
Posts: 115
Date Joined: 19/12/10
Sorry mate, got you mixed up
Sorry mate, got you mixed up with Cudbfishin somehow. The idea of a ray that can stab over the top of it's head is not encouraging me to try the grab it by the mouth or behind the eyes method.
hekser
Posts: 572
Date Joined: 31/03/10
rays are pretty tasty
nom nom nom
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
When the ray comes to shore
When the ray comes to shore you should put your hand in his mouth and drag it like this on the beach( i know that is not so easy and it took me some time to do it). then you can secure the stinger with a towel as suggested before. After this you can lift the ray's mouth up and can remove the hooks. And please watch out that the fish stays in the waterline. Putting your fingers in the spiracles up top is not good for the fish and not recomended.
Cheers Seb
joe amato
Posts: 731
Date Joined: 21/12/08
gaff in the mouth
gaff the ray in the mouth,remove hook and release,i have done this for years,ray will just have a hole in mouth that will heal very quikly or cut line near mouth ,hook will rust out ,pretty quikly or dont fish for rays at all
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
Wow so many opinions!!! can
Wow so many opinions!!! can we please have an expert to come in tell us exactly the right way to do it! I mean a gaff in the mouth??? thats a bit harsh. and aalfred it would take me a bottle of Jacks to be putting my hands down the mouth of some of the rays i've caught. i mean that would be the best way to handle a ray to protect it? but how about yourself?
kill it??? eat it!!!!
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
If you have to gaff it, the
If you have to gaff it, the mouth is the best way. The wings tare easily and that makes the ray a bleeding and in circle swimming target for bigger fish ( but i must say i learned that also in the last couple of month). and of course you should check the mouth for old hooks. but they dont have teeth so they wont hurt you to much. The spiracles are the rays breathing openings with the gills right behind the opening, so putting your finger in there is like someone puts a finger right in your lung.
Cheers Seb
Noxious
Posts: 504
Date Joined: 22/12/11
Rays most certainly do have
Rays most certainly do have teeth, more like a crushing plate for dispatching crustaceans.
Flipping rays on their back doesn't do them any harm. I know of many aquarists overseas who flip their rays over and ultrasound them to see if they are pregnant. This is obviously done with potentially pregnant females which are at their most sensitive.
Far too many old wives tales with fishing!
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
What i ment with they dont
What i ment with they dont have teeth is that they dont have teeht that could hurt or cut your skin. There are certainly not shaped like teeth what we normaly understand as teeth! It is obvious that they must have some sort of teeth to eat, like crushing plates! But that was not my point!!
Sharktale
Posts: 88
Date Joined: 13/07/11
Thanks for the inputs
We're not aquarists. We handle big fish on the beach with the aim of not harming them or ourselfves. The extend to which guys will go to avoid lashing at rays with gaf'is applaudable.The care culture of pro LBGF if to go to the extend that they have put their hole arm in a diamond ray's throat to remove a hook. Cartilagineous fish lacks much in the from of "ribs" to support internals organs. You'll harm small sharks if you pick them by the up by the tail - same reason. Rays are often a "by catch" and great care is taken to release these wonderfull creatures. The lads know there are crusher plates and no "teeth'' (apart from the spearnose which 40-45 rows of teeth in the upper jaw) Bottom line - fish are hanled in the best way to avoid risk of injury.
"I FISH, 'CAUSE THE VOICES TELLS ME TO...."
dodgy
Posts: 4563
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Im guessing that if they
Im guessing that if they crush mussels and crabs with those plates they could make a mess of your fingers....
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
aalfred
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 13/06/09
Hi dodgy,I had my hands in a
Hi dodgy,
I had my hands in a few big rays and you sure can feel it. But it doesnt breack your fingers. And if the ray gets to big there is then still the gaff in the mouth obtion. But a normal ray around perth is no problem. I never had a bruise from it. Which can happen on the bigger ones.
Seb
ealzee
Posts: 611
Date Joined: 14/11/11
lol! nup. sorry bro unless
lol! nup. sorry bro unless you show me first hand how easy it is, i aint going to be sticking my hands down a mouth of an angry ray haha
kill it??? eat it!!!!
Willlo
Posts: 1490
Date Joined: 07/10/11
They make good shark baits,
They make good shark baits, do a wire snell setup great of the beach hard for the pickers to debait you and put out a good scent, Bronzies love em.
Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
Wes F
Posts: 1060
Date Joined: 07/01/12
For the cost of a hook and a
For the cost of a hook and a couple off min's to re-rig, keep ray at waters edge and simple cut line as short as poss.
unless desperate for some poor mans scallops. treat rays as anyother fish you don't want to keep. they're the vacum cleaners of our oceans .FISH FOR THE FUTURE
Old fishermen never die they just smell that way.