rays shallow in xmas

isubarui · Post by **isubarui** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:14 am

Went to xmas friday and caught some mackerel and a trout early. After putting them in the cooler i headed towards rattlesnake from earnies. On the way there I counted 54 dinner plate size rays swimming in the shallows over the grass. After throwing a soft plastic for a while I saw some movement by the grass line and made a cast. I ended up landing this huge stingray in less that a foot of water. The picture doesn't do justice to his size but it makes my 7ft pole look like a toy. I have never seen this many rays cruising the shallow before, but from now I will not be wading around that area for a while.

five-O · Post by **five-O** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:22 am

Thursday will fishing Highland Bayou where it feeds into Jones Lake I got out to wade fish all the cuts that drain into Jones on a falling tide. In a 100 yard wade I promise I saw more rays than I could count. They would kick up in front of me and circle around behind me in the mud I was stirring up. I was wearing Stingray protection boots but still got really nervous. The bottom was muddy and I was afraid that I would lose my footing and step back on one. They were so thick I jumped up on the shore and walked back to the kayak.

Mythman · Post by **Mythman** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:12 am

I never thought I was a sissy, but when it come to sting rays, I just freak out. Like some people are with snakes or spiders, I am mortally afraid of them. They are 50% of why I hate wade fishing. I have seen ( in pictures) what thay can do and I read about the pain and long recup time. Thank god for my yak, it gets me to places I can fish and stay fairly safe.

Hookem · Post by **Hookem** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:01 am

I hate wading with sting rays :shock:

TexasGringo · Post by **TexasGringo** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:28 am

Yeah i'm not suprised, they are all over Christmas.

By the way how do you handle a ray when you catch it?

I've only caught one from a boat and the guy i was with told me just to cut my line b/c if you touch it anywhere it will hit you w/its tail.

I heard recently though thats not true. You can pick them up by those holes on top of their body. True or not?

TreeDav · Post by **TreeDav** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:30 am

Stingray provides good eating, wish I had a few nice sized ones, I wont eat reds, or trout, but I will eat rays.

Pogo · Post by **Pogo** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:52 am

TreeDav wrote:Stingray provides good eating...

You BET they do!!!

topdog15 · Post by **topdog15** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:20 pm

you can safely handle a stingray by the spiracles (holes in the top of the head) as long as you approach it from the head. Sides or back side and he'll nail ya. Also can get a grip on the tail but don't let go till you're ready to release it.

sewaneedave · Post by **sewaneedave** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:39 pm

what do you do after grabbin him by the spiracles? cut tail off?

picaroon · Post by **picaroon** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:06 pm

Do not under any circumstances try to handle by hand or net a sting ray. I have a goof friend who is an expierenced fisherman who got hit in the hanc by a ray that was in a net. He spent 7n days in intensive care and missed 2 months work. CUT THE THING LOOSE OR DRAG IT UP ON THE BANK AND CUT IT LOOSE. You would be better off trying to play with a rattle snake by hand.

rod holder · Post by **rod holder** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:07 pm

TreeDav wrote:Stingray provides good eating, wish I had a few nice sized ones, I wont eat reds, or trout, but I will eat rays.

Dude.... are you part shark?? :wink:

fredtoo · Post by **fredtoo** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:16 pm

TreeDav wrote:Stingray provides good eating,

you do not want to be in the water with stingray on your breath !!

fredtoo

FISHUNTER · Post by **FISHUNTER** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:39 pm

Never thought in a million years to eat a stingray. Then one day back when I worked at the Willowbrook Academy, a fellow co-worker fried some up and brought it in and put it in the lunch room for everyone. It was great, and didn't last to long, a lot of the employees tried it, and everybody liked it. It was really good.

Bluffer · Post by **Bluffer** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:44 pm

54? good count job.....reason I stay in the yak.

TreeDav · Post by **TreeDav** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:47 pm

If you eat @ Joe's or Red Lobster and order yourself a mess of Scallops,,enjoy them your eating stingray.

sewaneedave · Post by **sewaneedave** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 12:19 am

so...like I was saying - how do you safely take them? Even if you pick up by the spiracles (not likely I will), what next? Assuming you kill em - how? Ever gig one?

jeepmanmike · Post by **jeepmanmike** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 12:41 am

TreeDav wrote:If you eat @ Joe's or Red Lobster and order yourself a mess of Scallops,,enjoy them your eating stingray.

For the umptenth time URBAN MYTH...

T-Bart · Post by **T-Bart** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 12:53 am

Stingray's don't have bones in their vertebrae, they have cartilage, which means the tail can whip in any direction they want it to. Before touching a stingray make sure the length of the tail from the barb to the base of the tail is not long enough to reach you if bent backwards. In some cases, those spiracles may not be a safe enough distance to reach them from. I'd actually reccommend dragging it onto shore, and then approaching it from the back, putting a foot right on top of the tail.

utsachris · Post by **utsachris** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:32 am

I just cut them off, hooks are cheap.

JimD · Post by **JimD** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 6:13 am

Did you ever think about being the Rayguard poster child?

Ever wonder if the boots really work?

I did.
I took a old pair of Neumarks cut them so that they fit inside my Rayguards just in case. Cannot tell they are there but luckly I have not had to try them out. :oops:

Night Wing · Post by **Night Wing** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 6:55 am

FISHUNTER wrote:Never thought in a million years to eat a stingray. Then one day back when I worked at the Willowbrook Academy, a fellow co-worker fried some up and brought it in and put it in the lunch room for everyone. It was great, and didn't last to long, a lot of the employees tried it, and everybody liked it. It was really good.

I remember that day, or should I say that night. I did the overnighter that night and if I recall, I ate almost "all" of the fried stingray that night. It was good!

Trey's wife can cook some mean stingray. :wink:

Pogo · Post by **Pogo** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:36 am

When I catch a stingray I want to take home, I pin the tail down near the barb with a paddle shaft... operating from the other end of the paddle. Then I stand or kneel on said paddle to make good and sure that tail ain't goin' nowhere. The barb comes off fairly easily with pliers, and now he's just another fish. Nuthin' to it.

If I want to examine the barb, and I always do, I handle it with the pliers only.

TexasGringo · Post by **TexasGringo** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:39 am

Pogo wrote:When I catch a stingray I want to take home, I pin the tail down near the barb with a paddle shaft... operating from the other end of the paddle. Then I stand or kneel on said paddle to make good and sure that tail ain't goin' nowhere. The barb comes off fairly easily with pliers, and now he's just another fish. Nuthin' to it.

If I want to examine the barb, and I always do, I handle it with the pliers only.

So you can just pull the barb out of the tail pretty easily? Interesting, never knew that.

Pogo · Post by **Pogo** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:12 am

Wrench it off, like a catfish spine.

Pogo · Post by **Pogo** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:13 am

Wrench it off, like a catfish spine.

TexasKayakFisherman.com

rays shallow in xmas

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