How do you handle Stingrays?
Submitted by Wilmy on Thu, 2014-02-13 10:23
A neighbour hooked one of about 60kg in Halls Head canals and cut the line instead of banking it. Last night I went for a walk with my wife along the Mandurah foreshore and some guys who were fishing for Whiting hooked and lost one too.
I would love to catch one & know they are dangerous. My question is how would you land it, remove the hook and release it without either the ray or angler getting hurt?
crasny1
Posts: 7009
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Just grab it by the tail
and drag it onshore
.
I dont target them ever, but obviously we do catch them whilst targetting other fish. I tend to gentle drag them into the shallows if possible. Approach from the front because despite popular belief they cant turn and slash/stab you with the barp (there is a cowtailed ray that might be able to do that). I then just cut the hook off. I do prefer not to try and get the hook out as this is usually buried deep in a ray's mouth/gut. You do more damage trying to remove it and (most) hooks arent that $$$. At least then all you have to do is tie a new hook if the leader is still long enough, or tie a new rig. No injury to Ray or yourself.
A hook in a fish left will rust and fall out very fast and do no or little harm compared with removing it.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Tradewind
Posts: 754
Date Joined: 18/09/12
I've unfortunately landed
I've unfortunately landed many as a By-catch
On land they could still be dangerous but i've never had a close call and i've never felt in danger when getting hooks out or dealing with them
If it's a really big specimen you could gently stand on it's tail or put a damp burlap sack over the tail.
With the big ones though you're really better off just cutting the line as close to the mouth as possible without stressing the creature too much by dragging it on land
I've seen a few landed with a gaff in the wing and their weight just tears a large hole down the wing which pretty much dooms it to death and as annoying as they are as a by-catch there's just no need to kill them
On a side note i've seen a select few people cut their tail off before throwing them back in the water while telling people it doesn't hurt them and they're fine without it.
I'm a nice guy but seriously, f%$k you.
crasny1
Posts: 7009
Date Joined: 16/10/08
too your last paragraph
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
opsrey
Posts: 1200
Date Joined: 05/10/07
+1
I'm no tree hugger, won't put up with damageing animals .
thefishwrangler
Posts: 83
Date Joined: 28/01/14
with you there mate. down
with you there mate. down here in albany there are very few rays that have tails:-( even the massive ones.
and while we are on the subject of rays, there's a commercial netter that fishes oyster harbor, i live a few houses down from him and when i was putting the yak in on the foreshore i looked down the beach and see all these small rays, no more than 40cm across dead on the beach i counted 16 of them and who now's how many more didn't make it to shore. all with net marks on them. the place that this guy nets is all seagrass beds and a nursery for the baby's :-(. i haven't seen a banjo shark for over a year now and there used to be six that i saw regularly, they are all dead from being caught in the nets. i understand that he is doing his job and trying to make a living but it is sad that it comes at the cost of the baby's lives:-(
Shimka
Posts: 465
Date Joined: 06/02/14
As above pretty much. I
As above pretty much. I gently lead them into the shallows & cut the line as close to the hooks as I can. Some rays do actually have the ability to spear things that are in front of them by putting thier tail straight over thier heads & they can do it bloody fast. I've been grazed a couple of times over the years but luckily not actually speared. These days I carry a 'Y-piece' that has 200mm of PVC extending off the two top sections & the bottom section slips over the top of my rod holder in a fairly tight fit. When I get the ray in the shallows I push the 'fork' over the tail about halfway along effectively pinning it in place while I cut the line. Very easy if you have a helper but it takes a bit of practice to get the hang of holding it in place while you cut the line if fishing solo.
As for cutting off thier tails that's just not on & if I see anyone doing it & there are no witnesses they end up in a bit of pain themselves.
Wilmy
Posts: 48
Date Joined: 29/11/12
Would you post a photo mate?
Would you post a photo mate?
TGMitchell
Posts: 221
Date Joined: 24/11/09
Actually the smaller ones
Actually the smaller ones are pretty good eating.
I pull them up to the platform, keeping plenty of tug on the line and cut the stinger off with a big FO knife. Then I pull it on board and stick a big FO metal spike thru the back of its head.
Cleaning and filleting is easy enough when you get the knack of it.
I generally wouldn't go for anything bigger than 6ft tip to tail - bigger than that I just cut the hook in half
I never use a gaff as that'll just make it thrash about.
They are an important part of the ecology so I wouldn't kill one I'm not going to eat.
Plenty of work pulling them up - had one snap my 80lb braid last week...
The Black Baron
Tradewind
Posts: 754
Date Joined: 18/09/12
I've eaten the grey rays you
I've eaten the grey rays you get in cockburn before, most people think i'm mad for doing it
Beer batter & deep fry, it's delicious
Must admit i've stopped doing it because of the stink from the slime on them.
I've had it get over my shoes and clothes before which took 5 goes in the washing machine with bleach, lemon juice, bicarb and vinegar and anything else potent I could think of before the smell went away
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
If you are going to land it
If you drag it up on the jetty or shore because you are going to keep it with a 2 metre length of 76mm plastic conduit slide it down over the tail and barb so that it can't use it's tail then you are safe from any injury. Other wise as has been said above cut the line as close to the hook as you can without stressing the ray any further
cuthbad
Posts: 1266
Date Joined: 22/04/09
I always go to the effort of
I always go to the effort of getting the hook out. The smooth (Black) rays and eagles wont reach past their heads. They will reach to the head on occasion but approaching from the front you will be fine. A hand in the mouth to find the hook and 2 seconds later get it clear. Try not to flip them over while doing it. A hand in the mouth gripping their jaw plate or whatever to drag them back in the water and done. I think it was sherbs posted some pics a while ago showing the easy grip from the mouth.
I have used the above process countless times on 100kg plus rays with very little issue. I don't buy into the idea that the hooks rust out very quickly, even with standard hooks, never mind the chemically sharpened ones many use these days. Sure, if they are hooked deep maybe just cut it, but always worth a look I reckon, if only to save yourself tying a new rig. Many S.A. fishing clubs have best practice guides and recommend removing the hooks where possible.
grantarctic1
Posts: 2546
Date Joined: 03/03/11
Ive seen
Iv'e seen cuthbad in action , and he does a great job with the release of ray's. I changed my way of handling them after seeing how easy it could be done.
Adam, Maybe you should do a short video of how it's done and post it on here. ?
However, I do agree if you realy arnt sure how to get the hooks out(or cant get them out) cut the hook of as close as you can rather than stress or hurt the animal more than needed.
cuthbad
Posts: 1266
Date Joined: 22/04/09
yea that's a fair point.
yea that's a fair point.
Not getting out fishing nearly as much as I would like at the moment, so may be a while till I get round to a video or something
Wilmy
Posts: 48
Date Joined: 29/11/12
Why cut the line close to
Why cut the line close to the hook? You should leave a length of line attached if you opt to release a fish with a hook in its mouth. No idea why though, it just seems to be the popular opinion nowadays. Anyone know why?
Wilmy
Posts: 48
Date Joined: 29/11/12
Why cut the line close to
Why cut the line close to the hook? You should leave a length of line attached if you opt to release a fish with a hook in its mouth. No idea why though, it just seems to be the popular opinion nowadays. Anyone know why?
Shimka
Posts: 465
Date Joined: 06/02/14
I think you will find that
I think you will find that the reason people do that is because they are too pussy to get close in to the ray. There's certainly no logical explanation to leave a length of line attached, it's just going to cause problems for the ray or for whatever form of life comes across it once it comes away from the hooks. It doesn't sound like your scared of the rays yourself, just that your doing what others do so I reckon you should get in as close as you can in future. Popular things are usually highly overrated.
grantarctic1
Posts: 2546
Date Joined: 03/03/11
Personaly
Personaly i have untangled 2 rays at Rotto that got stuck to the small jetty because of line hanging out of their mouth. So i don't know any science behind cutting the line close to the hook , I just think it would be safer for the fish etc , not to be draging around a metre or two of trace that could snag on some structure.
And i'm not saying someone cut the line on those rays, more than likely they took a bait and busted off .
I have also caught many fish with hooks in them that have almost rusted away. My thoughts are it's better to leave the hooks that are right down a fishes mouth than rip it out with a pair of pliers taking half the gills or stomach with it. I see people do this and throw the fish back expecting them to survive, all for the sake of a cheap hook. IMO, it is better to keep the fish or simply cut the hook off and give it a chance to survive.
PS: Thats why i don't use stainless steel hooks .
pale ale
Posts: 1755
Date Joined: 02/01/10
I caught a golden perch once
I caught a golden perch once which was gut hooked. I cut the line with about an inch of mono hanging out the mouth. The fish was about 8 inches long and I decided to take it home for my fish tank. I observed the fish for about a week with this line protrudung from it's mouth, then the line disappeard. I asume the hook (stainless) had rusted through and the line was spat out.
That fish lived for another 5 years in my tank.
IMO... stainless hooks rust quite quickly, even in fresh water. Maybe stomach acids work on it quickly
grantarctic1
Posts: 2546
Date Joined: 03/03/11
Agree
As a welder, i agree . Stainless steel does rust . And its great to hear feed back from someone thats researched in a fish tank .
I still avoid the stainless hooks 99% of the time. They take a lot longer to rust away .
TGMitchell
Posts: 221
Date Joined: 24/11/09
Most of the time you can get
Most of the time you can get the hook out but sometimes have a lot of trouble on rays, PJ sharks and NW blowies doind it without doing heaps of damage to their mouths. I don't know about the science but it seems to me if you tear their mouth up they won't be able to feed and will probably die.
When I can't get the hook out I use a pair of sturdy pliers to cut the hook in half - anyone else do this?
The Black Baron
chris raff
Posts: 3257
Date Joined: 09/02/10
There's some big models aka "
There's some big models aka " Freight trains " around Wilmy , that'll test your gear and back .. I find them a PITA personally lol .. Stubborn buggers if they settle in the sand , I like to play " Stairway to Heaven " on the taunt line that usually gets them up partying for the 2nd hour of line stretching , back aching fun . Good Luck .
“Intelligence is like a four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places.”
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
if your determined to catch one
once you have landed it or near the boat just cut your line not worth the drama trying to dehook it
TGMitchell
Posts: 221
Date Joined: 24/11/09
Its worth the drama as far
Its worth the drama as far as the fish and the environment go...
The Black Baron
new age
Posts: 330
Date Joined: 15/03/13
Had a family member many
Had a family member many years ago walk out into the shallows at the beach. He appeared to be 2 feet taller as he was lifted up and tripped over by a "freight train" sting ray that he had been standing on
greyheads1
Posts: 249
Date Joined: 27/08/11
Sherbs did an excellent
Sherbs did an excellent image on how to handle eagle rays some time back- check in the search function and you will find.
Eagle rays tend to have the barbs up close to the body at the base of the tail when juvenile, when maturing 25/20kg plus the barb seems to be further down - or at least thats what I have observed. THe barb is very visible and its near the body there is little to worry about. With the black rays and spooted rays the barbs all seem to be towards the tip of the tail which is longer proportional to the body. I tend to always try and unhook prior to release, since I tend to pick them up on gangs with mulies rather than fillets and snells and I don't like the thought of a gang being dragged around snagging on stuff.
I also find the smaller rays are far more agitated when out of water - so just because its small still pay due respect and attention. Most of the responses above should have you covered - a rod tube to pin tail down or slide over the tail, flipping smaller rays over can aid in un hooking but the reach is better with the tail in this direction so beware.
always a slight disappointment when you see the big wings rather than a nice dorsal fin or flash of silver but there's an argument that they could be deemed a 'sportfish'?!!?!
Tradewind
Posts: 754
Date Joined: 18/09/12
Hah!If they're a sportsfish
Hah!
If they're a sportsfish many of us would have sponsors by now ;)
tainted
Posts: 81
Date Joined: 29/05/12
http://fishwrecked.com/forum/
http://fishwrecked.com/forum/how-hold-ray
^^^ took me a bit to find it. This might speed it up for some.
marrisy
Posts: 205
Date Joined: 08/09/11
thanks
Thanks tainted, makes life easier for us computer chalanged older blokes.
marrisy
walloped
Posts: 191
Date Joined: 08/04/12
carefully
carefully