# Winter fishing



## Guest (Dec 27, 2002)

What kind of fish would you catch on the beach near carolina beach. Do you have to go into the rivers to catch them?


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

I imagine you can catch some winter trout and flounder. There might be some blues and an errant striper or two. Just about everything has gone to Florida for the winter. Of course, I am sure there are plenty of skates to be caught.


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## Guest (Dec 27, 2002)

Speaking of skates hears a story....All i had on the pier was a couple of small whiting. I was thinking about leaving till i had this big bite. I screamed fish on and it gave me a good fight. AFter a couple of minutes i reeled it in to find out it was a sk8. ITS SUCKS. But i'm sure it has happened to a lot of people.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Yeah, one time I was fishing in Garden City off the pier at night. Had on a double-drop rig on my light action bluegill/bass pole. Lot of fun when you hook into a speck or blue. However, the pole went nuts and I thought I had hooked into a decent-sized drum or blue, but no, it was a skate. Let me tell you, hoisting up a skate on 12lb Spiderwire is murder on the hands and the pride.


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## FishRung (Nov 26, 2002)

Talking about skate - I'm originally from the UK, where skate is viewed as a culinary delicacy. When you catch your next skate, take the wings off cutting them right back to the body cavity, but mind your fingers while you do it as they have very sharp spines. When you get home, skin the wings and lightly poach them. Served with clarified butter they're delicious. They taste like angel fish (monkfish) only sweeter. If you're releasing them, please don't cut the tails off. Skate are not stingrays. Thanks for listening.


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings FishRung!

I do a lot of back bay fishing for fluke (flounder) in New Jersey. One of your fellow ex-pats was on the boat for a morning of flounder fishing. He caught two keepers, but seemed more excited about the large skate he landed. Had the wings cut off just as you described. Someone said blanching makes the skin easier to remove. Is this true?


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2002)

I thought cutting and keeping a sk8 is illegal. I think its sting rays that are illegal. Anybody no?


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## Thrifty Angler (May 5, 2002)

*Gee whiz. Are we going there again?*


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Hmmm, I have never seen any rules against keeping either species. I never, ever harm a skate when I land one, same rule is applied to stingrays. I also will not let anyone else harm them either. I have seen some enormous stingrays caught and people jump at the chance to get the wings. Apparently people do eat them. I wonder if the ones I end up catching 36-48+" wingspan are any good?


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