# How to handle skates/rays



## vbengr01 (Apr 2, 2005)

What is the best way to release and handle a ray? I usually cut the line, but there is got to be a better way. Advice is appreciated.....


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

There's only one safe way to pick a ray up--stick your fingers in the two small holes on top of his head (sphericles) and lift carefully. Just watch the stinger.


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## Green Cart (May 14, 2002)

*Very Careful*

I put my shoe on the ray/skate before taking the hook out with plier. Like Sand Flea said, watch out for the tail. I don't stomp on the ray/skate. I just put enough foot pressure to keep the ray/skate from flopping around. I don't have enough nerve to put my fingers in the two holes. Maybe I should learn to do that because it is awful hard to flip the ray/skate over to get to its mouth.  I don't like the idea of flipping it over with my shoe because that is asking for trouble. Yeah! You got it right. I am afraid of the ray/skate.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

I clip the stinger first, and then do as Sandflea said...Finger the holes...


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Railroader said:


> I clip the stinger first, and then do as Sandflea said...Finger the holes...


RR. I would not suggest clipping the stinger. That is their defensive weapon and its not their fault you caught them. Granted down there you get real sting rays where they can reach out and touch you. In MD, the majority I believe are cownose where the stingers are close to the body. Simply flipping them over and recovering your hook is rather easy. On a real sting ray, I will often cut the leader rather than chance a misshap.


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## vbengr01 (Apr 2, 2005)

Thanks all for your replies.


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## fyremanjef (Feb 17, 2005)

*What I do*

I usually flip them over with my needle nose pliers, gently hold them in place with my shoe and pop out the circle hook. (these are easier to remove, as long as the skates dont swallow them). then I pick the skate up by the pliers and toss em back in. 

I began doing this after I lost the skin on the back of my hand from rubbing against the rough spines/skin of a skate. I was watching for the tail, but the rough skin got me.

I have not had the pleasure of hooking up with MR. Cow Nose Ray yet. (notice the respect that I show for it?).


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Small skates, just flip em over holding the line, step on tail (with shoes) and use pliers to remove. Grab tail with pliers and release.

Rays (under say 40#s) haul up on beach (if you are prepared you have a heavy shock leader to do so). Flip with oar, big stick etc. Step on tail, use pliers to get hook out and jimmy back in water with oar/stick/rod butt. If you hook one from a boat, reel to side of boat leaving most of the fish in the water and wrench hook out with pliers. My neighbor is daring. He flips em, removes hook then grabs nose and the very tip of the tail and walks it down to water...he uses braid.

Big skates, say over 15#, use extreme caution but the same procedure as above...flip with rod butt...

If you are on a pier use the drop nets and follow above procedures if the fish is say over 15#s.


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Oh yea, when dealing with cow nose ray and stepping on tail...the danger is near their butt...a spike that will send you to the hospital...so don't step near the butt and watch for tail whip before you get your shoe on tail.


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## FunnyFishMan (Nov 19, 2004)

Grab a rag...grab the tail. I usually double fold the rag. Works like a charm.


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## BubbaBlue (May 11, 2004)

fyremanjef said:


> I have not had the pleasure of hooking up with MR. Cow Nose Ray yet. (notice the respect that I show for it?).


  
Keep that respect. It's amazing how strong those suckers are, even on the pier. Don't remember their skin being abrasive, but watch out for that butt spike/stinger everybody's talking about. He's good at whipping it around on you.

I use a low tech method of hook removal. I flip him over and put my ice chest on his tail.  Take the hook out with the pliers and then get him back in the water as best as I can. It ain't purty, but it works. 

Just in case the ray/scallop issue comes up again... tried it last year. Nasty, don't bother. It's not yummy like a Gulf sting ray or some skate. Dark red meat and gamey as h*ll.
.


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## FlounderFinder (Apr 7, 2003)

Good idea with the cooler. I was fishing the 50 bridge in OC a few weeks back and brought over 10 of them over the rail. They weren't huge, but what I pain getting the hooks out. They were really swallowing the hooks. One time I ended up with a double. 

I think their bodies give out some type of weird substance as well, because my hands were pretty messed up after a few hours of carefully messing with those ugly b*stards...


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## granpafish (May 5, 2003)

I am very much a reader and seldom post but feel a need to post here. I was spiked about ten years ago and ended up in the hospital in pretty bad shape. The pain was worse than anything that I can describe. 
The reason for my post is that I think that I am pretty good at identifying all sorts of denizens of the deep and was helping an older gentleman remove a "skate" from his line when I was literally brought to my knees in about a half a second. It really was unbelievable. Turned out that the "skate" was a Yellow sting ray. A rare visitor to the area (I was in the OBX) according to the fish ID books but there he was. The yellow SR has a thick tail like a skate and has a rounder shape. I just didn't look closely. (there were lots of skates being caught) I'm not sure that I would have realized it wasn't a skate anyhow since I had never seen a Yellow SR. The point is that there is always a surprise species out there and that you really, really, really, don't want to take a chance on a sting ray wound. 
Good luck, be careful. Granpa


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## B-more (Jul 27, 2002)

*Their are some huge Rays on Assategue !*

I take no chances with these.I recover my sinker and to hell with the hook! They are so big he can keep it. Like someone said who had been hit by one you never know which speices will appear from the deep!I think the best thing to use is a long handle Gaff.


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## longcast (Jan 9, 2005)

*Skates and stingers*

Clearnosed Skate DO NOT have a stinger. You can tell a Skate from a ray easyly. The Skate has a thorny back, with sharp little spines (like a Horned Toad), and the front of it's head is transluicent. You can stroke the Skate from head to tail with no problems, but if it's stroked tail to head you will rip yer hand open from the thorns. The slime on them will prevent toe wound from clotting for several hours. 

The reason Cow Nosed rays got their name is their teeth. These guys crush Oysters, their teeth are smooth, large and strong. They can crush a finger(use pliers). 

Skate can be good to eat when done correctly. Rays make good shark bait.
caster


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