# stingrays and skates



## coontail (Jan 11, 2012)

Where are some places you see alot of cownose rays on top in the summer. Thanks


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

Chesapeake Bay - especially at Sandy Point State Park. Bring some heavy surf rods and some squid and catch all you want! After a couple of fights, you will be beat down... They are super strong but I know their weakspot - Once you get them on the surface, keep them there and reel them in! If they can't use their wings, you can beat them. 

Sandcrab


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## Islander80 (Mar 27, 2010)

I heard they taste good, anyone try them.


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## Kellercl (Jan 28, 2010)

Islander80 said:


> I heard they taste good, anyone try them.


I thought Skate was quite good. I paid $20 for it at a nice restaurant and came to the quick conclusion if I catch a skate/ray every again I'm eating it. I recommend. Prior I was always releasing them, which now I'm kicking myself over.


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## Islander80 (Mar 27, 2010)

I tried a clearnose skate a couple years ago. It was so full of cartilage it was like eating rubber.


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## coontail (Jan 11, 2012)

Yes they are good. Skin em and cut into bite sized chunks, wrap em in bacon and put a tooth pick thru to hold, sprinkle with old bay and throw em on the grill. This is cownose and southerns. Never tried those diamond shaped skates


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## surfnsam (Apr 28, 2008)

I ate a cownose ray a few years ago not bad. A lot of meat on a 60# ray.


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## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

[email protected] point lookout around 8-11 am and 3-5 pm you'll see them on top of the water. Choptank pier is another good place. Cheasapeake bay Maryland.


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## OrangeCap (Sep 26, 2014)

CBBT's seagull pier are full of skates and stingrays. You cant avoid them even if you tried!


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## BigWillJ (Jan 21, 2001)

I suppose if you eat from any road kill recipe book you could stomach it. They eat it here:
http://utdailybeacon.com/opinion/co...kill-bill-adds-to-tennessees-low-class-image/
But staying with your question, add the mouth of the Delaware Bay to the list of places already mentioned.


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## coontail (Jan 11, 2012)

great thanks everyone. i like to bowfish for them and get them to eat. mastrbaiter thats good to know on those times. is that something thats specific to that area because of pumps or grinders runnin at certain times or is that everywhere. ive never heard that. just got a boat and hope to go after them a little more often


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## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

Usually that's the time I see them at those places. Really sucks especially when the bite turns on and 10 min later the skates n rays spook all the perch,spot, and croakers.


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## BigWillJ (Jan 21, 2001)

coontail said:


> Yes they are good. Skin em and cut into bite sized chunks, wrap em in bacon and put a tooth pick thru to hold, sprinkle with old bay and throw em on the grill. This is cownose and southerns. Never tried those diamond shaped skates


Did a search on skate for food some time ago which noted that there is a certain skate which was harvested somewhere for eating. Don't recall which species, but seem to recall it wasn't from around the Mid-Atl. Reason for the search......tried skate in a high-end high-priced steak restaurant and it was nothing to get excited about. Enough so that I'd recommend you stick with the cows you like to take.


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

I see you're in Virginia. Your best bet for cownose rays is inside the Chesapeake during summer. Depending on where you are and how far you're willing to drive you could do the lower bay piers in early summer (Lynnhaven, Buckroe, Seagull, etc.) or up any river in the bay during the same period. Ditto up near Maryland if you're in the upper bay--Choptank Pier or Sandy Pt. is your best bet. Just put out a hunk of cut bait on the bottom and do your absolute best to catch a cobia--you're all but guaranteed a cownose.

If you want skates that's more of a winter/spring thing. They don't come into brackish water so you'll need to fish the Atlantic. Put out some squid or cutbait on a 5/0 or so hook and you should load up.

I've eaten cownose before and thought it was pretty vile but I probably cooked them wrong. Skates, while a huge PITA to clean, weren't bad. They tasted kind of like imitation crab meat, including having long stringy muscle fibers. Too much work though.


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## SteveMcD (Sep 7, 2013)

Just recently a couple of people had told me that Skate was good eating. Likewise, kicking myself for the ones I've thrown back! I was told to skin the wing tip filets out and than either par boil or soak in ice with lemon to draw out the pneumonia smell?


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## Kellercl (Jan 28, 2010)

http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012/08/13/cooking-stingray-and-skates/

Everything one needs to know about enjoying Rays and Skates.


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