Need a line stretched? - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

JrBasser · 08-28-2009, 09:12 AM

It isn't thatttt dumb of a question.. except the opening line is sorry this isn't a kayak report but....

To answer your question though, big bat ray I have found to be pretty docile when you handle em right. A bat ray as large as we've been getting I would just cut the tag end and its mouth or remove the hook if it was visible. But to be completely honest, if I knew I was fighting a bat ray and was on it for two hours, I'd have the heebee geebees about pulling it to the kayak. For a sub 50 pound ray, I will grab it by the breathing holes behind their eyes and slide him up onto my kayak between my legs. The large flat deck allows most of the fish's weight to be supported well and keeps them calm. This also keeps the added weight centered and the boat stable. Sometimes when their big enough their wings hang over the sides of the kayak into the water. From there I can get the hook out, get pictures, whatever. When cutting/removing the hook from a batray in the water you have no risk of the fish "turning on you" with those big ass wings 180 degrees to sting you. My method is a little more risky, you have to be swift with it. If you try to pull the fish slowly, he could panic and start flapping his wings. We all see where this could lead. Also, if you lift the weight out of the water slow, it will be harder to lift. You could lose control of the weight and have a batray come sliding into your boat tail first. And yes, I've done it, but got out of the way. Basically as you slide the bat ray up onto the kayak, spin him around so his tail is away from you.

bennofish7 · 08-29-2009, 01:40 PM

Am I missing something? It seems we are talking about Batrays, that have no stinger and/or Stingrays with a toxic stinger.

Spyder · 08-29-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bennofish7

Am I missing something? It seems we are talking about Batrays, that have no stinger and/or Stingrays with a toxic stinger.

Um, yes they do..............

http://jaffeweb.ucsd.edu/pages/proje...Ray%20page.htm

bennofish7 · 08-31-2009, 08:30 AM

I guess I'll be a little more careful handling them from here on....
Thanks for the clarification.

JrBasser · 08-31-2009, 12:49 PM

Yes they definitely do have a stinger.

I will be down there tonight with a couple friends looking to tie into a monster if anyone is interested. We'll be fishing right by the bridge at the bahia parking lot.

My brother with our Double Hook up result: His fish is the bigger one on the right.

chefchatten · 08-31-2009, 02:10 PM

^^^^^^^Just wondering why you took that shark ond those rays? Do you eat them?

JrBasser · 08-31-2009, 03:13 PM

Nothing was taken. They were landed. we have a promar lobster net we use as a cradle when we land the big rays. The rocks here are a shallow slope and small rocks so we can carry them up safely and remove the hooks, get a quick picture, then carry them back down to the water. In fact this process is usally done so quickly we don't have time to remove the eel grass and hook from the fishes mouth before pictures /\.

And Matt, we actually haven't had any big rays swallow a hook. They kind of run and chew, run and chew. run and chew. Of the two hooks we've been using, Mustad 7/0 stainless hooks and gami 4/0 circles. we have not hooked a fish outside of the corner of the mouth on either. The circle hooks only really help with the smaller baits where you have by catch. The shark above was caught on a carolina rig with a circle hook. The two bigger rays above were caught on the rig I mentioned earlier with the bigger hooks. In my post about cutting the hook out, I was referring to what I would do on the kayak with a big ray. And If I were on the kayak, I would not be intending to catch and release rays, therefore may not be fishing circle hooks.

Matt · 08-29-2009, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrBasser

It isn't thatttt dumb of a question.. except the opening line is sorry this isn't a kayak report but....

To answer your question though, big bat ray I have found to be pretty docile when you handle em right. A bat ray as large as we've been getting I would just cut the tag end and its mouth or remove the hook if it was visible..

If your whole intent is to catch and release..............why not use a circle hook??

08-31-2009, 03:13 PM	#7
JrBasser Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 260	Nothing was taken. They were landed. we have a promar lobster net we use as a cradle when we land the big rays. The rocks here are a shallow slope and small rocks so we can carry them up safely and remove the hooks, get a quick picture, then carry them back down to the water. In fact this process is usally done so quickly we don't have time to remove the eel grass and hook from the fishes mouth before pictures /\. And Matt, we actually haven't had any big rays swallow a hook. They kind of run and chew, run and chew. run and chew. Of the two hooks we've been using, Mustad 7/0 stainless hooks and gami 4/0 circles. we have not hooked a fish outside of the corner of the mouth on either. The circle hooks only really help with the smaller baits where you have by catch. The shark above was caught on a carolina rig with a circle hook. The two bigger rays above were caught on the rig I mentioned earlier with the bigger hooks. In my post about cutting the hook out, I was referring to what I would do on the kayak with a big ray. And If I were on the kayak, I would not be intending to catch and release rays, therefore may not be fishing circle hooks. Last edited by JrBasser; 08-31-2009 at 03:26 PM.

08-28-2009, 09:12 AM	#1
JrBasser Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 260	It isn't thatttt dumb of a question.. except the opening line is sorry this isn't a kayak report but.... To answer your question though, big bat ray I have found to be pretty docile when you handle em right. A bat ray as large as we've been getting I would just cut the tag end and its mouth or remove the hook if it was visible. But to be completely honest, if I knew I was fighting a bat ray and was on it for two hours, I'd have the heebee geebees about pulling it to the kayak. For a sub 50 pound ray, I will grab it by the breathing holes behind their eyes and slide him up onto my kayak between my legs. The large flat deck allows most of the fish's weight to be supported well and keeps them calm. This also keeps the added weight centered and the boat stable. Sometimes when their big enough their wings hang over the sides of the kayak into the water. From there I can get the hook out, get pictures, whatever. When cutting/removing the hook from a batray in the water you have no risk of the fish "turning on you" with those big ass wings 180 degrees to sting you. My method is a little more risky, you have to be swift with it. If you try to pull the fish slowly, he could panic and start flapping his wings. We all see where this could lead. Also, if you lift the weight out of the water slow, it will be harder to lift. You could lose control of the weight and have a batray come sliding into your boat tail first. And yes, I've done it, but got out of the way. Basically as you slide the bat ray up onto the kayak, spin him around so his tail is away from you.

08-29-2009, 01:40 PM	#2
bennofish7 Junior Join Date: May 2007 Location: carlsbad Posts: 10	Am I missing something? It seems we are talking about Batrays, that have no stinger and/or Stingrays with a toxic stinger.

08-31-2009, 08:30 AM	#4
bennofish7 Junior Join Date: May 2007 Location: carlsbad Posts: 10	I guess I'll be a little more careful handling them from here on.... Thanks for the clarification.

08-31-2009, 12:49 PM	#5
JrBasser Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 260	Yes they definitely do have a stinger. I will be down there tonight with a couple friends looking to tie into a monster if anyone is interested. We'll be fishing right by the bridge at the bahia parking lot. My brother with our Double Hook up result: His fish is the bigger one on the right.

08-31-2009, 02:10 PM	#6
chefchatten Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: 92107 Posts: 36	^^^^^^^Just wondering why you took that shark ond those rays? Do you eat them?