don't know what varieties you get down south but in north qld there's rays with two barbs one front and the other near the tail end maybe some body can enlighten me to the variety but grabbing the tail is a no no
don't know what varieties you get down south but in north qld there's rays with two barbs one front and the other near the tail end maybe some body can enlighten me to the variety but grabbing the tail is a no no
Missed this thread earlier! I have had a lot or experience with Rays. when I was a youngster I fished for them ALL the time off the Hornybrook bridge. I have never been stuck by a ray, but I have had the barb scrap along my leg once and that wasn't nice.
99% of the ray's you will catch in Morten bay are very manageable using the holes behind the eyes mentioned above. I have caught 2 different Ray's with 2 barbs on there tail. one of them had the barb's side by side in the usual spot on the base of tail, this one isn't a problem (looked like the common brown ray pictured below). The other one had 2 barbs lined up on the tail, this one can be very dangerous and shouldn't be handled the usual way!! (2 people with one on the tail should be ok but.....) I have only ever caught the one like this and from memory it may well have been a small cow tail ray. All I can remember about it was that it was as black as the ace of spades.. I did catch a cow tail ray not too long ago with Kingtin actually but if we brought it aboard the boat would have sunk
If you have a cast net go down to sanderson's (Brighton side of the Hornybrook bridge) on an outgoing tide. Start in a foot of water near the little creek and work out and along with the tide, you should get a few good sized ray's doing this (and if you want them dead they are easy to dispose of when tangled in the cast net). Below is a pic of how you should hold them (The shot shows it closer to my body than it actually was). And a Pic of me holding the barb with a pair of pliers. This Ray is what I have always called the Common Brown.
What I have always done with ray's I couldn't identify at the boat or bank is get a good light onto them (if night fishing) and spot where the barb/barb's are before deciding how to handle them. Best to play it as safe as you can mate. You can get very very sick from all the goo on the spine.
Hope this helps a bit mate. GL with your shark fishing!!!
Cheers
Brandon...
Ps: if fishing for these with large baits in the creek watch out for Pike eels.. this fish/eel is the only thing that isn't allowed in my boat!! they are as switched on out of the water as they are in it. 2 rows of teeth on the bottom jaw and one on the top jaw give them a very mean bite.. Oh and they can get over 6 foot long too
Hey keechie!
for sharks there is no magic bait!!!
anything really bloody, tuna, bonito, tailor, mullet will b great jst remember the burley a little alot and ull get them!!
Cheers Simon
thanks everone for your replies its much appreciated. Btw i do carry heavy gear, my heavy shark combo has 800m of 50lb mono
regards,
keechie
Breaming is my LIFE!!!
Yep and the same tail can easily slip through the mesh on the right angle when you land it - I have a trip to the Southport Hospital, couple shots morphine and agonizing pain to prove it!Originally Posted by Mad_fisherman
Leave the wretched things alone and buy some mullet or tailor strips if you want that sort of bait!
How far can ray barbs shoot? in or out of water?
As a kid a mate got nicked just above the ankle ( took ages to heal) but I reckon he was a foot away from a ray that was only small. Was never sure whether he moved closer when I wasn't looking or the ray was a bloody good shot!!??
Cormorant, Barb's don't shoot "out" mate, If a ray looses his barb I am 99% sure it won't grow back. Usually what happens when someone gets done is they get too close to the base of the tail of the ray. When the ray flicks his tail the barb gets swung around and makes contact (if unlucky).
Cheers
Brandon...
Iv seen rays raise there tails over their head like a scorpion!!
And Keechie be careful what u wish for ever since I could walk Ive wanted to catch a huge shark Ive hooked 2 the first absolutely done me it was on 24kg land based custom stick! the shark was smashing the surface of the water as it headed straight out it was awesome!!! the second was in my boat off the goldie I fought this monster out for 4 hours it towed us 2km and busted us off with my reel fully locked and my thumb on the spool in a last ditch attempt to see the beast because the wind was coming up so we had to get back it was under the boat for 2 hrs and we still didn't see it!!
I havent bn shark fishing since!
Cheers Simon
I was snorkelling alone in Esmerelda Cove, Broughton Island off Port Stephens in January this year for the first time. Anyway, I was in about 12 feet of water and looked down to see an enormous ray beneath me, at least 7 feet in diameter. Honestly, I immediately thought of Steve Irwin and proceeded to walk on water.I was terrified of a barb coming through my chest.
Later on, I was reassured by local fishermen about the ray. It is like a pet (there are actually 2) and had its tail chopped off years ago by fishermen who were tired of being struck by the thing when they were cleaning their catch at the shoreline. It seems they are now quite tame (the fishermen too) and will even eat from your hand. I am certain the tail does not regrow.
Leave the stingrays to their own lives I say.
Blackjenny
"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine..."
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