Stingray is one of the most common fish found in Singapore water. It is a bottom feeder staying mostly on sandy patch seabed looking for prey.
Rays often have a barbed tail, equipped with a venomous spike.
Since they feed on crustaceans at the bottoms of seas and estuaries, they will bury themselves, leaving only the eyes peeking up from the sand. If you’re thinking of trying to catch a stingray, you’ll want to know how to recognize one. There are many different types of rays in our oceans and they’re often confused with another sea creature.
What Bait Should I use to Catch Stingray?
There are many different types of rays and they all have their favorite foods. If you are targeting big stingrays, Calamari squid and Tamban fish (herring) is often seen as the best stingray bait. However, stingrays take most of the baits present to them.
We’ll look at the Atlantic stingray. These rays are common along the eastern coast of the United States from Canada, all the way down to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. They like warm water, so they migrate southward as the seasons change. You don’t need to go far to find them since they prefer to hang out in only 6 – 20 ft. of water.
Preferred hook size
generally use a 3/0 for most of my stingray fishing because a stingray’s mouth is a lot smaller than other UK ray species of a comparable size. Even on a 60lb fish you wouldn’t be able to fit your hand inside it’s mouth. A strong pattern hook is essential.
Go fishing
Most anglers prefer to use a piece of chopped squid as bait. Since they’re bottom feeders, you’ll want to weight your line so it rests on the submerged sand. 40 to 50 lb. monofilament with a single hook works nicely and you may want to add a running ledger with a bead and swivel.
Once hooked, reel in the ray and grab them just behind the eyes and lift them out of the water. Stay clear of the whipping tail while you place the ray down and hold it still.
If you want to avoid catching stingrays, simply fish in deeper water well away from the shallows. And avoid letting your bait hit the ocean bottom.
There’s another way to snag yourself a stingray that doesn’t involve a line at all – spearfishing. Stingrays, despite the intimidating name, are not aggressive at all. However, you’ll need to avoid stepping on one if you don’t want its sting.
The mouth can be equally as dangerous. Since they feed on shelled prey, their jaws are meant for crushing hard materials – like finger bones! So, when you’ve got one on the line or your spear, grab it behind the head to avoid both the mouth and the stinger.
Will a Stingray die if it swallows a hook?
They can survive if they swallow a hook, even if it is lodged somewhat deep into the stomach, but obviously it is not an ideal situation. It is a common misconception that a hook will dissolve, at least in any kind of rapid rate.
Can you eat Stingray?
The short answer is yes, stingrays are edible. Because there are so many different types of stingrays, you may want to positively identify it before you decide to eat it to make sure you have one of the tasty ones. There are a few endangered species, which are naturally illegal to catch and consume. People eat stingrays all over the world.
Now, you have a set of fresh stingray filets to fry, sauté, stew, or cook up any way you like! So, next time you snag a ray instead of a bass or a lionfish, you can be confident that your hard work will yield a tasty feast!
Thank you for visiting our website! We hope you will find something of interest on our website. Watch the video in the below:
Video resource: deermeatfordinner
