Handling Stingers?

Just wanted some advice on handling stingrays...i plan to fish tralee some time soon...i know i could benifit from some advice...thanks..

being a bit optimistic dave arent we :wink:

Just wanted some advice on handling stingrays...i plan to fish tralee some time soon...i know i could benifit from some advice...thanks..

just one tip, dont get stung :lol:

Its always nice to be postive about the future paul... Never mind that procastination BS, Just get out there and do it!! 8)

Good man Mr. Green. To be honest when dealing with stingers if unsure just cut the snood line as close to the hook as possible. Safest for you and the fish. There are ways of handling them but would'nt be experienced enough to try explaining them. Maybe some of the Kerry lads might be better able to answer.

AFAIK hold them by the nose with the belly towards you and the back away from you..

i think they are more of a problem when in the water and dont need much energy to move the stinger about..

must head down that way and catch one my self sometime :D

Sure whoever wants to head down for a weekender with a tent or whatever, tott up the ol species list...Give me a shout

When I was in florida years ago the guys there were catching stingrays and they picked them up by putting their fingers in the holes in the front on the fish (nostrils) :shock: :shock: . They didnt really want to catch them and just chucked them back in off the pier but that was how they picked them up. Good luck.

they picked them up by putting their fingers in the holes in the front on the fish (nostrils)

:lol: :lol: i know a few things you can pick while putting fingers in nostrils :twisted: :twisted:

When you land a Sting Ray, turn it on its back as soon as you beach it, pick it up by the tail and keep your movements behind the tail, it cant stab backwards only forwards.If your taking a hook out keep them flat on their backs.

If you do get stung, get to the hospital ASAP.

Tom.

the sting is in the tip of the tail isnt it? just stay well clear of that... if on their back can they stab forwards, ie towards its mouth?

the sting is usually half way down the tail. as far as i know they can only sting over their back and side to side....i dont think im wrong :?

I think I 'll stick to thornbacks....LOL

[rapalajoe]

Stevecrow,Rockhopper and jack are right,the only way handling them is by gripping their pair of socket with ur thumb and middle finger if the distance of both reachable,if it too big,use a gaff.On the belly,they can bend their tail to stab forward,but not on their back.The spine pointing towards the end of their tail(pointing backwards)I am not sure bout the ray species in ireland,how many sting they have??Back home we have a species that have,1 sting,2 sting and even 3 sharp spine on their tail,just be carefull if ur venture into any tropical water in the future,theres even a species that have 7 spines up their tail.From what i ve read somewhere this spine are extremely poisonous and can be vital,they even have the poison glands.Back home theres no catch and release for this species,most of the time,the tail will be chopped off once they re landed on land or on deck.On the beach,i u usually approach them from back,step on their tail end,and just break all the spine,the tail then put through the socket and tied so u can used the tail as a handle to carry them home.Be extra carefull on the one that is extra big and long tail,even without the sting(removed)the tail can whip u and the abrasive skin can easily cut through jeans.Some people just dried the tail up and used it as weapons.Carefull on an attemp to grip the socket,i ve saw a fellow angler got sting on the attemp to grip the socket altho he handle a lots of them before.The wound turn blue and swell badly.Just my 2 cents....

Last edited by rapalajoe on Thu May 31, 2007 11:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

seanies post seems really inviting right about now :lol:

[rapalajoe]

Mr Green...this maybe usefull to you...just in case....Cheerrss...
[url]http://firstaid.about.com/od/bitesstings/ht/06_stingray.htm[/url]

Last edited by rapalajoe on Thu May 31, 2007 11:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lovely stuff steve :D :D . When I was wading in the sea the guys in the tackle shop said to shuffle your feet through the sand to scare the stingers away. Had them swimming a couple of feet away from my bare feet :shock: :shock: .

The sting lies along the top of the tail a few inches down from the tip (depending on the size of the fish) if its going to sting, the main tail will lift upwards and the sting will come out ( a bit like an open pen-knife) and stab forward.

The barbs on the stinger are like very stiff hairs and they will break off in the wound and cause infection, like RapalaJoe said there is venom also, Ive heard the pain is terrible within seconds.

Here is a photo of a friend of mine in Florida, he is holding one by the tail with pliers, a couple of minutes later he dragged it back in the surf and released it unharmed....you must treat even the little ones with respect, otherwise they will harm you :twisted:

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What most smart people here do is flip the ray over on it's back rather than try to mess with it and take the hook out while it's whipping it's tail around. That way, it can't sting you. Easier said than done of course with the larger rays that you all catch in Ireland.