Tips for ray please

I've been fishing for over 15 years and have never caught a ray. I usually fish between greystones as fare as oldbawn wexford (which is usually great for bass). I thought the normal pulley pennel would do the trick as for the rig. But I'm still unsure on what bait to use most swear by calamari. If anyone has any tips or locations I could try for my first Ray would greatly be appreciated.

Pulley rig would be fine. If there's thornbacks around, a mackerel or sandeel bait will catch them!

[ShaneH]

I catch alot of ray from the east coast and the only bait ill use is a medium sandeel wrapped in squid and a up and over rig 5'to 6' snoods. You want to keep the bait as far away from the gripper as possible so the ray doesn't get spooked by the spikes when it lads on the bait. pully rigs are fine on the Shannon were there are ledges and snags but there is no need for them on the east coast.

The beaches your fishing all hold ray try fish a flooding medium sized building tide after a week or so of high air pressure with a nice of shore breeze. Leave your baits soke for up to an hour don't keep reeling in as they are slow at taken they may well be sitting on top of your bait deciding whether to eat it or not.

Last edited by ShaneH on Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:42 am, edited 3 times in total.

And if you do catch one handle them with care don't be holding them up by the tail or weighing them by the gills.

Thanks for that I'll give that a try. Any recommendations on where to try?

I would say pulley...or up and over....when though I've had them on most rigs I use....
For me it's mackerel as bait every time. ..I've got them on squid and Sandeel but mackerel out fishes them every time. ..check online about the correct way to hold them as you can get a nasty spike...also invest in a disgorger...you won't regret it...
Happy hunting

I would say pulley...or up and over....when though I've had them on most rigs I use....
For me it's mackerel as bait every time. ..I've got them on squid and Sandeel but mackerel out fishes them every time. ..check online about the correct way to hold them as you can get a nasty spike...also invest in a disgorger...you won't regret it...
Happy hunting