What do you do when you are fishing from a kayak and hook a stingray? The thought occurred to me this weekend as I was fishing in about a foot and a half of water in Dana Cove, just behind Galveston Island State Park. I saw a couple of rays underneath me, so when I hooked something that was fighting with those long pulls and looked flat and dark, I was sure I had one. I was ready to cut my line when I realized to my relief I had a big doormat flounder. I’ve boated stingray, retrieved my rig and released them in the john boat and the grady white, but saw no alternative but cut the line (which I hate to do) if it was going to be a stingray in the kayak - is there a technique for safely dealing with them from a kayak?
Reef, terminal tackle is cheap and not
worth the worry. So, if its a big ray, cut it loose. If you are fishing from the Pelican, it should be no problem handling the ray just like you would in a jon boat. Some of the guys on texaskayak fisherman.com land big sharks on their yaks. Most seem to cut rays off.
That’s what I would do
I just feel bad about leaving the hook in the animal, even though I know they eventually expel it, and also about contributing to lead in the water and the leader becoming an entanglement for birds. I know, the risk is pretty low, a lot lower than me getting hit by a ray as I try to release him.
Sharks, really? That would be something to see.
You need to check that out. The guys
that go after the really big ones use the yak to tow the bait out past the sandbars, but some handle good size ones in the yak. There was a post by a fellow that uses UH in his handle about catching a tarpon from his yak, all the while, his girlfriend caught a 4 foot shark, boated it herself, and put it in the hatch. He was busy being towed around by the tarpon. Got a picture of her with the shark, quite a looker, the girl, not the shark. Now that’s a gal after a fisherman’s heart. How did the Anuhuac thing turn out? Trinity bay may be a bit fresh right now with all the release water from Lake Livingston.
Haven’t done it yet
Just drove out to Gator Fest in Anahuac since my wife wanted to go (our 7 yo is half cajun - last name Hebert), and on our way back checked out the Cedar Bayou Outlet. Then there was Rita and everything else. Looks like we won’t be free to do it until the 3rd week in November, when it might be getting a little cold for my wife.
cut stingrays loose
terminal is cheap compared to a vist to the emergency room. more painful than a vasectomy with no drugs! the venom in the barb is a protein enzyme pumped in by a bulblike gland. extremly similiar to bee venom it can kill you isf allergic. if stung APPLY HEAT, do not use ice, the ice slows the posion from breaking down , the heat destroys it. Benadryl is recommended also. I’ve seen big ,tough commercial fishermen brought to thier knees in pain.(including this not so big commercial fisherman) don’t take the chance,cut it away
Have you
actually had a vasectomy without anesthesia?
I have heard about heat treatment too. A guide I went out with once advised using the outboard exhaust water on it.
no ,I paid the extra money
and got the drugs, a local, take my advice and don’t opt to watch. I was braver when I was younger.
Cut it off …
Absolutely cut it off. The hook will rust out with little (if any) injury to the ray. I keep a knife handy whenever I’m fishing with live bait. Life the ray out of the water a bit, just so you can slide the knife down the body and cut the line as close to the mouth as you can. The ray will recover, and you won’t have to.