Every once in a while I will end up catching a sting ray.

I usually end up cutting it off because after all these years I haven't figured out how to handle them, and I guess I have a "very obsessive respect for em", especially that slashing tail.

How do Y'all handle those things to get em in and unhooked?

Same way you do...cut the line.

I net them so the tail cannot swing violently. Then grab the barb with pliers and rip it out. Make sure there is not more than one though. That way its more humane than killing them like some do. They will grow it back in no time, but still makes me feel better. Then simply remove the hook. Out of a kayak or no net, cut the line.

Thanks guys, I was kind of feeling guilty cutting em off, but it seems an acceptable way to do it.

Gaff 'em through the wing, flip 'em over and use pliers or other tool to remove hook, then release. See pic below.

You can also use a filet knife to cut off the barb and then remove the hook. The barb will grow back in time. I'm not losing tackle to sting rays.

Sorry but I disagree with all the above.

Firstly, you do not need to rip the barbs out, it is not necessary. If you are scared of the barbs in the tail, get a firm grip on the tail and simply roll a towel tightly around the barb and then remove your hook or let somebody just hold the tail.

Secondly, you never flip a ray on its back since this damages the internal organs like the lungs. To remove the hook, simply lift it up from the front (just enough so you can stick your hand in underneath it), get hold of the upper jaw (it will feel like a handle) and remove the hook. You can feel how its hook and in which way. You don't have to see it. Also, don't grab it by the breathing holes behind the eyes since it is sensitive and can easily get damaged.

I target these rays from the surf, especially the big ones from 65lb up to 300lbs and I never lost a single piece of line, hook or weight due to the catching of these species. So, it can be done because I do it all the time.

eat them they are good to eat.

I have removed the wings of cow nosed rays in the Chesapeake, filleted and grilled them. Great with Teriyaki sauce. Don't know if it would be any different with a sting ray but I'll give it a try when next I catch one.

If it's a small sting ray, I'll just place my shoe on it's tail to hold it down while I remove the hook. If it is large and I'm feeling threatened, I'll step on the tail and remove the barb with pliers before removing the hook. A lot of people think the barb is at the tip of the tail when it is actually about a third of the way up toward the body. A sting ray is not to be messed with because it can give you a big hurt!

I still beg to differ.

Please watch the link below. This is the size of sting ray's we catch from the surf. All of these fish are released unharmed with their barbs intact. I will not repeat myself as to how we handle the fish, so please look at my previous thread.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4HFNj3ILfIo/St...nier+george.jpg

The barbs of a sting ray is a very powerful weapon but contrary to popular believe, they are very docile fish without aggression. In Struisbaai, South Africa, Black Sting Rays are resident in the harbour area and the sizes vary from between 200lbs to 400lbs. Would you get close to a deadly fish that size?? Well, in Struisbaai they are being fed regularly by the locals and children and in the past 20 years, not a single attack or aggression was displayed by any of these "deadly" creatures. Obviously, if you try to handle them or threaten it, please don't cry when you get stabbed by the barb, like Steve Irwin. The children normally sit down in the shallow water of the slipway and by splashing their hands, they call the sting rays who will eagerly take fish from their hands, very gently without hurting them.

http://www.safarinow.com/db/id/152746/g105470.jpg

http://www.safarinow.com/db/id/430362/g166655.jpg

Tokki that's fine...disagree. Nobody said anyone has to do it any particular way. These are just people giving there methods of how they deal with stingrays. Nobody is saying that their way is the only way. Good for you that you have found a way to do it. But in this circumstance...to each his own. My wife's uncle was hit trying to "simply remove the hook". His finger was on the verge of having to be amputated because the doc couldn't slow down the infection. That was 3 years ago and he can still barely use his right index finger. He had to learn how to write and do a few other things all over again. Needless to say, I cut them off at the hook and I don't loose my weight. All I loose is a hook and a few inches of line. The ray gains a hook that rust out with a little time. I don't fish with heavy leaders unless I am fishing offshore.

Hi Nitro, point taken and accepted. It is not my intention to offend co-members and if anybody feels offended, I apologise. I was merely trying to, lets say, swapping succesful but alternative techniques for the benefit of co-anglers and secondly trying to explain the other side of the coin when it comes to sting rays. Images of the barbs of sting rays as well as it physical appearance causes fear and misperseptions about the character of the fish and its behaviour. The reality is quite the opposite. Sting rays, are quite a docile and inquisitive fish and big rays hardly have any natural enemies other than man. In short, I think you can call it the promoting of a positive perseption of normally pre-perceived ideas and misunderstanding of this wonderful fish.

Personally, I don't own a gaff but succesfully landed my biggest fish of 295lb without the help of a gaff. Having said that, I accept that a gaff in a skilled and experienced angler's hand can be quite a useful piece of equipment but a gaff in the hands of a novice angler is as good as handing a gun to killer for the fish. You can safely gaff a sting ray through its wings, no problem but if you are inexperienced you can gaff the fish through its internal organs (and sometimes it's babies) which will cause it to die anyway.

I hope we are on the same page now.

Tokkie,
I doubt y'all deal with this much in your waters, but Texas waters warm to the point that it becomes a breeding ground for various bacteria. This bacteria can be found on the fins of fish and the barbs of rays. Get stuck, even scratched and the bacteria infects the wound. It culminates in a flesh eating virus that kills people every year on Texas Coast. It's pretty nasty stuff. I won't risk it. Look up Vibrio Virus.

I typically do not catch rays in the surf, although I see plenty of them. Most of my rays are caught outside of the jetties, in open water while fishing for shark. Those shark leaders are hand made and expensive. As such, I'm retrieving them. I've caught rays up to and over 200lbs. Every one of them was released alive after handling in manner I previously described.

Small to medium rays are frequently used as shark bait though.

My wife is a PA in an ER and her comment is this......whatever way you do it do not give them even a little chance to sting you. She sees the results every summer, including vibro. So whatever way you do it, be careful. There is nothing like your flesh sloughing off. For me it is simply cut the line and let them go. (Or I would never hear the end of it!)

Good Luck and Tight Lines.

http://fishcatchingtravel.com/