The Business End....

  Mark and I were on the pier all afternoon trying to catch a few more fish.  This evening, however, saw us catching nothing worth keeping.  After pulling in several catfish, I started getting goofy little nips instead of the hit and run type bites that usually mean a decent fish.  It was almost as if my bait was far too big for some tiny fish.  After losing a good bit of the minnow to the nipping, I decided to cut the remaining bait down to an "edible size" for my supposedly mini fish.  I tossed the line back out and waited.  It was only a few moments before the nipping started once again.  This time, the fish was not so very lucky.  I caught him!

  Instead of some wee, little catfish, I caught a stingray.  Ugh!  Unhooking a stingray is a pain!  So....I let Mark have the honors!  Before he set about unlodging my hook from the poor beast's mouth, I called his attention to how large the barb was on this fish's tail.  For being a relatively small ray, its barb was nigh on three inches long.  I guess the little guy needed big protection while swimming about in the Bay.

  That barb is what gives the stingray a bad name.  It is what does the damage to unlucky or unwary folks.  A stingray does not intentionally go about trying to hurt people.  Most "stings" are stab wounds caused by folks stepping on a stingray or by trying to unhook one.  If you are not careful, that tail can whip around and stab you in a matter of seconds! This pointy, stabbing barb is covered with a protective sheath that becomes ruptured when the barb makes contact with a predator.  The barb is covered with sharp spines that can cut through flesh with ease.  Each of these flat spines has venom which can cause severe pain, muscle cramps and swelling immediately after puncturing the skin.  In extreme cases, the barb can cause a major wound such as cutting an artery.  Later, if not cared for properly, infection can cause problems.  It pays to be extra careful when dealing with a stingray.

  After Mark unhooked my catch, the fish was flipped back into the water to go on his merry way.  At least, I found out just what was nibbling on my bait!  From now on, I think I will just move my line to a different area and try to forego catching another ray.