Lots of Rays

  It appears that there is a massive number of stingrays in the Bay.  For the past week or so, we have caught more than normal.  Several of the rays have been huge but most of them are on the smallish side.  Not that I mind as it does make them easier to hoist up on the pier.  A flip-flopping stingray is not something you just want to grab so landing them is a tricky situation.  This evening, one of the rays was far too large to haul in so a brilliant idea struck.  Lets coast that baby right up on the marsh and then try to unhook the fish.  This was a no go as about halfway to the shoreline, the line broke and the fish went free. Well now! That did indeed save me from having to unhook the critter! Once free, the ray glided off under the pier as if nothing had ever happened.

  For anyone who has never caught a large stingray on a small rod and reel, all I can say is, you have never really had a good pull until you do. They do not fight like other fish.  Instead, imagine trying to reel in a slow moving freight train.  That is just about the sensation.  Turning a ray's direction is not a simple task.  They simply plow forward.  Then, if they stop and ever settle on the bottom, it is just about an impossible task to lift them again.  

  This evening, a new friend came to the Bayou.  She welcomed the chance to fish and actually got a good pull from two stingrays.  The one broke the line but the other one was hauled onto the pier.  She was able to observe closely the entire fish before it was released back into the water.