Question about a sting ray I caught.

[Clumsy fisherman]

Mods, please review this post. If it would fit "other species better, please move it. Thank you.

 

Ok, I caught a sting ray that was about 31 and a half inches from nose to the base of its tail and about 33 inches or so wide, measured from wing tip to wing tip. Does anyone have an educated guess how much it weighed?

 

 

[MN Fisher]

Stingray weights based on measurements vary from species to species - a pic would help.

[Clumsy fisherman]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Stingray weights based on measurements vary from species to species - a pic would help. 

OK, here it is

[MN Fisher]

Best match I can make is a 'Bluntnose Ray' - and based on info, that's a fairly large specimen...near it's normal maximum size.

 

One that big can run upwards of 30lbs.

 

Did it feel that big?

 

Otherwise I'm kind of lost.

[Clumsy fisherman]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Best match I can make is a 'Bluntnose Ray' - and based on info, that's a fairly large specimen...near it's normal maximum size.

 

One that big can run upwards of 30lbs.

 

Did it feel that big?

 

Otherwise I'm kind of lost.

LOL, it felt like it weighed 40-60 lbs, but bear in mind that I had never fished in salt water before. I caught the ray from the pier at Bay Point Park in Edisto Island from Big Bay Creek, which flows into the South Edisto River right before reaching the ocean.

 

That was on my second cast, ever, in salt water. I was using an Ugly Stik Inshore Select Medium power rod and a Daiwa BG 3500 reel with 15 lb braid and a 20 lb FC leader. It felt like a monster to me, but I have never caught anything else that weighed over 2 lbs. It tore off on a run when I first hooked it, but my drag wasn't tightened all the way down. I tightened the drag, maybe too much, but at times I thought I was losing ground. The reel was very strong, but at times the ray was so strong that I could barely turn the crank. The rod was bent completely double when I got the ray up to the pier. When I finally got it reeled up to the pier there were some boys with a bridge net, but the ray was too big to go in the net. Very luckily an alert, kind neighbor who had a boat dock and an attached floating dock right next to the public fishing pier came out with big net on a handle and I was able to get the ray into his net. He lifted it on to his floating dock, which is what you see in the picture.

 

Sorry for the long description, but I was hoping that would give you a clue to the weight. I need to brag, can you guess 60 lbs?

[MN Fisher]

4 minutes ago, Clumsy fisherman said:

Sorry for the long description, but I was hoping that would give you a clue to the weight. I need to brag, can you guess 60 lbs?

Nope - If it is a bluntnose - they max out in the low to mid 30s

 

Atlantic stingrays can get lots bigger - but the nose is more pointed on them...so I doubt it's an Atlantic.

[Clumsy fisherman]

38 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Nope - If it is a bluntnose - they max out in the low to mid 30s

 

Atlantic stingrays can get lots bigger - but the nose is more pointed on them...so I doubt it's an Atlantic.

I agree that the nose is not pointed. So no outliers? No 40, 50 lbs, ever? Are you positive? ?

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, Clumsy fisherman said:

I agree that the nose is not pointed. So no outliers? No 40, 50 lbs, ever? Are you positive? ?

Another source - https://www.marinebio.org/species/bluntnose-stingrays/dasyatis-say/

"they can weigh up to about 20 kg" (44lbs)

 

So no 50lbers - but 40 is possible.

 

 

[Clumsy fisherman]

12 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Another source - https://www.marinebio.org/species/bluntnose-stingrays/dasyatis-say/

"they can weigh up to about 20 kg" (44lbs)

 

So no 50lbers - but 40 is possible.

 

 

?

[N Florida Mike]

I doubt if its over 25…

 

I hooked one in the surf once and fought it for 15-20 minutes on 25 pound mono. It was just not coming over the sand bar and finally broke the line. I didn’t care. That one looked like the size of a small car hood !

[Captain Phil]

Catching a ray is fairly common in Florida.  They pull hard and give a great fight.  In my opinion, your ray most likely weighed about 20 pounds.  Lots of fun on light tackle.

[Bird]

We catch an abundance of those creatures on the east coast but call them Skates.

I don't know the difference though.

[Clumsy fisherman]

So now my sting ray has been denigrated, weight reduced to only 20 lbs. Any more responses and it will weigh 10 or 15 lbs before the thread is finished. You guys are supposed to be my brothers, fellow fishermen. I could use some support here. Nobody willing to put more than 30 lbs on my catch? ?

[Captain Phil]

8 minutes ago, Clumsy fisherman said:

So now my sting ray has been denigrated, weight reduced to only 20 lbs. Any more responses and it will weigh 10 or 15 lbs before the thread is finished. You guys are supposed to be my brothers, fellow fishermen. I could use some support here. Nobody willing to put more than 30 lbs on my catch? ?

 

OK, it's 50 pounds.  Heck the photo weighs 20!!  ?

[TnRiver46]

Well that’s wild, I’ve fished that same area, maybe even same spot, a few times. I never catch crap haha

[Bird]

18 hours ago, Clumsy fisherman said:

So now my sting ray has been denigrated, weight reduced to only 20 lbs. Any more responses and it will weigh 10 or 15 lbs before the thread is finished. You guys are supposed to be my brothers, fellow fishermen. I could use some support here. Nobody willing to put more than 30 lbs on my catch? ?

I reexamined the photo and the Ray is much flatter than I previously thought so I'd say 5 - 6 lbs ?

[Dwight Hottle]

20 hours ago, Clumsy fisherman said:

So now my sting ray has been denigrated, weight reduced to only 20 lbs. Any more responses and it will weigh 10 or 15 lbs before the thread is finished. You guys are supposed to be my brothers, fellow fishermen. I could use some support here. Nobody willing to put more than 30 lbs on my catch? ?

 

Do want us to blow into your ear also?

[Mike L]

It’s not that big. 
 10lbs max

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Smells like fish]

On the skinny side too.. 2-3 lb if it had lunch before it got accidentally hooked ?

[Clumsy fisherman]

On 7/5/2022 at 9:32 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

 

Do want us to blow into your ear also?

Anything helps. Well, except for posts continuing to shrink my catch.

On 7/5/2022 at 7:39 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Well that’s wild, I’ve fished that same area, maybe even same spot, a few times. I never catch crap haha

I rarely catch anything, anywhere. I mainly just wanted to relax and make a few casts, maybe catch a fish. You know, a fish, like a redfish, drum or flounder. Instead I had to hook the monster from the dark lagoon. 2 casts, my only 2 casts in salt water, ever. I did not want the guy that netted it to cut the tail off, but apparently that is what people do.

 

The guy that netted it asked what I wanted to do with it. Put it back in the water for heaven's sake! What else? What am I going to do with it? Take it back to the vacation house we were renting in my wife's car? Hey honey, look what followed me home!

 

I hope it survived. I am strictly catch and release.

[Clumsy fisherman]

On 7/5/2022 at 7:59 AM, Bird said:

I reexamined the photo and the Ray is much flatter than I previously thought so I'd say 5 - 6 lbs ?

If you can't tell the difference between a sting ray and a skate, what credit should I give your opinion? ?

[Bird]

4 minutes ago, Clumsy fisherman said:

If you can't tell the difference between a sting ray and a skate, what credit should I give your opinion? ?

I see my laughter emoji didn't help. ?

[Clumsy fisherman]

39 minutes ago, Bird said:

I see my laughter emoji didn't help. ?

Oops, thought you were laughing at the ray. ?

[Woody B]

It looks to be 60 pounds or so to me.  Too bad you released it.  It was a world record that would have been worth a bunch of $$$$$$

 

 

( I have a secret fear of catching a world or even state record and releasing it not realizing it was big)

[Clumsy fisherman]

1 hour ago, Woody B said:

It looks to be 60 pounds or so to me.  Too bad you released it.  It was a world record that would have been worth a bunch of $$$$$$

 

 

( I have a secret fear of catching a world or even state record and releasing it not realizing it was big)

I like your weight assessment. In all candor, to me, the most credible estimate, based on the above posts, is around 25-30 pounds, or perhaps a little under. Except for nuisance fish, e.g., carp, I will always release. Now, I don't know whether a sting ray, strictly speaking, is a fish, but it's not a carp. 

On 7/5/2022 at 7:39 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Well that’s wild, I’ve fished that same area, maybe even same spot, a few times. I never catch crap haha

Does anyone ever catch anything around there or on Edisto Beach other than sharks and sting rays? I may fish on the beach next year, but I don't want to mess with sharks and sting rays.