Rays, they're here already......

[DarkSkies]

Post #42
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8347-NJ-Fishing-Reports-April-2012-www-stripersandanglers-com/page5


This was an unusual winter.
Turning out to be a more unusual spring....


Clearnose ray, how can that be? :kooky:
It's only freaking April! :scared:



I just got off the phone with Chas. He's retired and been fishing a long time. It sounds impossible to believe, but it was indeed a clearnose ray. Took him forever to get it in.....somewhere in the 20# class or bigger, he didn't weigh it.....

So be careful of your spiked rods, you folks who are fishing in the ocean.....
Don't venture too far away or a ray could just end up taking your gear towards England....

As Head Googan here, it might seem like I know some things....
:bucktooth:
Believe me, ya don't want to ask me how I know this....I learned the hard way,,,,,so you folks can benefit from my mistakes....They're here already....

[DarkSkies]

Bluefish in the NJ back bays by the 2nd week of March....

Black drum caught in Ocean County 4 weeks ago (A guy showed me the pics last week)

Cownose rays April 12? in the ocean? :scared:

What's next?

[surfstix1963]

Tuna in the surf by May

[cowherder]

Albies by July?
Wow this is a weird year.

[storminsteve]

I'll say, this is the earliest I caught fish on rubber. Phenomenal.

[DarkSkies]

The latest in the "weird catches" updates.....

I said I would wait a week before reporting this...but someone caught a 12lb fluke in the NoMoCo surf on April 13...:wow:..quick pic and back into the water it went....doormat fluke in April...unbelievable....

[storminsteve]

Tuna in the surf by May



I'm with surfstix. I'm getting my bluefin rod ready for when the tuna hit the surf in May, then.

[baitstealer]

I was searching for something about cow nose rays and found this thread. thought it was pretty unusual that a few years ago they were here in april and now its july and no reports yet? what do you guys think when will they show up? thanks

[hookset]

haven't seen or heard of any. Kinda strange.

[ledhead36]

Was out on my friends boat way in the back yesterday afternoon. Fluking was not that great we got one keeper each. We did see some bunker on the surface and some telltale dual fins. I think it was a small school of big rays. We haven't caught any from the beach this year tho. definitely strange for sure.

[seamonkey]

None in cape may either. The cow nose kind that is. My bud got a giant ray last week maybe 40lbs. It looked a lot different than the cow nose. Last year they were all over.

[finchaser]

We caught and released a 65# last Sunday in the MRMTC ladies tournament

[bababooey]

Wow thats awesome! too bad they don't count for points lol.

[fishinmission78]

I haven't heard of or seen many either. Maybe the thresher and brown sharks been scaring them away.

[buckethead]

Was out on my friends boat way in the back yesterday afternoon. Fluking was not that great we got one keeper each. We did see some bunker on the surface and some telltale dual fins. I think it was a small school of big rays.

Good call. Here's a report from today in raritan bay one of the party boats-
"High light of my day was hooking, fighting and bringing to the boat a@#65 cow nose ray that took my around the boat 1.5 times."

[wish4fish]

thats cuz led is the fish whisperer. got eyes like a eagle!

[rockhopper]

Good job on the scouting dudes. not many on the SS yet. Sharks and some giant dogfish at night.

[seamonkey]

Thought this was interesting. They hunt them with bows in the Chesapeake. There are so many of them it's like a plague. Do they have any natural predators?
http://news.yahoo.com/killing-contests-target-pregnant-females-threaten-wipe-graceful-215239404.html

[robmedina]

I have been seeing what looks like small dorsal fins brown in color in the barny bay. I thought it might be a school of brown sharks but it turned out to be a school of cownose rays. my buddy and I chased down a small school and I cast my fluke rig into them hooking up pretty quickly. I don't know if it was accidental or a missed attempt at the bucktail but I hooked one in the shoulder, approx. 8 inches from its mouth. I fought it for a few minutes and pedaled my hobie outback (I love this freakin kayak!) towards land, put the rod in the rod holder, dragged my yak up on land and finished the fight from there. It ended up being about 15lbs so it wasn't real big but released.

[bababooey]

Be careful when handling those. There is a spine on the tail that is loaded with bacteria and can cause a nasty infection if they get you.

[surferman]

Good advice. I think that's what killed the crocodile hunter. He got nailed in the leg with one of the spikes and that was it for him.

[J Barbosa]

I have been seeing what looks like small dorsal fins brown in color in the barny bay. I thought it might be a school of brown sharks but it turned out to be a school of cownose rays. my buddy and I chased down a small school and I cast my fluke rig into them hooking up pretty quickly. I don't know if it was accidental or a missed attempt at the bucktail but I hooked one in the shoulder, approx. 8 inches from its mouth. I fought it for a few minutes and pedaled my hobie outback (I love this freakin kayak!) towards land, put the rod in the rod holder, dragged my yak up on land and finished the fight from there. It ended up being about 15lbs so it wasn't real big but released.

Rob,

The rays are often confused for sharks when they are sunning on the surface. They seem to like sticking the two tips of their wings out of the water making them look like sharks.

They will go after your bucktail or plug...a very aggressive fish! It can be annoying when bucktailing for fluke on a kayak because the safest way to release them is to just cut the line.

Stay safe!

[surfrob]

Good advice. I think that's what killed the crocodile hunter. He got nailed in the leg with one of the spikes and that was it for him.

he'd still be alive if it was his leg:

Irwin died on 4 September 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray) barb while filming an underwater documentary film titled Ocean's Deadliest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean%27s_Deadliest). The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Shepherd_Conservation_Society) ship MY Steve Irwin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MY_Steve_Irwin) was named in his honour.

[hookedonbass]

While fishing yesterday I met an older gent who said he got spooled on something big earlier in the week. Thought maybe it might be a cow nose. Anyone else catching them yet?

[baitstealer]

I had one this morning, broke off in the surf. Prob close to 3' across. Maybe 25 pounds or more? no moco