Can anyone offer fishing advice
- Thread starter zar
- Start date
RPMDAD
Well-Known Member
zar
Theist
Caught some more croakers today.. It was a rough tide right before sunset and on my last bite I thought I had another small one.. I reeled and felt that it didn't weigh much until I started reeling harder and all the sudden my line stopped at a stalemate.. It felt like something huge and snapped my line in a few seconds. My friend and I agreed it was a fish and not a hook being caught on something.. It literally felt like I was reeling in a stone or something. My line is 20lb tested I believe.. I may of reeled it tight to quickly. Any guesses to what it could of been?
zar
Theist
Honestly I suspected it may of been a skate. Kill them? Are they an invasive species? I actually saw someone catch one who appeared drunk and he and his buddies were kicking it to death last year in shady side and I was wondering why they were so angry at it. They could of been more humane and I'm no tree hugger
littlelady
God bless the USA
How awful to kick them to death or wish death on any creature. Apparently, they are sought after now in the culinary world....
If monkfish—an unlovely creature whose veiny, purplish flesh turns off many shoppers—could find favor among chefs, you had to figure it was only a matter of time before skate, another “trash fish,” would be rediscovered.
If anything, skate suffers from an even worse image problem. Resembling a giant batwing, it takes on a distressing aroma of ammonia after being out of water for a couple of days.
On the other hand, its flaky white, sweet meat with long, separated strands that run along the line of the bone and make it easy to eat. And while prices continue to go up for other white flaky meats such as flounder and trout, skate is cheap—“one of the few fish,” says Bob Kinkead of DC’s Kinkead’s, “a chef can actually make some money on.”
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/food-dining/skate-goes-from-trash-fish-to-treasure/
zar
Theist
I always thought they were cool looking. I'd be ecstatic to catch one. I've read they are considered a nuance, over populated and destroy oyster beds on other forums. But mostly just peoples hearsay.. No articles/links etc proving their point. Also that people get angry when they catch one thinking they have a huge fish..
kom526
They call me ... Sarcasmo
And that is about it. They destroy grassbeds and decimate juvenile crab populations. So yes, kill when caught. I have a cousin that does bowfishing charters for skate.
http://www.neaq.org/animals_and_exhibits/animals/cownose_ray/
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/cownose_ray
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There is nothing in that water that should realistically snap 20# test. For example, I've landed 50# fish through the ocean surf (huge suck adds a lot of pull on the line) on 17# and 20# mono. Braded line of equal strength rating actually should be stronger. What likely happend was that the line was old/knicked or it ran and you didn't provide any relief via the drag. In other words, it pulled and you didn't give it any line so it simply snapped in the middle somewhere.
For future use, if you're ever bottom fishing for anything of size, back the drag off a little. This way if something picks it up and runs, it doesn't pull your rod/reel into the water. Once you get it hooked, if it pulls hard, loosen the drag even more. You want a steady pressure on the fish but allow it to run a little. Tire it out and eventually it will simply works its way back to you (and save your line).
Now for some ray/skate education:
Rays/skates are FUN to catch especially if you are having a slow day. Most typical in the local rivers/Bay are the cownose rays. They will sting but their spine is on the top of their tail near their body and not very long. Be mindful of it though as it will hit you hard enough to drive the barb into your skin and will hurt like hell. You may also require stitches. If stung, pour hot water (as hot as you can tolerate it) onto the wound. The hot water neutralizes if to some extent. if on a boat with no access to hot water, capture the water leaving the motor though the water pump "pee hole/tell tale."
Rays/skates are considered a trash fish due to their abundance lately. Many blame it on the previous shark harvests. Sharks are their natural predators. Less sharks = more skates/rays. They enter the rivers in late May / early June to mate. You may see them finning on a flat day. They stir the bottom and do a lot of damage to the local oyster and crab population. You should start seeing them a lot more in the upcoming weeks.
With that, the "new" thing has been the "Skate Tournaments" where people go out and bowhunt for them. I've done this in the past few years and LOVE it. DNR gets involved and they do ask you to (humanely) kill what you boat. This is usually done by a blow to the head (kicking them to death is terrible). People can then dump them overboard where they will feed the crabs. Some people hand off the carcasses to crabbers who will load their pots with them. Some people "wing" them and take them home to eat.
My buddy takes the wings and has prepared them several times. Being a very simplistic "chef", he hasn't done much with them in terms of fancy preperation but has said they are decent to eat. Firm white meat similar to a porch chop. Not a fishy taste at all . However, another friend of mine has taken the wings home to his son (who is in culinary training) to prepare and said it was AMAZING. He raved about it several times. I do think it's gianing popularity much like when the snakeheads showed up. Now, if you catch a snakehead, you'd be a fool not to plate it. It's some of the best tasting fish out there ....... really.
Skates/rays will test out your gear if fishing rod/reel. So make sure you have good tackle and good knots. On the boat, when we poke one with an arrow, we actually shut down the engine and let the ray tow us around. I have a 4500lb boat (+/-) loaded with three full grown men ......... and an average size ray will pull us at a pretty good clip. Do not make the mistake of wrapping your hand around the line that is attached to the arrow that is attached to the ray. Quick way to go for a swin. THEY ARE STRONG.
For future use, if you're ever bottom fishing for anything of size, back the drag off a little. This way if something picks it up and runs, it doesn't pull your rod/reel into the water. Once you get it hooked, if it pulls hard, loosen the drag even more. You want a steady pressure on the fish but allow it to run a little. Tire it out and eventually it will simply works its way back to you (and save your line).
Now for some ray/skate education:
Rays/skates are FUN to catch especially if you are having a slow day. Most typical in the local rivers/Bay are the cownose rays. They will sting but their spine is on the top of their tail near their body and not very long. Be mindful of it though as it will hit you hard enough to drive the barb into your skin and will hurt like hell. You may also require stitches. If stung, pour hot water (as hot as you can tolerate it) onto the wound. The hot water neutralizes if to some extent. if on a boat with no access to hot water, capture the water leaving the motor though the water pump "pee hole/tell tale."
Rays/skates are considered a trash fish due to their abundance lately. Many blame it on the previous shark harvests. Sharks are their natural predators. Less sharks = more skates/rays. They enter the rivers in late May / early June to mate. You may see them finning on a flat day. They stir the bottom and do a lot of damage to the local oyster and crab population. You should start seeing them a lot more in the upcoming weeks.
With that, the "new" thing has been the "Skate Tournaments" where people go out and bowhunt for them. I've done this in the past few years and LOVE it. DNR gets involved and they do ask you to (humanely) kill what you boat. This is usually done by a blow to the head (kicking them to death is terrible). People can then dump them overboard where they will feed the crabs. Some people hand off the carcasses to crabbers who will load their pots with them. Some people "wing" them and take them home to eat.
My buddy takes the wings and has prepared them several times. Being a very simplistic "chef", he hasn't done much with them in terms of fancy preperation but has said they are decent to eat. Firm white meat similar to a porch chop. Not a fishy taste at all . However, another friend of mine has taken the wings home to his son (who is in culinary training) to prepare and said it was AMAZING. He raved about it several times. I do think it's gianing popularity much like when the snakeheads showed up. Now, if you catch a snakehead, you'd be a fool not to plate it. It's some of the best tasting fish out there ....... really.
Skates/rays will test out your gear if fishing rod/reel. So make sure you have good tackle and good knots. On the boat, when we poke one with an arrow, we actually shut down the engine and let the ray tow us around. I have a 4500lb boat (+/-) loaded with three full grown men ......... and an average size ray will pull us at a pretty good clip. Do not make the mistake of wrapping your hand around the line that is attached to the arrow that is attached to the ray. Quick way to go for a swin. THEY ARE STRONG.
zar
Theist
2 months later I have realized how true this is..
all i catch is croaker besides a occasional crab getting it's claw stuck in my hooks.. a lot. 2 seconds after I cast one is already on the line, can't even take sip of water. I have caught them on every bait I've used and much bigger hooks hasn't helped me avoid them all over breton bay, even been just outside of the bay into the river and still caught them. They really don't give any other fish a chance.
What can I use to target bigger catfish, striper, carp, etc?.. I was up at Leesylvania park which is by the potomac and a bit further up the river and I was surprised to see a massive dead carp floating by the dock so I guess they are around.
Also noticed a body of water off breton bay called "fresh pond" on my gps, does anyone know anything about pond?
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zar
Theist
Yeah that's true. Maybe I'll start cutting them up and using them as bait and see what happens