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Print versionSpotted Ray Profile
Can only really be confused with the young of the generally larger blonde ray. The spotted ray has fewer dark spots across the back and these spots do not reach the outer edges of the wings, whereas on the blonde ray the dark spot pattern is denser and reach right to the wing edges.
The spotted ray also has small thorns or prickles positioned to the right and left either side of the eyes on the front wing edges, along the centre line just rearwards of the eyes, and along the length of th tail, but less dense in adult females and males than on juvenile fish. Juvenile blonde ray only have a series of fine prickles on the leading edge of the front wing area. Blonde ray also have a series of spines along part of the front underside of the wing margin which is always absent on spotted rays.
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The back is a mid brown or darkish sandy colour, scattered with almost black spots. These spots can sometimes form a faint circle on the mid wing area. The belly is white, though occasional fish living over rougher ground can have a few darker "stains" in the belly colouring.
SIZE RANGE
Averages between 2 and 3.5lbs. Past tagging surveys suggest that it takes this ray upto 15 years to reach a length (including the tail) of 2ft and weights around 3lbs.
BREEDING SEASON
The breeding season is in the winter with the egg capsules being laid in the period between April and July. The eggs are dropped in shallow water over mixed rough ground. The embryo taking between 5 and 7 months to develop to a fully formed ray.
DISTRIBUTION
A lover of deeper water than the more common thornback favouring depths over 60ft and mainly found in water over 100ft deep. Although quoted as a common Northern European sea dweller, it's more numerous off the rocky coasts of Devon and Cornwall, Wales, western Scotland and throughout Ireland, with few specimens showing from the south coast of England and north and north-east Scotland .
HABITAT
Mainly found over clean sandy seabeds, or a mix of sand and small shingle, but often moves onto clean sand patches enclosed by lifting rough ground. Likes to sit on the edge of a tide run as opposed to actually in the direct tide. Particularly favours areas where a tidal flow can pass overhead without disturbing the seabed sediment greatly.
DIET
Smaller fish eat mainly tiny crustaceans and shrimps. Adult fish prefer sandeels, small flatfish, but mainly crabs, especially edible crabs.
SHORE FISHING
SEASON
There is a run of spotted ray close to shore during the period early May through to early July. These are the fish dropping egg capsules around the rocks.
July to late August is less reliable, maybe because the sandeel shoals offshore drag the fish away. But another inshore run occurs in September and October, probably triggered by the inward migration of whiting which figure in the stomach contents to a much greater degree at this time, before the fish push back to deeper water to over winter. Treat this as a guide only, and not as hard and fast rule.
MARKS AND SEABED FEATURE
All the best spotted ray marks are rock ledges where casts can be made onto clean, sandy seabeds, or onto gravel and sand patches amongst rocky reefs.
Water depth should be 40ft plus ideally, though occasionally, this ray will come into shallower water marks. An example of this is in the Bristol Channel where, on the Welsh side, spotted rays are taken from Ogmore where the depth at low water averages only 10-15ft, and some Cornish bays flanked by rocky cliffs with a similar depth.
Some steep to beaches though, do hold the odd spotted ray. The same seabed feature is needed with clean sand, shingle and scattered rocks. Depth will be about 15ft at low water, and expect a definite tide run to flow parallel with the shore beyond 75yds range. You need to locate this run, either visually by sighting the white frothy line or choppy water line that is the tell tale sign of a tide run, or by casting at ever increasing distances until the flow is felt through your tackle.
Small eyed rays like to sit on the edges of tide runs whilst stationary and buried in the sand, but when it's time to feed, work along the edges of rocky fingers and across the cleaner sand banks looking for crabs and sandeels.
TIDES
It's rare to get more than one or two spotted ray per session, so the size of tide is important. Concentrate on the biggest tides of the monthly cycle. Fish will be caught on the middle sized tides, especially those rising upwards to the big ones, but less so on the downward run to smaller tides.
Unless you're fishing an area like a rocky headland that juts out into a fast tide run, neap tides will prove a poor choice for the shore based angler.
WEATHER
Always choose calm, settled conditions, preferably with a "warm" south or southwesterly wind blowing in from the Atlantic. Rough seas, or seas still carrying a swell after a blow are not good. Ideally, pick a tide several days into a dormant high pressure system with flat seas which pull the rays close to the rock edges.
Spotted ray will feed by day, but the sky needs to be overcast, not bright sunshine. Peak feeding seems to occur around dusk, with few fish showing in full darkness.
TACKLE
Due to the tidal runs expected, the only choice of rod is a standard beachcaster rated to cast 4-6oz. It needs to aim more towards a fast taper action than all through to give lifting power against the tide as spotted ray are adept at turning their sides full on to the tide during the fight. Bite detection is also better on faster tapered rods and the bite from this ray can be delicate at times of very settled seas. In fact, many spotted ray have eaten the bait and are sitting on it when the angler comes to wind in to re-bait.
The choice is yours between multiplier and fixed spool, but line strength depends on the seabed feature and the force of the tide. As light as 15lb is okay over purely clean sand, but rougher features and the height of the rock platform above the water may warrant up grading to 18 or 22lbs.
RIGS
Fishing for spotted ray The most successful rig for deep water off the rocks work is the long and low (see diagram).
To make this rig, you need a 46" length of 60lb mono. At the base, tie in a 3/0 oval split ring. Now add a bait clip, then a small bead trapped swivel held in place with crimps or another locking system. Add a second bait clip above this, but turned upside down ie, with the clip itself facing towards the lead end. Complete the trace with a strong swivel at the top.
The hook length needs to be 30-35lb line and upto 6ft long, sometimes it's worth trying a trace 8ft in length. To cast, adjust the top bait clips position so that the hook length passes over and inside the upper clip, but that the hook and bait are tight in the bottom clip. Keep the hook length under tension at all times you'll eliminate early release during the cast, but get 100% release when the lead hits the water.
Always use a two hook pennel rig for spotted ray off the shore. Depending on the size of the sandeel or other bait you're using, a hook size between 1/0 and 3/0 will cover all situations.
Wire release leads will be the only real chosen given the type of terrain you'll be fishing near and force of the tides. It can occasionally pay to let a lead just slowly drift downtide across the banks to let the sandeel appear more natural, but you need clear water for this. Coloured water requires the ray to hunt by scent, mainly.
BAITS
The number one bait is sandeel, either fresh (preferably), or frozen which is almost as good. Sort out the eels with a length less than 4in as these make a suitable size for both casting to range and for the ray to eat. Remember these are not big rays.
Edible peeler crab can be excellent when fishing close to rocks, even shore peelers will take spotted ray, but not each and every time. Mackerel and squid, fished individually, are also a fair bait, but never compete with the sandeel when it comes to total fish caught.
BOAT FISHING
SEABED FEATURE
Shore Spotted Ray Areas of clean sand bordering on or near to rock, especially the inclines of lifting sandbanks, or areas adjacent to a good tide run. Some of the biggest spotted ray are taken from areas of sand and shingle in the middle of reef ground fully surrounded by rock and weed beds.
In deeper water, locate seabed terrain that is wholly clean sand and shingle, but has bumps, shallow banks and hollows which the ray sit behind and use to deflect the running tide.
TIDES
The size of the tide is less important offshore. Neaps will produce fish and may well be the only tides that allow fishing to take place in some areas of fast deep water. But dinghies inshore, should concentrate on the larger sized tides and ignore the neaps.
WEATHER
Calm seas with little swell and cloud cover are best close inshore near to cliffs etc. Deeper water and fast tides neutralize the effects of weather patterns, providing the current system is calm and unsettled.
TECHNIQUE
By far the most successful method is uptiding, mainly because of the tide runs experienced over ground that spotted ray frequent, but also because by casting you can search out, by varying the distances cast, all those seabed features previously described. Downtiding can be used in areas of very deep water, when heavy weights are needed to stay on the bottom, but lacks the finesse of the uptide rod regards feel and sporting approach for a fish that will average less than 3lbs.
When downtiding, it pays to allow the lead to trot away from the boat very slowly. This allows some seabed search and will locate more rays than relying on scent from the bait to encourage to move towards you.
TACKLE
A standard uptide rod casting 4-6oz is best, matched to a 6500 sized multiplier and 15lb line in shallowish, wholly clean sand areas, but use a 7000 sized reel for faster tides, mixed rough ground etc, with 18-22lb line.
Downtide rods should be 12lb class or 20lb class when tides and seabed feature allow. Deeper water and big weights calls for 30lb rods and reels.
RIGS
Stick with the long and low rig for uptiding, but without the bait clips. Just hang the bait on the grip wires of the lead for casting. The same rig also does an admirable job when downtiding, but you can extend the hook trace to 10ft as tide flows increase.
Pennel rigs remain the best overall form of presentation, though lip hooking a sandeel with a single size 1/0 hook to give movement is worth trying, too.
BAITS
Baits are as shore fishing with sandeel, ragworm, edible crab and then fish in that order. Squid may have more use from the boat than the shore, but use it as a last resort. Spotted ray like fresh baits, so bear this in mind.
SPOTTED RAY FACTS
Spotted rays are generally individuals when close inshore and shy away from the company of other spotted rays, yet are often found alongside thornbacks, small eyed and blonde rays.
Whilst being classed as one of our more unusual rod and line captures, the spotted ray is caught in moderate numbers by trawlers and often ends up in the fish and chip shops sold as "Skate and chips".
The egg capsule or "Mermaids purse" is different from the thornback and small eyed rays being much smaller, only 3in x 1.75in on average, with one smooth side and the other covered by a mat of fine hairs. The horns at each corner are short, whereas the small eyed ray's has two short and two long, and the thornback four long horns.
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