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Print versionThornback Ray Profile
Can easily be confused with the blonde ray which also sports thorns on it's back. The thornbacks thorns tend to be largest along the middle of the back and tail. The thornback has a sharper nose and head profile when viewed from above and sharper points to the ends of the wings than the blonde rays which are more rounded. Male fish can be segregated from females by the long claspers trailing from the body towards the tail.
COLOURATION
When living in close proximity to reefy ground or rock, the back takes on a mid brown colouring gently confused with a lighter brown to yellow mottling. Some specimens have small dark spots ranging in tight groups across the wings. Over sand and mud the colouring goes more grey with a light mottling of faint white. Some fish have dark blotches on the outer wing area. The belly is white/grey with faint pink edges to the wings.
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Average boat thornbacks weigh between 5 and 8lbs, with 10lb fish not unusual, particularly on the West Coast. Bigger fish from 12lbs to 17lbs make the angling press virtually every month, but few fish over 20lbs are recorded nowadays because of heavy commercial pressures. Thornbacks can potentially approach 40lbs in weight.
BREEDING SEASON
An inshore migration takes place beginning in late February with rays moving in from deeper water to deposit their egg cases around the edges of rocky reefs, weed beds, and shingle banks. Some fish continue to carry egg cases well into July, though these are in a minority. Mating takes place as soon as the female ray has released her existing egg case. Thornbacks then congregate in small groups consisting of several males and only one or two larger females.
DISTRIBUTION
A wide spread resident of the British Isles and Irish republic, though less so in the Northwestern corner of the North Sea. Thornbacks also populate the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and northwards along the coast of Europe as far as the Barents Sea off Russia and Southern Iceland.
HABITAT
Likes clean open sandy ground, sometimes mud, where it can cover itself with sand and pounce on food fish as they pass by. In areas of fast tides thornbacks will sit in deeper holes and let the tide rush over it. Congregates in gutters and gullies, takes up station on sandy patches in amongst rock and reef and is not put off by muddy areas and shingle banks. Also moves in to major estuary mouths in the spring.
DIET
Mainly small whiting, dabs, herring, sandeels and sprats. Occasionally, small gurnards, crabs and squat lobster.
SEASON
Can be taken from the boats throughout the year, but catches are commonest from late February through until early November. Winter fish tend to be single fish over 10lbs.
SHORE FISHING
MARKS AND FEATURES
Fishing for thornback rays In the spring, thornbacks will penetrate in to the mouths of major estuaries. This occurs from about the end of March until May.
They work the edges of the main estuary channel and the outer sandbanks picking off the small flatfish and sandeels. Another favoured spot is close to the edges of mussel beds which hold crabs etc.
Surf beaches give good opportunities from late April in to June. The packs of rays come in with the flooding tide, but rarely get further inshore than the mid tide area. They are aware of how easily they can get cut off and allow for this.
On surf beaches, often with a limited depth of just a few feet, the rays congregate on the seaward side of shallow sandbanks, in the gutters running parallel across the beach, any depressions that the tide passes over and on the downtide edge of any obstructions such as fingers of rock etc.
***image1***Steep to beaches with extra depth bring the rays much closer inshore. Again, try to find the gutters and depressions, but thornbacks will come right in to the edge of the shingle if the depth exceeds 15'.
Best marks of all are rock marks casting on to clean sand. The numbers of rays are likely to be better on this type of mark and location is simply a matter of casting the right bait out.
TIDES
For both shallow surf beaches and the steep to variety, it will virtually always be the bigger spring tides that bring the fish inshore. Only the rock marks will produce fish over the smaller neap tide cycle.
Thornbacks show a preference for the tides over the three days either side of the biggest tide. They are most active in the two hours either side of slack water when they actively hunt. Peak tide run periods push the rays down in to the sand where they ambush passing food.
WEATHER
The very best fishing is in calm, settled seas with a gentle warm breeze off the sea. The more choppy the sea becomes, the less chance you have of rays being close to shore. East winds put the rays off the feed.
Tides with a low water in darkness are the ones to choose. Low water in daylight and high tide after dark will produce fish, but fewer rays seem happy to move inshore with the first flood in daylight due to the generally shallow nature of shore ray marks.
In the autumn, a period of frosts that penetrate the sand at low water cools the incoming tide and keep rays further out.
TECHNIQUE
There is no getting away from the fact that to catch beach thornbacks consistently, you need to be a damn good caster. If you can put a decent bait 100-metres, you're in with a chance. Consistent 120-metre casters will do better still. Off the rock marks just a 60-metre lob will probably be enough.
Alternatively, it is possible to line back. This sees the angler wade out as far as is practical, then walk back as the tide floods in releasing line as he goes. Using a big fixed spool reel this can leave a bait anchored up to 300 yds from the angler and well out in to ray territory.
Catching thornbacks is simple. It's just a case of finding that prementioned feature, then anchoring a bait in the rays path. The rest is down to patience. If you're certain that small fry is not ripping the bait to pieces, then leave it out there for the scent to travel and find the rays for you.
If you catch one ray, there's a very good chance you'll pick up others as they travel in loose packs of up to a dozen fish.
LANDING THORNBACKS
When the thornie is close in in the surf, use an incoming wave to surf the ray ashore. If you're sure the hook hold is good, then simply slide the ray away from the water. Otherwise, have a cloth or industrial glove ready and grab the ray by the tail and carry it to safety. Apart from on the rocks, there is no need to gaff rays.
Never grab the ray by the leading edge of the wing as careless fingers can come in contact with the rays mouth and get minced, also the wings carry heavy thorns which easily wound the hands and fingers.
TACKLE
Beachcasters casting 5-6ozs of lead plus a big bait are needed. Thornbacks don't run very far, and even though they are a relatively big fish by beach standards, a main line of just 15lbs is the best compromise for strength and to maximize casting distance. Multipliers in the ABU 6500 or 7HT size give the best distance capability, or go for a big spooled fixed spool reel and load the line to the edge of the lip. A 60lb casting leader is also essential.
RIGS
Because of the need for distance, the best rig for all situations is a clipped down one hook paternoster to keep the bait close in behind the lead.
Take 4-feet (120cms) of 60lb mono. Tie a Mustad 3/0 oval split ring to one end. Slide on over th free end a trace crimp, small bead, size 8 rolling swivel, another bead and a crimp. Fix the bead trapped swivel some 36-inches (90cms) up from the split ring. Now add a size 4 rolling swivel to complete the rig.
The bait clip does not go on the rig itself. Take a long tailed lead and slightly open the eye. Now slide on over the eye and down the tail a Paul Kerry clip and re-close the eye. With a tail about 3-inches (7.5cms) long you can easily adjust the clip to suit the length of the hook trace which should be from 40lb mono. Alternatively, bind a wire type clip to the tail using 'phone wire.
The choice of hooks needs to be either a Mustad Viking 3/0 or a Mustad Aberdeen 3261BLN size 4/0, or equivalent.
BAITS
The top beach ray bait in the spring is not mackerel or herring, it's peeler crab. Thornbacks move inshore to both mop up the leaving whiting, but anticipating the first flush of peeling shore crabs.
Squid will take fish, as will fish strips and occasionally sandeel by June.
The autumn rays want lug baits tipped with squid, or big king rag baits. Fish baits again catch fish, but not as frequently as the worm does.
From the rocks, stick to whole small whiting or fillets of the whiting, dab fillets, mackerel and herring strips or squid.
Baits do not need to be big. A 50p sized peeler crab is ample, as is a 4-inch (10cms) section of worm tipped with squid. Fish strips and squid need to be 4-inches (10cms) long and about 1" wide bound for security with elastic thread.
BOAT FISHING
MARKS AND FEATURE
It's worth remembering that thornbacks don't like to be fully exposed to the main tide run. Look for areas where the seabed is broken by undulating sandbanks that the rays can get behind for cover. Edges of reefs on the downtide side, but over clean sand are good bets, and even the enclosed areas of sand amongst rough ground will hold big thornbacks, especially in the spring.
In areas where tide run is limited, even flat featureless seabeds will hold thornbacks, but pockets of rays will be very localized and it often pays to fish on the drift to maximize your chances.
WEATHER
Bears little real importance. Periods immediately after gales when the sea carries sediment and some colour can prove disappointing, probably because the shoals of whiting etc, are scattered which also breaks up the packs of rays making them harder to find.
***image1***Settled spells of warm weather fish best, with early morning and late afternoon maybe having the edge.
TIDES
Although the bigger spring tides will produce the better numbers of rays, even the neaps can give good fishing.
Offshore thornbacks seem to feed to a pattern which is throughout the flood falling away a little as the peak run occurs, then over high water again until 3 hours of the ebb. Then they cease feeding until the new flood turns. A generalization, but accurate in most areas.
TECHNIQUE
Again, the simple approach works best. Over sand banks in a tide run uptiding proves best. Use a big enough grip lead to hold and let the rays come to you.
Dinghy anglers with only two aboard can fish a heavy weight that rolls slowly and swings around in a wide arc to find the rays instead of letting the scent bring them to you.
Downtide fishing with a whole live whiting is the real killer. Use a weight slightly lighter than the tide requires and let this slowly feed out behind the boat until it comes to a rest. The rays do the rest.
When downtiding, you'll catch more rays if you deliberately fish a smaller rod and continually dink out small whiting, dabs, gurnards etc. This activity will interest the thornbacks which home in on this area to feed.
Drift fishing can result in huge hauls of thornbacks. Use a lead big enough to keep the bait tight on the seabed at all times, but you must use a hook length of at least 12' and more. The ray pounces on the bait and line screams from the reel. Let the line spill off for a few seconds to give the thornie time to eat the bait, then put the reel in to gear and wait for the line and rod to tighten which pulls the hook home.
Whilst ray fishing, it's always wise to add a few small chunks of mackerel to the tide occasionally. These fall to the seabed which again creates a scent lane for passing rays to follow.
TACKLE
An uptide rod of 9.5-feet-10-feet casting 5 to 8ozs and a multiplier in the 7000 size range loaded with 15 to 18lb line makes the most versatile combination for casting work. Some anglers prefer this et up for both downtiding and drift fishing, too.
Standard boat rods of 7-feet in the 20lb class, even 15lb class, are best suited to non casting work in deeper water where tides are not too fierce. Match this to a multiplier holding 300 yards of 15-20lb line.
The best trace sees the hook snood mounted tight behind the sinker using the bead trapped swivel system. The length of the hook trace should be between 3-feet and 6-feet for casting, and of 40lb line. You hang the bait loosely on one of the wires of the release grip lead for safety. Hooks are medium wire Mustad Barbless Tope Ray hooks.
For non casting work, use the same rig but lengthen the hook snood to anything upto 15-feet. These long traces only work effectively if the boat is allowed to drift over ray holding ground.
BAITS
Boat baits are very simple. Stick with fish! In the early spring you'll find herring a better proposition than mackerel. By May, mackerel takes precedence. Better still are whole small fresh whiting and dabs, even pout and gurnards are taken. Lip hook these! For drift fishing use a full fillet from a mackerel or herring, a whole mackerel cut flapper style, or a whiting presented as a flapper. A fresh sandeel is also good.
TIPS
Beach anglers used to bury sacks of shelled mussels and whole fish just underneath the sand in depressions and gutters knowing that the tide will move the sand and wash the scent downtide. The rays move in to investigate and baits cast here stand a much better chance of being found by the thornbacks.
Target the biggest boat rays by ledgering a live whiting some 6-8ins long out to one side of the boat. The bigger female rays tend to swim at the edges of the main group picking off fish that are frightened by the more mobile smaller males.
In the early spring single fish baits sometimes fail to interest the rays. Try threading a small whole squid up the hook tipping this off with a full length fillet of mackerel or herring, but cut lengthways down the middle. This bait has scent, sight and movement and picks up extra fish. It's nicknamed "ham and eggs!"
Anglers assume that thornbacks are out of range during the winter months. Not true! Because anglers switch baits aiming for cod fewer rays are caught. If you deliberately use tackle, techniques and baits to catch rays you'll catch them every month of the year.
Rays require patience. Don't be too quick to up anchor and move. It takes times for the baits scent to reach the down tide rays. Remember to chop some very small cubes of mackerel adding these loosely to the tide and this extra scent will help the rays locate you.
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