“Whatcha received there?” A pal shouted at me from the highest of the dunes. “Don’t know, nevertheless it’s heading for Sandy Hook and I can’t cease it!”
“Seems huge and flat,” he noticed, and his Jack Russell terrier added a furtive growl for punctuation. I used to be three minutes right into a combat that was making me sweat, a reasonably tall order as a result of I used to be wet-wading waist-deep in 70-degree water. He repeated his commentary, however I didn’t hear it clearly and the whine of my fly reel drag wasn’t making it any simpler. I heard it as huge and fats, so I used to be pondering of cobia. We had been getting pictures at them in spurts since mid-July.
“Cobia?” I requested, because the rod pulsed and bent down into the take a look at curve with the drag working time beyond regulation.”F-L-A-T! Like an enormous flat triangle,” he shouted out. From his vantage level, about ten toes above a gin-clear bay, he may see additional out into the water.
“Cownose!” I shouted again. “On a fly rod? Properly, that ain’t gonna finish properly,” he stated as he walked away, laughing, whereas his canine set free a pert little bark.
Now I knew what I used to be into, however the way it was going to prove was one other matter altogether. This was not my first cownose. I’ve loads of expertise with them whereas shark fishing within the surf, whereas fluke fishing, and whereas in my kayak. The distinction was that I’d fought all these rays on spinning or standard gear, and most of these rigs had been fairly stout. To land a cownose, it’s important to flip them quick and tire them out with the drag. It may be carried out with an 11-foot surf rod, however with a 9-weight fly rod, issues had been getting furry quick.
As soon as I spotted I used to be pinned to a 4-foot vast swimming wing that would attain a 5-knot cruising velocity, the combat calculus and geometry modified significantly. That’s after I went into “tarpon mode,” dropping and elevating the rod tip at essential moments throughout the combat, and utilizing butt angles to drive a head flip. Working the drag with split-second adjustments on my large-arbor reel, I managed to tire the ray out sufficient that I may reclaim a lot of the backing I’d misplaced and even a little bit of my operating line.
Cownose rays are runners and fighters, in contrast to their cousin, the Atlantic stingray. I’ve watched stout rods, dependable reels, and robust fishermen break when an Atlantic stingray sticks itself to the underside. If I’d had a stingray on the hook, I might have wanted to chop the fly line and my losses. And with fly-line costs today, that loss can be steep.
In very shallow water now, the ray’s fins began to slap the water in a machine gun-like rhythm. There was water in all places, and the cownose was spinning round in circles. I virtually longed for it to begin operating—that I may handle, however this was chaos. With a little bit of ability and loads of luck, I received the chief in hand. My self-preservation intuition instructed me to chop the tippet and lose the fly. My ego made it essential to get an image of this monster I’d simply spent ten minutes preventing. Destiny had different concepts.
After tightening on the chief, the ray took some gigantic flaps, which was all of the tippet may handle. It twanged like a damaged guitar string, and I stumble-jumped backward, absolutely conscious of the injury a ticked-off ray may do. Three flaps, and it was gone. I, then again, was prepared for extra.
Sympathy for the Satan-Fish
Native and customary alongside the Northeast coast and bays, the cownose is a predatory ray carefully associated to the a lot bigger manta, bat, and eagle rays. They are often focused by anglers utilizing synthetic lures or flies. Whereas the cownose ray’s main weight loss program is shellfish and crustaceans, they do feed on bony fish in shallow, heat waters. That is an fascinating little bit of marine biology to notice for these fishing Raritan Bay and different shallow Northeastern bays.
The ocean robin, scourge of the fluke fisherman, spawns in July and August, with eggs hatching inside a day or two after spawning. That is precisely the time when massive colleges of rays start patrolling the backwaters, so this info ought to assist you to develop a ray-specific fly field.
When cownose are searching, they typically transfer in coordinated colleges utilizing their wing flaps to fire up the underside and roust younger sea robins, small fluke, crabs, and grass shrimp from their hiding locations. Then, utilizing a plate that extends out, the rays hoover up their prey. As a result of cownose rays are primarily shellfish eaters, their mouths are toothless rock-crushers that may pulverize shells to mud. Keep away from getting wherever close to a cownose ray’s mouth … or its tail.
Regardless of missing the official title, a cownose ray is a stingray in each sense of the phrase. Its barb is positioned close to the bottom of the tail inside a small pocket. This isn’t a bee’s stinger however a projectile weapon that any angler dealing with a ray should take precautions in opposition to. An excellent whip of the ray’s tail and the backbone will launch and lodge in an angler. The explorer, Captain John Smith, was almost killed by a cownose ray’s backbone after he caught one and it launched its barb at his leg. Whereas the barb itself will not be one thing to mess around with, it’s additionally coated in a reasonably nasty toxin. A cownose ray sting requires a visit to the emergency room, so anglers must be ready.
A moist rag positioned over the barb pocket is an efficient approach to make sure it stays put. Why, then, are these fish routinely put in contact tanks at aquariums? As a result of the barb is straightforward to take away with a pair of pliers. This doesn’t hurt the ray, and the backbone will develop again. Whereas it could be tempting to take one as a trophy, it isn’t definitely worth the threat. Relying on an angler’s well being and different components, a sting may show deadly. Once more, a moist rag is the perfect protection.
Cownose rays are like each good surf fisherman: they hunt at nightfall and daybreak when their prey are extra lively and simpler to catch. At these occasions, particularly nightfall, they are often seen shifting by way of the shallows in mid-size colleges of 4 to eight, generally as massive as 10 fish. It may be disconcerting to wet-wading summer season fishermen as a result of, on the mistaken angle, a college of eight cownose might seem like sixteen sharks. Much less scary and way more enjoyable to look at is the mating chase that generally occurs alongside college feeding. As a part of the mating ritual, a male ray will chase a feminine ray (that’s swimming along with her fins up) by way of very shallow water. If you happen to’re fortunate sufficient to witness this, you’ll actually recognize how briskly these fish are. An excellent-sized ray on a mating chase feels like a small boat wake and tosses water simply as far.
Regardless of their formidable jaws and poison-missile tail, cownose rays are comparatively innocent except disturbed. They flee from wading fishermen fairly than assault, however this doesn’t imply a summer season wading fisherman shouldn’t take precautions. A spooked cownose might, inadvertently, whip its tail, and in the event you’re shut sufficient, it is going to finish your journey in a short time. Once I suspect rays are round, I shuffle my toes by way of the water and transfer very slowly, giving them time to get a secure distance away whereas nonetheless staying out of their tail vary. In murky water, I’ve been startled by rays that, had I not been shuffling, I might have absolutely stepped on.
A big, highly effective predator that strikes in colleges and presents a relative air of hazard when stalking and catching? Are you able to consider a greater goal for a fly fisherman?
Phrases of Warning
A cownose ray is a stingray in each sense of the phrase. Its toxin-covered barb is positioned close to the bottom of the tail inside a small pocket. It is a weapon that any angler dealing with a ray should take precautions in opposition to. An excellent whip of the ray’s tail and the backbone can lodge in an angler.
The sting from a cownose ray requires a visit to the emergency room, so anglers must be ready to deal with them safely. A moist rag positioned over the barb pocket is an efficient approach to make sure it stays put.
Flies for Cownose Rays
Flies that may be labored alongside the underside and kick up puffs of sand and dust are the simplest.
Stir it Up, Little Darlin’
Summer time means fluke within the shallows and I can’t resist a dinner with fluke on the menu, which is why I at all times tie a collection of fluke flies and by no means hit the flats with out them. These flies are usually weighted jig-hook flies in sizes 2/0 to 1/0. For fluke, relying on water readability and bait profile, I have a tendency to make use of colours that vary from chartreuse to spearing olive-over-white, however I’ve had nice success with smaller rusty-brown, barred-black flies. That is logical, given the spawning and hatching patterns of sea robins.
It was my Tip-of-the-Spearing fly, measurement 2, in olive and white, that was sucked up by the primary cownose I ever hooked. Since then, if I wish to take a look at the drag of my reel and the rays are cruising, a modified model of that fly is the primary one I tie on. It’s a easy sample constructed on a Mustad 32833BLN 90-degree jig hook in measurement 2 with a bead chain and a fish masks. The bead-chain weight permits the fly to fall slowly and will get the fly all the way down to the place the rays and the fluke do their greatest work. Modified Clouser Minnows and brown brush flies spherical out my cownose field. Regardless of the type, cinnamon or brown marabou, grizzly hackles, and yellow flash are the primary components of all my ray-specific flies. Shade and profile matter, however what issues extra is getting it down and shifting.
Utilizing their wings, cownose rays generate clouds of sand and dust, then shovel up any clams, oysters, or mussels they’ll discover. This motion sends backside fish scurrying, after which cownose run down the fleeing fish. Because of this a jig fly, labored alongside the underside and kicking up puffs of sand and dust, is so efficient. You wish to set off a predatory response and get the ray to actively assault the fly.
I’ve fished with mates from down south, they usually have one thing of an higher hand after we’re on the lookout for rays as a result of this fishing mimics the type employed when fishing for tailing reds. When shallow wet-wading in the summertime, search for swirls and fins. You wish to attempt to decide the ray’s line of journey and lead it by about three to 4 toes. Water readability will decide stripping velocity—in clearer water, work issues a little bit slower and shorter, which higher imitates a smaller fish’s actions. In muddier waters, greater and quicker strips assist get the ray’s consideration.
Dimension 2 could appear minuscule given the dimensions of the fish you might be after, however you are attempting to mimic their smaller prey. That stated, measurement up your rod and reel significantly. A 7-weight is ideal for midsummer fluke and bluefish, however will probably be completely underpowered if there’s a probability of operating into rays, which is why I hardly fish lighter than a 9-weight rod.
By the way, I’m engaged on constructing two customized 12-weights for taking shoppers out who want to goal rays. I don’t discover it ironic that I’m recycling components from three 9-weights that I’ve damaged whereas fishing for rays. It must be famous that every one three of those rods snapped whereas the ray was beached and never throughout the combat. Two of them had been wing-hooked they usually torqued the rods whereas I used to be attempting to unhook them.
It’s best to pack a really massive reel. My go-to is the Redington Behemoth, and I’ve had a ray take me up to now into the backing that I may see the arbor. An intermediate sinking line works properly to get the fly all the way down to the place the rays are feeding, and I upsize my tippets to 25-pound fluorocarbon when I’m after rays. Although ray can high out at 50 kilos, the 25-class tippet is sweet sufficient so that you can benefit from the combat, get the ray in, and unhook it with out dropping a fly.
I additionally carry a heavy-duty rag. As I discussed earlier than, the stinger of a cownose ray is nothing to play with. To make sure security when unhooking, I soak the rag and drop it on the stinger. The load of that is normally sufficient to forestall the ray from releasing its venomous barbed spear at you.
Forearms are Screaming and the Drags are Howling…
An opportunity at a damaged rod, the danger of burning out your drag, assured misplaced flies, and the slight threat of damage? Why chase cownose rays with a fly rod? For all of these causes and so many extra. In the course of the summer season doldrums, lengthy after the spring bass have migrated north, gator blues have shrunk all the way down to cocktails and snappers, and the fluke get choosy, cownose rays current a novel and thrilling various. They’re quick, enjoyable, and can take a fly. A degree of preparation is required, although the adrenaline rush of hooking one for the primary time is unmatched.
Go hit that bay like a battering ram, end up a batoid, and maintain on for expensive life.
