Cownose Ray all over SH

[Super]

Got my first CNR Saturday evening on Sandy Hook. They were all over the place. Always heard stories of these spooling folks. They do pull hard but not as hard as I had expected. Saw others landed too.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l30/elevenspiders/DE31D0C8-88E7-41BE-8E9C-3DF6EF201939_zps5eho6res.jpg

[tombanjo]

So thick you could walk on them today. Fun to hook up, they take a couple of short quick runs before you muscle them in. And when you're catching 1lb blues it's nice to have something heavy on the line pulling back. I don't care what it is as long as it fights back. Don't care if I can't eat it, hell, I wouldn't eat a 20lb bluefish either but I live to hook up with them.

Why are these rays protected? Sure seem to be doing ok. Does it have anything to do with their situation in Delaware? I vaguely recall something about them being problematic for the blackfishing down there.

[tjd24]

I don't think cow nosed rays are protected. I watched a TV show that said that they are trying to develop a market for them in the Chesapeake. People are reluctant to eat them because they look like beef when filleted.
The guy on the TV show seemed to like them, but he eats anything.

[kcritch]

The guy on the TV show seemed to like them, but he eats anything.

I feel a jmurr reply coming! :D

[Delawareriver]

Not protected one bit. You can keep them and they are pretty good to eat if you ice them right away.

We are currently working to open bowfishing for them here In new jersey which is popular from delaware right on down to texas. Would appreciate the support when it comes up for public comment in the next year or so

[Fish on]

Nice catch, especially from the surf. I/m not being a jerk however,the one you caught was relatively small, you might change your mind on how hard they pull if it was a larger one. FISH ON my friend.:D

[Finprof]

I don't think cow nosed rays are protected. I watched a TV show that said that they are trying to develop a market for them in the Chesapeake. People are reluctant to eat them because they look like beef when filleted.
The guy on the TV show seemed to like them, but he eats anything.

We have a big problem with cownose rays in the Chesapeake. Three years ago I got one per year. Now this year they are all over the Bay and so thick you could walk on them. Every day there is at least one caught in my boat. Monday a guy on my boat got spooled and lost a whole reel full of braid and his rig. I used to bring them near the boat and cut the line, losing the lure in the process. A captain visiting from South Carolina showed me how to hold and de-hook them beside the boat, so that doesn't happen any more. They bleat like a lamb when you grab them and bleed like a pig if you take them into the boat to de-hook them.

There are bowfishing tournaments for cownose rays in Maryland. Of course last year an anti-fishing anti-hunting group posted videos of the tournament with bleeding rays for visual impact. And they really bleed heavily when hit with an arrow.

[Delawareriver]

,.

There are bowfishing tournaments for cownose rays in Maryland. Of course last year an anti-fishing anti-hunting group posted videos of the tournament with bleeding rays for visual impact. And they really bleed heavily when hit with an arrow.

My bowfishing team got its name after shooting rays all day.here's a picture from this year

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/delawareriver/Mobile%20Uploads/received_10207060443209771.jpeg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/delawareriver/media/Mobile%20Uploads/received_10207060443209771.jpeg.html)

[Pennsy Guy]

Not protected one bit. You can keep them and they are pretty good to eat if you ice them right away.

We are currently working to open bowfishing for them here In new jersey which is popular from delaware right on down to texas. Would appreciate the support when it comes up for public comment in the next year or so

Like Skate, I assume(hate that term)one eats only the wings...yes/no???

[Delawareriver]

Like Skate, I assume(hate that term)one eats only the wings...yes/no???

Never ate a skate but yes the wings hold all the meat. We cut the wings off right away and into a cooler full of ice. Once back at the dock we fillet the top and bottom off each wing then skin. There Is a layer of cartilage in the middle of the wing giving you 4 fillets off each ray

[tombanjo]

Bow fishing? Man, that's one sorry looking picture standing there with your powerful bows at the ready. Why not go the full monty and wear camouflage? After all, the fish might see you.

[PeteyHD]

My bowfishing team got its name after shooting rays all day.here's a picture from this year

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/delawareriver/Mobile%20Uploads/received_10207060443209771.jpeg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/delawareriver/media/Mobile%20Uploads/received_10207060443209771.jpeg.html)

Would you be so kind to explain what do you do with all those rays? Are they good eating?

[Delawareriver]

Would you be so kind to explain what do you do with all those rays? Are they good eating?

Yes we eat them. Already explained in the thread that they are pretty good to eat and how to fillet them if you read the previous posts on the thread

[Delawareriver]

Bow fishing? Man, that's one sorry looking picture standing there with your powerful bows at the ready. Why not go the full monty and wear camouflage? After all, the fish might see you.

Powerful bows? Actually they are special bows for shooting low poundage. Usually keep the bows arouND 30-40 lbs. And the rays actually do take off pretty good most of the time when you start getting close. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have bud :)

[Taxman]

Bow fishing? Man, that's one sorry looking picture standing there with your powerful bows at the ready. Why not go the full monty and wear camouflage? After all, the fish might see you.

Having a rough morning? :eek:

[tombanjo]

Having a rough morning? :eek:

Lol, yeah. Feel better now. That whole deal just struck me wrong. But whatever, go shoot yourselves some rays, seems to be plenty of them.

[Finprof]

Lol, yeah. Feel better now. That whole deal just struck me wrong. But whatever, go shoot yourselves some rays, seems to be plenty of them.
There are plenty of them. I was told that sharks are the main predators of cownose rays, particularly bull sharks. Because of reduced numbers of sharks the cownose ray population has exploded. A month ago on Tidalfish (Chesapeake Bay fishing forum) somebody posted an aerial photograph of Thomas Point lighthouse and several acres of water around it with thousands of cownose rays just under the surface nearly wingtip to wingtip.

[Delawareriver]

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/delawareriver/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2016-06-29-15-40-05.png (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/delawareriver/media/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2016-06-29-15-40-05.png.html)

[jmurr711]

kill the bastards they are cool af & taste delicious but are a lot of work. they are archenemy #1 in the Chesapeake & since they showed up in sick #s in Delaware bay the fishings gone down hill maybe its just a coincidence but I dunno.

[Delawareriver]

Just think of how many crabs, oysters, clams and other shellfish a 50lb fish can eat in a day when that's their primary diet. Then multiply it by a hundreds of thousands if not millions of rays! We don't wanna wipe them out but keep them under control instead of a free pass to eat and spawn. Glad I can count on a few of you for support as it gets closer to opening the first ever saltwater bowfishing season in new jersey.