Stingray
Ray
A large, smooth-skinned, olive-grey ray with a long, whip-like tail bearing one or more sharp venomous spines near its base — distinctly different from the thornier, spineless rays above.
Facts
- The tail spine can deliver a genuinely painful venomous sting — always let a hooked stingray settle and handle the tail with extreme care, or cut the line if unsure.
- Common around estuary mouths and shallow sandy bays in summer, sometimes in surprisingly shallow water.
- Unlike thornback or blonde ray, has smooth skin with no thorny spines — its defence is entirely in the tail.
UK fishing rules
No statutory UK-wide recreational size limit currently applies, but treat every stingray as capable of a serious sting — use long-nose pliers, avoid the tail entirely, and consider cutting the trace rather than lifting the fish if you're not confident handling it.
Where to catch Stingray (2 marks)
| Mark | Region | Season | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camber Sands | South East | Apr–Oct | Fish bait cast at range after dark, best towards the Jury's Gap end |
| Walton-on-the-Naze Pier | East | May–Sep | Mackerel or eel section on a running ledger cast from the pier end during the summer ray run. |