Skates? When to cut the line?

[Turk_on_a_Tarpon]

I fished the Patuxent river this morning. Spent 6 hours total. Caught 2 dink rock, a blue crab, 16" bluefish and a monster that bent my medium action ugly stick in half and broke off 14 pound test mono line rubbing it against the wood pilings. I saw it jump and leap in a distance, because he spooled me twice. My first thought was that it must have been a skate, but I saw it leap in the distance and I did not see wings, it looked like a large fish with back fins. I don't think it was a catfish either.
Have you guys fought a skate? Do skates leap out of water and create commotion like that, at all?

[therevolution]

I fished the Patuxent river this morning. Spent 6 hours total. Caught 2 dink rock, a blue crab, 16" bluefish and a monster that bent my medium action ugly stick in half and broke off 14 pound test mono line rubbing it against the wood pilings. I saw it jump and leap in a distance, because he spooled me twice. My first thought was that it must have been a skate, but I saw it leap in the distance and I did not see wings, it looked like a large fish with back fins. I don't think it was a catfish either.
Have you guys fought a skate? Do skates leap out of water and create commotion like that, at all?

Maybe it was a carp. I spent 20 minutes fighting one once, it just kept running and running. Pulled the drag like it was nothing.

[Cowpokey]

I caught a cownose ray at the bay bridge recently, and broke a rod trying to get the hook out. I'd get it as close as possible before cutting the line, if that's the option you choose.

I bought a hand gaff (Dexter Russell S193H), so the next time I get one I'll have something to latch onto it with. That way, I can get the hook out without taking a chance on another rod. We used the same little gaff in Alaska for BIG skate, up there a 70-100lbs skate was pretty common...not a fan or those or the cownose rays we have here. They are heavy, and crazy strong...which would seam like fun, but to me it is unnecessary "work".
handgaff.jpg

[FishingGeek]

I too caught a Cow Nose Ray at the Bay Bridge, I waited until I got it to the surface to verify that it was a Ray, then I cut the line, I didn't have anything on the kayak that would handle the Ray and I wasn't going to turtle the kayak or hurt myself over a 50 cent jig head.

[Mark]

Turk,

I've tangled with more than a few cow nose rays and none has ever left the water to go airborne.

They exert a constant heavy pressure on your line and generally you do not feel the head-shake that is characteristic of a large striper.

Only once have I retrieved a lure from a ray. It was a jig head on which the ray completely straightened the hook. Unfortunately I have fed several Rat-L-Traps to them at roughly $5 each.

When I hook a ray I retrieve a reasonable amount of line and then I cut it. I have fought them to the side of the kayak but that only results in a lot of wing flapping and an unwanted shower of saltwater. So I cut the line before I get them that close.

[Frogsauce]

Rays don't head jerk the line like a fish does. Feels like a very heavy bucket that is moving through the water. I stabbed into one with the dive knife and waited for it to bleed out and die to get my lure back once. I'm not too fond of trying to get one into the boat with me while it's flapping around.

[freshstripes]

Hook an eagle Ray sometime...they jump out of the water and scream line off your reel

[Turk_on_a_Tarpon]

Thank you guys for the info. I would like to believe that it was not a skate, because he leaped out of water many times. I did not see wings. I saw a large fish silhouette. Because he had spooled me, he was some distance away. I didn't feel crazy shakes/jerks either, but it was a long mono line so it probably absorbed some of the shaking. Long story short, this is going to be my "that huge rockfish that got away" story this year.
Do the Black Drum come all the way to the Patuxent by Solomon's Island?

[Noahtom]

Trying to think what i was maybe a big red drum I don't think the black drum go there but not sure

[Shady]

Out of all the fish in the bay, a big striper is probably most likely. I'm pretty sure drum don't really jump...

[HJS]

Over the years I've caught many very nice stripers from the Patapsco and many more from other areas of the Bay and east coast. Many of those were caught on light-weight surface lures in shallow water. I don't remember ever having a single one jumping out of the water, not even close. I know when I fish the Susky Flats during the spring time that I will see carp frequently jumping completely out of the water on their own. So jumping is something carp normally do, but I've never had one jump while hooked. So, I'm stumped.

[whenican]

Perhaps it was a big blue? They can pull tough & leap too.

[Shady]

Perhaps it was a big blue? They can pull tough & leap too.

Good point, blues are far more jumpy then striper

[Turk_on_a_Tarpon]

Perhaps it was a big blue? They can pull tough & leap too.

I think it might have been a blue, because I caught the 16" blue from the same area later that day. If that first fish was a blue, it would have been my personal best blue for quite a time
Now I am thinking to switch to #30 test braid on all of my setups. I've been using/testing one spinning combo with #15 test braid, definately more sensitive to bites/hits in my opinion.

[Frogsauce]

I spin up all braided line for the bay and freshwater. When I am back to big ocean I use mono for the stretch.