Picture At Last

[Afishionado]

Eventualy a picture of the Thornback caught last week......

 

Mad Mike

[Mike Fox]

A gorgeous, lively looking beast, clearly with a magnificent girth.

 

Congrats Mike!

 

Mike

PS George and I both love the "blonde" colour to the fish too....

PPS http://www.pbsbac.co.uk/modules.php?name=N...order=0&thold=0

Edited June 17, 2007 by Mike Fox

[Sam]

mike that dont look like a thornback to me sure its not a large blonde but hey what do i no

 

sam

[Gnasher]

when identifying the fish, i think you were having a Blonde moment mike

Edited June 17, 2007 by Gnasher

[duncan]

it's difficult to be 100% sure - but 99% says that's a real blonde not dyed!

 

 

[Afishionado]

Being a married man and married at that to a 'powerful' woman, who has said that if she found me with a blond she would kill me .......

 

Actualy guys where as I can tell a Bass from a Red Herring I am no great shakes on the differences between Ray's, so I bow to you lots better judgement. But it was a ray ? Wasn't it ??????

 

I do hope that Blonds don't go to 90lb or so and that was just a tiddler 'cos I haven't caught a 'specimen' anything for a long time

 

And thanks for correcting the ID.

 

 

Mad Mike

[Gnasher]

mike, its still a great fish. Ive never landed a blonde, and thats my main aim for the season. Anyway, its a corking fish no matter how you look at it!

 

 

[great white]

Mike

 

I think your missus may think you are safe with that Blonde

 

it looks like a male in the photo.

 

Or are you not telling us something

 

Just goes to show why some of us commented last week doesn't it

 

a 20lb Thornback is a once in a lifetime huge specimen 153%

 

where a 20lb Blonde is still a great fish and probably fought a lot harder than a thornback would, it is only be 87% of the specimen weight.

 

Charlie

[Paul J]

Nice Fish Mike

 

Well done mate, could this be the start of things to come?

 

PJ

[Mike Fox]

Never caught a blonde before, and George really, really wants one to christen his new boat rod properly. - doggies and bream don't count apparently.

 

Made some traces up this weekend as Charlie recommended - 9" wire between 4/0 hook and swivel, then heavy mono "chafe" leader (I used 70lb) to around 4'.

 

Should be good for conger and tope as well.

 

What do you want to bet he'll get one on his spinning gear instead?

 

Most species comp next weekend too!

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

[great white]

Mike F

 

Where I saw Frisky the other week is very close to a couple of good banks for Blondes especially at the end of the summer

 

Stick to it out there and George will soon get his wish. whole squid or fillet of mackerel cut in half along its length will do the job.

 

The traces you made are what I use for tope but will of course take the other species

 

If I were just ray fishing I would not bother with the wire end, just use the 70lb line throughout.

 

Charlie

[Afishionado]

Quote...where a 20lb Blonde is still a great fish and probably fought a lot harder than a thornback would, it is only be 87% of the specimen weight.

 

You are spot on about the fight Charlie, it really tore around but sorta in slow motion.

Male/female? How do you tell and no funny answers please .

 

Mad Mike

[Mike Fox]

Mike,

The males have a pair of extra dangly bits called "claspers", either side of their norty bits.

 

They are to help the male hang onto the female when mating - which results in internal fertilisation of eggs, like mammals. The result with most rays and dogfish etc is the "mermaid's purse", which is usually tangled with weed etc. In some species the purse never develops, and the female gives birth to live young (e.g. smoothhounds and tope).

 

All male sharks and rays have this characteristic, to my knowledge.

 

Mike

Edited June 18, 2007 by Mike Fox

[Afishionado]

Mike,

The males have a pair of extra dangly bits called "claspers", either side of their norty bits.

 

They are to help the male hang onto the female when mating - which results in internal fertilisation of eggs, like mammals. The result with most rays and dogfish etc is the "mermaid's purse", which is usually tangled with weed etc. In some species the purse never develops, and the female gives birth to live young (e.g. smoothhounds and tope).

 

All male sharks and rays have this characteristic, to my knowledge.

 

Mike

This full and complete answer comes from a man who obviously needs to

'Get Out More'

 

Mad Mike

[TomBettle]

Mike,

The males have a pair of extra dangly bits called "claspers", either side of their norty bits.

 

They are to help the male hang onto the female when mating - which results in internal fertilisation of eggs, like mammals. The result with most rays and dogfish etc is the "mermaid's purse", which is usually tangled with weed etc. In some species the purse never develops, and the female gives birth to live young (e.g. smoothhounds and tope).

 

All male sharks and rays have this characteristic, to my knowledge.

 

Mike

This full and complete answer comes from a man who obviously needs to

'Get Out More'

 

Mad Mike

Claspers are used in much the same fashion as amorous humans do when grabbing love handles.

 

Millions of years of evolution and an enormous amount of diversity between humans and fish yet a male Ray still has to hang on tight just as we do.

 

So I am told.

 

Tom

[Afishionado]

I am very worried There are some guys in this club who know more about the sex life of skate than is entierly healthy or appropriate

 

Any miute now some begger will start off on

"The female sturgeon

is a very rare fish"

rugby song........ Queue Tom Bettle

 

Mad Mike

[Paul D]

A gorgeous, lively looking beast, clearly with a magnificent girth.

What about the fish

 

 

Actualy guys where as I can tell a Bass from a Red Herring I am no great shakes on the differences between Ray's, so I bow to you lots better judgement. But it was a ray ? Wasn't it ??????

 

Well actually no - It is a SKATE but commonly known as a Blonde Ray. Remember

 

[Mike Fox]

Thought I might have got away with it for a while.....

 

Mike

[Afishionado]

A gorgeous, lively looking beast, clearly with a magnificent girth.

What about the fish

 

 

Actualy guys where as I can tell a Bass from a Red Herring I am no great shakes on the differences between Ray's, so I bow to you lots better judgement. But it was a ray ? Wasn't it ??????

 

Well actually no - It is a SKATE but commonly known as a Blonde Ray. Remember

On the other hand other points of referance say diferently.....

 

See http://sharktrust.hold.webbased.co.uk/v.as...&nextlevel=6197

 

Mad Mike

[Swainiac]

Mikey....if you want to know about fish...speak with Jimbob...he is a mine of information...but yes...looks very much like your thorny was a Blonde.

 

If you ever venture into the weymouth angling clubbar, you will see the rcord list on the walls....and way back in the days of yoor, a guy landed a huge thornback, smashing that club record...yet strangely, not being held as a British record!! Methinks that too, was a blonde...so you are not a lone my friend"!!

 

Rich

[Paul D]

On the other hand other points of referance say diferently.....

See http://sharktrust.hold.webbased.co.uk/v.as...&nextlevel=6197

 

Mad Mike

Now I am puzzled. That reference quite clearly shows that Blonde "Rays" are really skate........

 

For example a RAY tail is described as follows :-

 

"tail relatively slender to whip-like, usually with a saw-edged stinging spine midway along its length "

 

whereas a SKATE tail is

 

"tail relatively stocky, without a stinging spine "

 

Now looking at your picture and the way you are holding your fish - tell me where the stinging spine is ( in your hand maybe ! ) and the way that the tail is "whip like" ?

 

 

Common name is Blonde Ray but it is really a skate ( as is a Thornback ) - and the article referenced says exactly that.

 

 

I quote :- "The problem is made more difficult by the fact that many of the species around the UK coastline are misnamed. For example, the thornback ray is actually a skate!"

 

PS: Any chance of a picture of the Undulate Ray, just so I can be sure it is not a Thornback ?

 

 

 

[TomBettle]

On the other hand other points of referance say diferently.....

See    http://sharktrust.hold.webbased.co.uk/v.as...&nextlevel=6197

 

Mad Mike

Now I am puzzled. That reference quite clearly shows that Blonde "Rays" are really skate........

 

For example a RAY tail is described as follows :-

 

"tail relatively slender to whip-like, usually with a saw-edged stinging spine midway along its length "

 

whereas a SKATE tail is

 

"tail relatively stocky, without a stinging spine "

 

Now looking at your picture and the way you are holding your fish - tell me where the stinging spine is ( in your hand maybe ! ) and the way that the tail is "whip like" ?

 

 

Common name is Blonde Ray but it is really a skate ( as is a Thornback ) - and the article referenced says exactly that.

 

 

I quote :- "The problem is made more difficult by the fact that many of the species around the UK coastline are misnamed. For example, the thornback ray is actually a skate!"

 

PS: Any chance of a picture of the Undulate Ray, just so I can be sure it is not a Thornback ?

Probably why most of the Ray family in the UK are actually often referred to under the general term of "Skate".

 

In fact I can only think of one regular Ray that is a Ray and that is teh Stingray.

 

That would simply sound silly being called a stingskate!

 

We do have the occassional visit from Eagle Ray and so on. These are definite Ray's as can be seen by the very long thin tail.

[Adam F]

Like this:

 

Taken at 32m diving the North Wall, in Grand Cayman BWI a few weeks ago - it was an awesome slight!

 

Wing span approx 8' - Spotted Eagle Ray.

[great white]

I have the Skates and rays paperwork thanks to Dave M

 

I will try to add the link

 

http://www.seafish.org/b2b/info.asp?p=191

 

and you can downlod a copy

 

Charlie

[great white]

Bloody Hell it worked

 

 

Charlie