Mister Stingray - Friend or Foe? - by Clay Gill

We had just put out the drogue anchor and set up a drift across the crystal clear flats of the Laguna to observe some of the potholes down in the grass. It was like a movie unfolding, watching the bottom go by, as if in a glass bottom boat. Suddenly a large Ray glided diagonally across our path, and we just watched in amazement as the parade went by. The Ray had small trout above and just behind him, waiting for the next shrimp to jump out of the Stingray’s path. We were so enthralled, nobody remembered to pop out a fly. It was really close and a first hand example of how a Stingray can be beneficial to the fisherman. I had seen it before, but you can’t help but stare in amazement, at the piggyback feeding machine the arrangement creates.

Before you go out to hug a Stingray as your new best friend, there is a downside to his personality. Normally docile and friendly, once stepped upon, the ray has a defensive tool that can become an ordeal you will never forget. Extremely painful punctures are inflicted when Stingrays defend themselves. It is an automatic survival reaction for the Ray.

The Stingray has a dorsoventrally compressed body shape, with gills on the bottom of his body, allowing water to be vented to the gills from spiracles behind the eyes that pump oxygenated water for the Ray. This allows certain bottom dwellers of the 400 plus species of Rays to remain motionless for hunting and camouflage in the sand on the bottom. This is good for the Ray, and bad for the fisherman. When you compress his body with your foot, his immediate reaction is strike with a spear-like spike on the base of his tail, which is made of tooth like material called denticles. It is pointed, and serrated on the edges, to keep the spike in you, once broken off inside your foot or leg. This denticle can be replaced once used much like the Sharks teeth unfold and replace after breaking off. The shark is a close cousin of the Stingray.

Other Rays pose less threat as pelagics. They constantly roam the seas and include the Manta, Eagle, and Mobula Rays. They only come near shallow water on occasion, to cruise a reef. You see them on snorkel or dive trips at reefs close to deeper water. Florida would give you a great chance to see these larger species, especially in the Florida Keys near the Gulf Stream, just offshore on the Atlantic side.

But here in Texas, we have an abundance of these bottom dwelling Stingrays, in the bays and open ocean near shore. I was hit in the foot and it is no picnic. It would probably be the absolute worst experience of your life, regarding pain. Living on the coast, I knew my day was coming and finally did, in the surf off Padre Island in the sixties. Talk about ending a fishing trip! Back then, pain remedies in the field were less known. You toughed it out with eventual help from a doctor.

My son tells me the typical emergency room treatment, besides the usual tetanus shot, and antibiotics, is a steaming hot bucket of water. This diminishes the effect of the toxin that emerges from the dual venom glands on the Ray’s tail, and can relieve the pain in about ten minutes. He has seen a victim come to the emergency room with an ankle locked up by a barb imbedded deeply in the joint. The recommendation is never pull out the barb as I did. Nerve and tendon damage can result, and an orthopedic specialist may become necessary. If you are alone, and get hit, the hot water may allow you to return after a short recovery, or save your life if you have a reaction to the venom. There are recorded fatalities from this injury. Another source of hot water is the outflow of the outboard motor in neutral. This external stream indicates the water pump is working, and can produce water warm enough from engine heat to be effective. My son says the hotter the better, but do not create first degree burns adding insult to the original problem. It really does work. Hopefully this gentle creature will never strike you, but if so get medical help fast. The pain becomes increasingly worse to a point you may not be able to function. It really gets bad!

The Stingray can be an asset to your outings, if you utilize some common sense and precautions. While traveling, old Mr. Stingray can have some interesting hitchhikers tagging along to cast at. Redfish will follow them also, and they forget all about the world above in the process.

Always remember to slide your feet, and buy some high top neoprene Predator Stingray boots if you wade frequently. The Kevlar inserts can prevent injury, save your trip, and possibly a life.

Tight lines to all, and have fun this summer. As always, remember to leave the places we visit better than we find them.