fiddler ray/banjo rays

[ginko]

Headed out for a fish tonight, hoping for a jewfish on the high-tide just after dusk. Arrived late due to mrs not recognizing importance of getting to the beach before sunset!

In any case, the surf was too big off the beach, so headed to south end of Narrabeen which was relatively sheltered from the ESE 1M+ swell. There was a heavy current running southward along the beach, and I figured all the tasty morsels off the beach would be collecting at the south end.

With four nice-sized livies in the bucket, I got there about 6:30 for a 7:30 high tide.

Not 5 minutes after the first livie hit the water, I was on to something big, heavy, pulling too evenly to be a fish. After about 5 minutes, of which 4 were just trying to get the damn thing up the beach, up came a big-ass fiddler ray. Maybe a meter or so long. Thick. I got my hooks out, and shoved it back in with my beach-rod-holder. (Please confirm if you KNOW that fiddler rays are ok to pick up bare handed.)

Well, I was there for another 1.5 hours, and caught 6 more, and was broken off of 10KG braid by one more. Some more fisho's up the beach were also getting all fiddlers.

I was casting into a decent-ish rip, with a live yellow-tail on snelled circle hooks, in the configuration of line: swivel: trace with running swivel:sinker, with the running swivel connected to a second trace with the hooks and livie on the end.

It seems my livies/bait were too close to the bottom, thus the fiddler rays - is that correct?

Any thoughts on what (else) I was doing wrong?

My arms are aching, but next time, it should be because I pulled in something big and worthwhile.

[barnzey]

Mate fiddler rays are harmless and tasty. Although most people throw them back because they aren't fish they're targeting they taste great, the same taste and texture as flake.

Just grab them on the back and don't put your hand in their mouth. Skip to 3:15 on the following link on how to grab them.

[ginko]

Thanks Barnzey.

That must have been the scene on the bottom last night, fiddler rays lying on top of one another there were so many.

The fiddler rays don't look that enticing to eat somehow... but just in case I feel up to it one evening, what's the best way to dispatch them and prepare them. Do you eat the "wing" or just the body and tail.

The ones I was catching last night were 1m+, so there was plenty of meat either way.

Ginko