Blue Stingray
Illustration: gardenroutefishing.co.za
The common stingray of sandy surf zones — a beautiful blue-marbled disc that inhales crustacean baits meant for anything else, then leaves anglers convinced they've hooked a submarine.
Where & how: sandy beaches everywhere, especially in summer. Prawn, crab and chokka baits on the bottom. The fight is heavy suction-to-the-sand rather than runs.
Handling: mind the tail spine — serious wounds happen. Keep the ray flat, control the tail with a wet cloth or sand, unhook with pliers and slide it back. Never lift by the spiracles or tail.
Status: catch-and-release is the norm; blue rays are slow-breeding.
Field guide
Powerful, sustained runs and dogged head-shaking — big fish test heavy tackle and your stamina rather than jumping.
How to catch Blue Stingray
Medium surf outfit
Large baitrunner spinning reel (8000–14000) or a 6/0–9/0 conventional with 300 m+ line capacity and a strong, smooth drag.
0.50–0.70 mm mono or 50–80 lb braid for the mainline.
8/0–12/0 non-stainless circle hooks (rust out if a deep-hooked fish is released).
1.5–2 m of 100–300 lb mono trace; multi-strand wire or cable for toothy sharks.
Prawn, crab, chokka
When to catch Blue Stingray
Summer, sandy surf
Feeds hard on moving water, especially the push and after dark; spring tides and a warm current switch them on.
Most active in warmer water, roughly 18–23 °C, especially when bait shoals are inshore.
🥅 Landing
On the beach, use the swash to slide the fish onto wet sand; from rocks, lead it to a safe gulley. Never gaff a shark you plan to release.
♻️ Release
Keep it in the water, support the body, remove the hook with a de-hooker or cut the trace close, then revive it upright facing the current until it swims off strongly.
📏 Limits & restrictions
⚠️ Release; beware tail spine — control tail, keep flat
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