Rough house rays
WE DIDN’T KNOW IT, BUT we couldn’t have picked a worse week for bad weather. Hit with constant gales, severe flooding that saw roads awash, and unbelievably, at times, it got even worse, with winds to 60mph. It was roughhouse fishing, to say the least!
Inland Fisheries Ireland fishery inspector Kevin Crowley and I were in the Dingle area of Ireland’s County Kerry. On our hit-list were small-eyed rays, which Irish anglers call painted rays. Their beige-coloured back is patterned with creamy white lines, and often the wing edges can be shaded a faint orange to a deep red that makes for a very pretty fish. They are also one of the better fighting rays too, especially in the surf.
As for the ideal conditions for them, then the textbooks recommend a gentle to moderate surf, and a light onshore wind. Due to the screaming winds and wild surfs, we put the painted rays on the back burner in the hope of maybe better conditions arriving later in the week.
Painted rays are basically a southern species with localised populations in the UK and
