There was once an article in my favourite Malaysian angling magazine Rod & Line (English Edition) by Sea Chong about Stingrays off the shores of Penang island. He interestingly described the stingray fishing experience as encounters with Apong (pancake) shaped UFOs which was really an entertaining story.

I was personally at the spot where all the action took place at Pari Wreck. It was one particular season in 1997 - 98 where the spot was practically crawling with stingrays. It was basically finding a nice spot with hard ground nearby the wreck and you're in business. Practically every rod down had hookups of stingray. Of course, there was a whole fleet of boats out there each day as well, with every boat having a piece of the action.

I have found the best baits for stingrays are kembung (mackerel) strips, live prawns and live squid. Live squid is preferred when fishing at night as they emit a luminous glow in the water, thus attracting not only stingrays but possibly other species such as Golden Snapper (Angchoh / Jenahak). The terminal tackle is simple. A bottom fishing rig complete with spreader and a leader of about 4 feet long should suffice.

Stingrays are excellent fighters especially on medium tackle. The sudden initial rush followed by line spewing out from the reel can catch the angler by total surprise and these are the times when inexperienced anglers panic and tighten the drag, resulting in line snapping with a loud WHACK!

After the initial run, the stingray will stay on the bottom, using its round body as resistance against the pressure from the angler's rod. This can take quite a long time if it is a big ray and can really test the patience of the angler. In situations such as this, the best thing to do is try to 'short stroke', pumping the rod (make sure your drag is set to slip slightly) so that the ray is faced with an uneven force, causing it to be irritated and make a run. Some old anglers swear by clipping on a heavy sinker to the mainline and dropping it down to frighten the ray to move. As far as I am concerned, this method has not worked for me. (Maybe I was doing it wrong?)

When the ray is on the move, it is easier to control and lift the ray up the water column with smooth pumps of the rod. Usually when a ray manages to come off the ground, this signals the end of the big struggle as the ray succumbs to exhaustion.

When landed, pregnant female stingrays will usually give birth to several young stingrays. They actually look like brown coloured pieces of 'won ton' (Chinese meat dumplings). These should be released immediately into the water. Male stingrays have two protrusions which are sexual reproductive organs near the tail area while these are absent from the female. All stingrays also have one or more sharp 3 - 5 inch spikes just on top of the tail near the body and this should be avoided at all costs. Upon landing a stingray, use a pair of pliers and pick off these spines immediately to render the ray harmless. The ignorant angler will find himself in much agony if pricked.

Stingrays around the 3 - 8kg are best eating while any bigger would taste tough and the ammonia smell in the flesh would put off anyone anyway. The smaller ones (less than 2kg) should be released to fight another day. The best method to cook stingray is with curry. However, smaller stingrays around 3kg can be steamed Teochew style (with sour plum, preserved salted vegetable and ginger) when freshly caught.

No, that little stingray was not caught from the bathroom!. (Dan with a ray prior to gutting)