Mid summer is approaching, the time to target the ray. Not renowned for their sporting abilities, their flattened bodies are not designed for speed, but they are a powerful adversary. Ted Tuckerman reports.

There are eight short nosed species of ray in our waters: the thornback, blonde, small eyed, spotted, starry, cuckoo, sandy and colourful undulate rays. The long nosed are skate, common, white, long nosed flapper and shagreen ray.

Not all species are prolific; the three most likely to drop on to the deck after the wide spread thornback are the Small Eyed Ray (SER), sometimes called the Painted Ray, the blonde, the biggest you are likely to catch, and the spotted, one of the smallest. All are now resident until the late autumn.

They have different feeding patterns, so attention to bait is essential for the best results. The SER is found over sand or, to be more precise, in the gullies, pits and on banks. It loves sandeels, so a single hook rig baited with a live sandeel is the obvious choice. Launce, the greater sandeel can also be used, live or dead, whole or cut as a flapper or as a fillet. Ammo frozen launce are a surprisingly good bait for SER. A stout rig should be used, nylon of 25lb BS as a minimum; I fish mine about six to eight feet in length. Use quality hooks, 2/0 to 4/0 of your model choice, depending on the bait being used. Alternative bait is peeler crab. Average size would be 6lb to 8lb, the bonus, a fish in double figures.

Blonde ray need a different approach; they are mostly found in deep pits off sand banks. Anchor so the bait is at the bottom of the bank. These are much bigger fish, and although the average is likely to be under 20lbs tackle for the big one, around 30lb. 50lb BS white nylon should be the minimum for the six to eight foot trace with size 6/0 or 8/0 hooks.

A 30lb test rod would be best suited balanced with a quality multiplier loaded with 30/50lb line. Braid for preference to reduce the weight size; the best fishing is normally on a spring tide. Choice of baits is calamari squid, launce and mackerel fillet. Using a butt pad is a good idea as it makes playing the fish easier in deep water and reduces the bruises. The hot spots are: Start Bay, Salcombe, Weymouth/Portland and the Isle of Wight.

Finally the spotted ray. For me the nicest to eat are usually between 3lb and 6lb. These are not as abundant as the other ray and I have not discovered a mark that can be targeted, so it is a case of pot luck; they are mostly caught while fishing for SER and I have caught them while drifting for plaice. They take ragworm, peeler crab and small sandeel.