NorCal Kayak Anglers

Kayak Fishing Zone => Safety First => Topic started by: SanddabMan on May 11, 2017, 04:07:43 PM

Title: Unexpected Danger
Post by: SanddabMan on May 11, 2017, 04:07:43 PM
So the Audubon Fish book usually has a little symbol denoting venomous or dangerous for appropriate fish (triangle inside a circle). One year we were fishing for sanddabs and caught some nice Big Skates, so we each kept a 16-pounder for the table. There was no danger symbol in the book and I had never heard of anyone being hurt by a skate; only by stingrays of various sorts. We dispatched them, handled them, boated them. Got home and started to cut the meaty wings off when suddenly blood literally squirted on the wall followed by the sensation of dragging my hand down some razor wire! I looked at my hand and it was massacred! I learned "on-the-job" that skates have retractable Freddy Kruger claws toward the end of the top of their wings. As I processed the skate, I triggered the claws and they shot into my hand. By the time I got the computer to email my kayaking buddy, he'd beat me to the server trying to warn me of his bloody discovery. Take home lesson: watch out when handling new fish species.
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: KPD on May 11, 2017, 04:43:45 PM
Yikes! Pictures?
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: NowhereMan on May 11, 2017, 06:00:24 PM
Yikes! Pictures?

+1
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: SanddabMan on May 11, 2017, 06:04:05 PM
I've attached a photo of the skate. Didn't get photos of the bloody mess due to 1st aid distractions. You can't see the wicked claws or claw vents in the photo; only when you look close at the beast in real life can you see what looks like little gill vents...don't get your flesh close to those!
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: Eddie on May 11, 2017, 06:22:24 PM
Dang...alien stuff... :smt006
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: SlackedTide on May 11, 2017, 07:29:55 PM
Dem face hugger look nasty!!!
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: oldfart on May 11, 2017, 08:03:45 PM
Wow! I was looking up how to prepare and cook rays and skates based on another thread and none talked about the dangers handling of skates
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: Fiver on May 11, 2017, 10:32:02 PM
Not around here, but same deal with the family of surgeon fish in Hawaii.  I grabbed one of those little bastards by the tail after I had speared it, and its backwards facing knife  sliced through my leather diving glove into the muscle of my hand.

While I'm on the topic of Hawaii, don't grab sea urchin out there either.  They have thin spikes that also penetrate leather gloves, break off and fester in the flesh.....ask me how I know.  :smt011
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: Hojoman on May 11, 2017, 10:35:27 PM
Wow! I was looking up how to prepare and cook rays and skates based on another thread and none talked about the dangers handling of skates
Google "cleaning skate fish" and you will find links mentioning it.
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: AlsHobieOutback on May 12, 2017, 09:32:49 AM
Thanks for teaching me something new today!  :smt002
Title: Re: Unexpected Danger
Post by: FisHunter on May 12, 2017, 10:08:57 AM
Yikkes!  the thing even looks mighty evil in that pic! like an old man of the sea or sump'n