Bat rays (Myliobatis californica) are a key predator along the coast of California and Oregon.They can grow to six feet wide and weigh as much as 200 pounds, though most rays are smaller than this. Bat ray fishing in the bay is a fun way to spend some time outdoors. Paladin ... thanks for unhooking my fish and sending then on there way, why unhook a Bat Ray and get muddy and stinky yourself when you can get the other guys to do it for yeah..... 0. Place ray fillets in a shallow pan and cover with water. Diet: Feeds by pushing its snout through the mud or sand to find invertibrates. If you do a good job filleting the ray, it'll hold together on one side and look something like a tank tread (or a long block of 1/4" thick post-it notes) The grain of the meat is vertical inside these strips, and long like scallops. A bat ray is submerged in freshwater during its examination to eliminate its flukes To “de-fluke” our bat rays, each animal must be removed from the 800,000-gallon Open Sea Exhibit and placed in a separate tank for examination and treatment. The bat ray’s triangular pectoral fins are often called wings and compared to those of a bat, hence the common name. 0. Sitting on the sand with a friend or two, watching the comings and goings of the bay, maybe even a bonfire. When you first hook a Bat Ray it will take tons of line so any boating traffic will be a danger to you losing your fish. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender (or use ray meat already parboiled per directions in the article). Bat ray flesh doesn't hang together well, it is kind of in vertical strips going back along the wing. The fins are also used to hunt for food. Bat Ray schools in Baja may contain Spotted Eagle Rays where as northern populations may school with Smoothhound Sharks. Add to that the chance of catching a fish in the 100 pound range or larger and you have the makings of a good time. Cut the fillet into usable size pieces. Link to post Share on other sites. Individuals are sometimes found resting on the sand in excavated depressions. Plus you can pick your teeth clean with the stinger. Its powerful jaws and grinding teeth even allow it to chew away rocky outcroppings as it hunts clams, abalone and oysters. Bat Ray caught at Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay, 2004. Go to top ; Share this post. Bat rays (Myliobatis californica) are the big guys of the three (although most of the truly large ones are female). Premium saltwater fish and invertebrates hand caught from the ocean floor to your door. The resulting current sweeps away the sand, and the exposed crustacean or mollusk becomes easy prey. Go to top ; Share this post. These rays swim gracefully by flapping their pectoral fins like birds. The largest ray caught off the coast of California was recorded at 181 pounds. Despite its elegant form, the Bat ray is a formidable hunter. I know a lot of people post BAT RAY pix here on the message board and hopefully most of them are returned to the water, much like one of my past 170# plus MAMMA BAT RAY that was returned unharmed to give birth. The bat ray knows how to flush them out, however, by hovering near the ocean floor and rapidly flapping their long fins. Bat Rays love to come up to the surface once you have them turned around, sometimes they will circle the boat a half a dozen times and then you have the anchor to contend with. Posted by outtosea2.