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How to catch Blonde ray

Raja brachyura Lafont, 1873

About Blonde ray fishing

The blonde ray is a large cartilaginous fish belonging to the skate family Rajidae, easily recognised by its distinctive kite-shaped body with broad, wing-like pectoral fins and a relatively short tail. It features an ochre upper surface densely covered with small dark spots extending to the disc margins, contrasting with a clean white underside. Growing up to a maximum length of 120 cm and a weight of over 14 kg, this demersal species inhabits coastal and offshore waters down to 380 metres, preferring clean sandy and mixed sand-rock seabeds. As an active nocturnal and opportunistic predator, it feeds primarily on benthic crustaceans, cephalopods, and small fish, using shallow coastal grounds as important nursery areas. Highly regarded by European sea anglers for its formidable strength on the seabed, it is pursued as a challenging sport fish across its Atlantic and Mediterranean range.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    85 cm

  • Market value

    Medium

  • Habitat

    Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Blonde, Blonde skate

Blonde ray

Pectoral fins

Pectoral fins transformed to aerofoils forming a broad disc typical of rays.

Mouth position

Sub-terminal inferior mouth located on the underside of the head.

Ochre upper surface

Upper surface ochre with numerous small dark spots extending to disc margins.

Blonde ray fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    85 cm (max 120 cm TL )

  • Typical weight

    3.5 kg (max 14.3 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    7.1–16.2 °C

  • Depth

    10–380 m

  • Longevity

    16 years

  • Body shape

    Other

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    65.3

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Active

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Low

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Low

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Peak

  • Night

    After dark

    Peak

When to fish for Blonde ray

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch Blonde ray

Tips for catching Blonde ray

Targeting blonde ray requires heavy-duty tackle suited for presenting large baits directly onto clean sandy or mixed ground where these flat dwellers hunt for food. Ledger rigs equipped with strong hook patterns baited with strips of fresh mackerel, squid, or large lugworms prove exceptionally effective at enticing a bite. Fishing during the dusk and night hours often yields the best results as these rays move closer to shallow flats and banks to forage. Anglers should concentrate their efforts near tidal channels and sandy depressions where natural prey congregates, maintaining a tight line to detect the characteristic heavy pull of a feeding skate before setting the hook firmly.

Other names for Blonde ray

Local and alternate names anglers use for Blonde ray.

  • Blonde ray
  • Blonde skate
  • Blonde

Best equipment to catch Blonde ray

Compare fishing methods for Blonde ray — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 3.5 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Blonde ray

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How Blonde ray migrates — Inshore–offshore

Shifts between shallow inshore water and deeper offshore grounds with the season.

How Blonde ray migrates — Inshore–offshore 1. Warm months: Stay close inshore through the warm months. 2. Cold months: Move offshore into deeper water as it cools.
Inshore Offshore

1 Warm months

Inshore

Stay close inshore through the warm months.

2 Cold months

Offshore

Move offshore into deeper water as it cools.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of Blonde ray

  • Diet

    Carnivore

  • Feeds by

    Hunts animals

  • Hunts

    Dusk · Night

  • Main prey

    Baitfish

Prey and predators of Blonde ray

Prey is what Blonde ray eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.

Prey

What it eats

Baitfish

  • Crangon vulgaris juv./adults
  • Pandalus montagui juv./adults
  • Solea solea juv./adults
  • Trisopterus minutus juv./adults
  • Alloteuthis subulata juv./adults
  • Crangon crangon juv./adults
  • Loligo subulata juv./adults

Where Blonde ray lives

Lives on or just above the bottom. Work jigs, bait, and lures along the seabed.

Habitats
Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral, Bathyal
10–380 m
Water column
Demersal
On or near the bed

Where this species lives