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How to catch Common stingray

Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758)

About Common stingray fishing

The common stingray is a bottom-dwelling cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Dasyatidae, easily recognised by its diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc that is slightly wider than it is long and a whip-like tail equipped with a serrated venomous spine. This species displays a plain grey, brownish or olive-green upper surface with a whitish underside, and typically reaches a width of 45 cm alongside a maximum recorded length of 75 cm. It inhabits coastal marine and brackish waters across the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean and Black Seas, preferring sandy and muddy bottoms from the shoreline down to 200 metres, though it is most commonly encountered in shallower coastal zones and occasionally estuaries. Operating primarily as a nocturnal or crepuscular predator, it feeds on bottom-living crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and small fishes by foraging across the sediment or burying itself to ambush prey. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, with females bearing small litters of young twice a year after a gestation period of roughly four months. While not targeted by commercial fisheries on a dedicated basis, it is frequently caught as bycatch and valued for food and fishmeal, though anglers exercise extreme caution due to its dangerous defensive sting.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    45 cm

  • Market value

    High

  • Habitat

    Brackish, Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Blue stingray, Sting ray, Stingray

Common stingray

Whip-like tail

Long whip-like tail bearing a serrated sting and a ventral fin fold.

Mid-dorsal tubercles

Row of thorny tubercles along the mid-dorsal line from nape to sting.

Common stingray fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    45 cm (max 75 cm WD )

  • Typical weight

    2.5 kg (max 14.6 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    9.7–26.1 °C

  • Depth

    5–200 m

  • Longevity

    51.3 years

  • Body shape

    Other

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    51

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Active

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Low

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Low

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Active

  • Night

    After dark

    Peak

When to fish for Common stingray

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 Common stingray

Tips for catching Common stingray

Targeting this coastal ray requires presentation right on sandy or muddy sea floors where the species spends its time resting or hunting for benthic invertebrates. Bottom fishing from a anchored boat or surfcasting from open beaches during calmer summer and early autumn months yields the best results, particularly as coastal waters warm and populations shift shallower. Anglers should use heavy ledger rigs armed with strong hooks baited with pieces of fresh squid, fish strips, or crustaceans to match its natural diet. Because these rays possess powerful jaws designed for crushing hard-shelled prey and can put up a heavy, stubborn fight on the seabed, robust tackle with abrasion-resistant leaders is essential. Extra care must be taken upon landing the fish to avoid the venomous tail spine, which is capable of inflicting severe wounds.

Other names for Common stingray

Local and alternate names anglers use for Common stingray.

  • Stingray
  • Sting ray
  • Common stingray
  • Blue stingray

Best equipment to catch Common stingray

Compare fishing methods for Common stingray — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 2.5 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Common stingray

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

How Common stingray migrates — Inshore–offshore

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

How Common stingray 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 Common stingray

  • Diet

    Carnivore

  • Feeds by

    Hunts animals

  • Hunts

    Night

  • Feeds over

    Soft bottom · Coral reefs

Prey and predators of Common stingray

Prey is what Common stingray eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

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

Prey

What it eats

Other prey

  • unspecified bottom-living invertebrates juv./adults
  • unspecified finfishes juv./adults

Where Common stingray lives

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

Habitats
Brackish, Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral, Bathyal
5–200 m
Usually 20–35 m
Water column
Demersal
On or near the bed

Where this species lives

Where to fish for Common stingray

Mapped fishing spots where Common stingray is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.

Banco Las Amosucas

Asturias / AsturiesAsturias / AsturiesSpain