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How to catch Spiny butterfly ray

Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758)

About Spiny butterfly ray fishing

The spiny butterfly ray is a large benthic elasmobranch belonging to the family Gymnuridae, easily recognised by its exceptionally wide, lozenge-shaped pectoral disc that spans considerably broader than its length. It features a short, slender tail armed with a small serrated spine and a dark brown dorsal coloration that often displays marbled patterns over a white underside. Inhabiting shallow coastal waters and brackish environments down to one hundred metres, it rests predominantly over soft sandy or muddy seabeds. As an active carnivorous predator, it feeds primarily on teleost fishes, crustaceans, molluscs, and squids by trapping prey with its broad fins. Although traditionally taken as commercial bycatch or targeted by specialist sports anglers for its immense power, its populations remain vulnerable across parts of its warm-temperate and tropical range.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    200 cm WD

  • Market value

    High

  • Habitat

    Brackish, Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Butterfly ray, Giant butterfly ray

Spiny butterfly ray

Placoid scales

Minute denticles covering the skin identify this as a cartilaginous fish.

Dorsal spines

Distinct sharp spines along the tail distinguish this spiny ray species.

Tail bands

Dark vertical bars mark the slender tail.

Spiny butterfly ray fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    200 cm WD (max 400 cm WD )

  • Typical weight

    12.5 kg (max 60 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    14.9–27.8 °C

  • Depth

    5–100 m

  • Longevity

    18 years

  • Body shape

    Other

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    43.2

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Peak

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Active

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Active

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Peak

  • Night

    After dark

    Low

When to fish for Spiny butterfly 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 Spiny butterfly ray

Tips for catching Spiny butterfly ray

Targeting this powerful flat dweller requires heavy surfcasting or bottom ledgering tackle deployed over expansive shallow sandbanks and muddy estuaries where these rays forage. Because they hunt by gliding over the sediment and trapping organisms beneath their broad pectoral fins, presentations must rest directly on the bottom using robust running ledger or pulley rigs equipped with strong wide-gap hooks. Generous baits of fresh squid, whole sardines, or crab chunks release powerful scent trails that draw specimens in from afar during warmer months. Anglers should anticipate exceptional resistance and heavy head shakes upon hookup, demanding steady pressure and patient pumping to subdue larger specimens from the shore or an anchored boat.

Other names for Spiny butterfly ray

Local and alternate names anglers use for Spiny butterfly ray.

  • Spiny butterfly ray
  • Giant butterfly ray
  • Butterfly ray

Best equipment to catch Spiny butterfly ray

Compare fishing methods for Spiny butterfly ray — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 12.5 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Spiny butterfly ray

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

How Spiny butterfly ray migrates — Inshore–offshore

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

How Spiny butterfly 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 Spiny butterfly ray

  • Diet

    Top predator

  • Feeds by

    Hunts animals

  • Hunts

    Dawn · Dusk

Prey and predators of Spiny butterfly ray

Prey is what Spiny butterfly ray 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 mollusks juv./adults

Where Spiny butterfly ray lives

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

Habitats
Brackish, Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral
Continental shelf · 5–100 m
Water column
Demersal
On or near the bed

Where this species lives

Where to fish for Spiny butterfly ray

Mapped fishing spots where Spiny butterfly ray is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.

Bahía de Ávila

Las PalmasCanariasSpain