Late one afternoon around 4:00PM or
so, I was running the Oyster Lake
shoreline, right behind the San Luis
Pass area. I was running parallel to
the shoreline looking for some kind
of sign of fish activity. I was
about
150 to 200 yards from the ICW when I
saw a small slick pop up and I idled
in for a closer look. After checking
things out, I eased the anchor over
the side, having decided to make an
evening session out of it. Within a
few minutes I was in the water
chunking a big topwater.
As I shuffled my feet toward the
slick, steadily working my surface
plug
and looking for that first explosion
of the afternoon, I noticed a sand
streak shoot out in front of my
feet. "No worries" I thought to
myself as
I kept chunking away, working
towards the slicks popping up
towards the
shoreline. I shuffled a few more
feet and another sand streak shot
out
across the bay floor. "Man" I
thought to myself, "those flounder
must be
thick in here!" I kept plugging
away.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I
saw it! A light, grayish-brown
silhouette lying motionless on the
bay floor. This was no Flounder!
This
was the OTHER flat fish of the sea!
The one that thousands of fisherman
up
and down the Gulf Coast fear the
most! This is the flat fish, which
with
one swipe of its tail, can put you
out of commission for weeks or even
months.
I saw seven stingrays and four more
unconfirmed sand streaks that
afternoon. To be truthful, I spent
more time worrying about what might
be
lying on the floor of the bay than
on the fish that were feeding right
in
front of me. To say the least, fear
of injury from a stingray barb had
wrecked my concentration!
Each year, there are an estimated
5,000 stingray attacks in the United
States alone. Most of these
incidents occur through either
carelessness or
ignorance. Though the stingray is
basically very wary and skittish, it
will attack if it is stepped on or
cornered. The resulting injuries can
range from minor stings to severe
lacerations, paralysis, or even
amputation.
The best way to avoid being hit by a
ray is to slide your feet across the
bay floor. By sliding your feet, if
you do happen to bump into a ray, it
is most likely going to either
beeline out of the way or circle
back
behind you and re-bed itself. While
the ray's first and most common
reaction to your presence is getting
out of the way, that circling
tendency can be a real problem if
the wader should take a sudden step
backwards.
Understanding rays and ray behavior
can be helpful to those hoping to
avoid contact. First of all, it pays
to know that the stingray is a
cartilaginous bottom feeding fish
and seeks to hide from predators by
partially burying itself in soft mud
or sand. The Atlantic Stingray,
which
is the most common in our bay
systems, has natural camouflage. It
is
brownish on top with lighter shades
on the edges or wingtips and white
underneath. Atlantic stingrays spend
most of their lives on muddy or
sandy
bottoms. Rays prefer to feed on
crabs, shellfish, shrimp, worms, and
assorted small baitfish. Though the
stingray can tolerate fresh water,
they much prefer the warmer, higher
salinity waters or our bays and
estuaries. Like many other fish,
rays also migrate to deeper water
during
winter months.
The stingray's major defense system,
after natural camouflage, is the
poisonous spine on its tail that has
been documented to be as great as 15
inches in length. This spine is very
sharp and pointed on the tip. The
sides of the spine are
retro-serrated and capable of
causing severe tissue
damage if driven into the flesh of a
victim.
When the stingray's barb is forced
into a victim, a poison that is
contained within the barb's sheath
is released. This poison can produce
a
drastic decrease in blood pressure.
Ray victims usually also exhibit
rapid
pulse, dizziness and sometimes even
go into shock. When the stingray
strikes, it usually embeds its barb
into the flesh of the victim. Next,
it
tries to flee. In fleeing, the ray
either retracts its barb or if its
stuck deeply, breaks it off inside
the wound. When this happens,
doctors
must perform surgery, probing the
injury to make sure all particles
have
been removed. Otherwise, the injury
will not heal properly and could
result in the development of
gangrene.
Here's a list of tips for wade
fisherman who wish to avoid injury
and a
costly trip to the emergency room:
ALWAYS SHUFFLE YOUR FEET: When
you slide your feet, the ray will
usually get out of the way, even if
you bump into it.
NEVER GET IN A HURRY: Always
move slowly.
NEVER STEP BACKWARD: Always
keep your feet moving forward.
INVEST IN A PAIR OF QUALITY,
PROTECTIVE WADING BOOTS: A
good quality boot runs about a $120
bucks but a lot cheaper than a trip
to the ER.
Now, let's talk about some First-Aid
procedures for stingray injuries if
you are not so lucky.
FIRST, SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE: Failure to
have the wound treated by a medical
professional could prove disastrous.
SOAK THE WOUND IN WARM WATER: (Hot
as you can stand) Saltwater is OK if
fresh water is not available.
Outboard exhaust is a good source of
warm water until you reach the dock.
DO NOT APPLY ICE: Both warm water
and ice will ease the pain but ice
causes complications that can make
the wound more difficult to treat.
HANDLE THE WOUNDED AREA WITH THE
GREATEST OF CARE: Wash the injured
area with soap and water. Pour lots
of fresh water over it. If the barb
is tightly embedded, leave it alone!
If pieces of barb or sheath are
visible and easily extracted, do so
carefully. Do not induce bleeding.
DO NOT COVER THE WOUND UNLESS NEEDED
TO STOP HEAVY BLEEDING: Keeping the
wound immersed in warm water is
better than just about any other
First-Aid procedure after the wound
has been cleansed and bleeding has
been stopped.
Though I have waded many miles, I
have been very lucky and have never
been hit by a ray. I have, however,
had my share of close calls and near
misses. Hopefully the information
I've provided here can help other
anglers be as lucky. I'm told that
the pain suffered following a hit is
horribly excruciating and some
victims are actually off their feet
for weeks.
Gulf Coast Connections 9/2001
Capt. Greg Francis
