Skate and Rays

Very few Scottish charter boats will drop the anchor preferring to spend the day drifting over marks. Local anglers have developed techniques…

Ronnie Campbell has been involved in common skate fishing around Oban for many years. His expertise in the targeting, capture and release…

The undulate ray has the typical kite shape with rounded tips to the wings and a shortish snout. The back and snout are covered with short spines.

The body of the thornback ray has the kite shape that is typical of the skates and rays. As its name suggests it has thorns on its upper surface particularly from the root of the tail down to the dorsal fins at its tip.

The spotted ray has a concave, curved snout and the typical ray wings. The young spotted ray has small spines on the upper surface near the front edge and in the adults these extend further back.

The small eyed ray has rounded wing tips and a shortish snout. As its name suggests it has comparatively small eyes.

The cuckoo ray is one of the rarer of the European rays and has the typical ray shape with comparatively large rounded pectoral fins. There is a double line of spines down the tail and rear of the back.

The blonde ray has the common Rajidae kite shape with a relatively thick body and a short snout. The tips of the pectoral fins are angular and there are a line of spines down the mid-line of the tail.

The stingray has the typical rhomboid body shape of a ray but lacks any dorsal fins. Instead it has one or more serrated spines at the base of the thick section of the tail which them tapers quickly into a long, whip like shape.

This is the largest of the skates found in European waters. It has a fairly long snout which leads to the front edge of the wing or disc being concave in shape.