Dave Lewis picks five less common species that, with a little planning, you can tick off your species list. Here’s how, when and where to target them
Almost all sea anglers I know enjoy catching the unusual, the unexpected, a new species to add to their life list. And when it comes to new species size really doesn’t matter, as you’ll likely get the same buzz from boating some obscure species of goby or blenny, as you would catching a much larger fish. Species hunting is all about the tick, the challenge is to catch something different.
There are two ways you can add to your species life list. The first is blind luck, the second being a targeted approach. If you fish often enough then it’s a fair bet that from time to time you’ll catch a new species, and this is an approach that works for many. However, an increasing number of anglers want to set out specifically to catch a new species; these are the guys we label as ‘species hunters’.
Catching a new species by design relies upon many factors, key amongst which is location, location and location. In this article I have chosen five species that in themselves are not rare, rather they are rarely or at least not frequently caught by sea anglers. Each of these five species can, with a little planning, be fished for with an excellent chance of success. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time.
And late summer and early autumn is absolute prime time for catching many of our more unusual species. So this year why not have a go at catching one?
UNDULATE RAY
The undulate ray is a popular target species with both boat and shore anglers. They are found throughout the eastern Atlantic ranging from Ireland to the Gulf of Guinea, including the Mediterranean. Undulate ray are easy to distinguish from other rays by the distinct colouring on their back, which consists of waved bands along with numerous small white patches.
Around the British Isles undulate ray are very localised in distribution. It wasn’t that many years ago that they were a rare catch. In 2009 the EU designated the species endangered, and the commercial landing of undulates was banned. As a direct result of this legislation the population of undulate ray recovered well, and in certain areas they can now be targeted with a high degree of success. The species has an average size of between 8-12b.
In many areas undulate ray can be caught year-round, but most fish are caught from spring through until the autumn. Undulates can be caught over a wide range of different types of seabed but are most consistently found in areas where the bottom consists of a mix of mud and sand, along with occasional patches of rougher ground. They can be caught in water ranging from just a few feet deep – many are caught from the shore – to depths of well over
