I think we have all pulled in a skate or two now and then . I wanted to know from you guys whether you have heard about juvie skates as Striper bait... any stories on this.. also, can anyone, who has the time, give me a source for detail pictures of skates.. All my books are down the cape.
I'm pretty sure that those little pouch-type things you sometimes find on the beach are skate eggs, so perhaps the juvie skates inhabit the same waters as the adults. If you know any snorklers or SCUBA divers you may want to ask if they've ever seen them.
John,
I checked Fishbase.org on the skates and i believe the skate we see most often is raja eglanteria or Clear-Nose Skate. You can read more about it HERE .
My wife and I were up on the Cape a few years back and we were doing some beachcombing and found many skate egg pouchs (look like shark casings) that were still intact, we opened several of them up and they contained skate embryo's (sp) with the egg sacks still attached. So I would think that the bass would eat these just like any other meal they come across. Might you be thinking about a skate fly?
Folly Cove on the Gloucester/Rockport line used to have lots of skates, sometimes quite small.
Used to get small stuff for people who had saltwater aquariums.
NOTE: I haven't scuba dived for 10 years.
As for pics of juvie skates...can't help there.
Do have some u/w slides of skates buried in a closet somewhere.
R. eglanteria, like all skates, is oviparious. Eggs, often called "mermaids purses," are usually laid in multiple pairs at intervals ranging from 1 to 13 days. Eggs range in size from 2 to 3.5 inches (5cm to 8.9cm) long and 1.5 to 2.25 inches (3.8cm to 5.7cm) wide. In Florida, eggs are laid from December through May. A single female may lay up to 66 eggs in one season. Egg incubation is thought to last at least three months but may decrease later in the season. Newly hatched skates have a disc width between 3.3 to 4.1 inches (8.4cm to 10.5cm) and total length between 5.1 to 5.9 inches (13cm and 15cm). Scientist have noted that clearnose skate eggs fail to develop in water warmer than 75.2°F (24°C).
Google search string: juvenile raja eglanteria
Now, lets see what striblue comes up with for a pattern.
Wow... those juvie descriptions are Big.... 5 inches long and 3 to 5 wide!!!!!..If they are in those egg sacks... they must be smaller... but I guess those are the sizes when they start to look like the adult.... What to Do?
Was gonna mention similar to rolson's reply...
...try a search for raja ocellata....scientific name for local skates.
I'm sure that after seeing striblue's little flounders, he'll make an awesome looking little skate.
John,
The ones the wife and I found were doable in fly form. Only about 3-5" long and maybe 1-2 in. wide with egg sack still attached. These were all still inside the "Mermaids Purse" when we found them at the high water mark.
Mike M.
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