Common Skate species guide • Sea fish • Easy (5/10)

Common Skate junior fishing guide

Dipturus intermedia / flossada complex

A clear, plain-English guide to common skate for parents, coaches and juniors. See where they live, the best starter tackle, simple bait choices and a three-step plan to help young anglers catch their first one safely.

🎣 View starter tackle setups 📋 Log a Common Skate catch
Junior-first & welfare-aware • 3-step beginner plan • UK venues & seasons
Skill & size • Seasons • Beginner baits

Skill level

Easy (5/10)

Great for coached juniors and confident beginners.

Best time

Spring–Autumn

Pick mild, settled days for junior sessions.

Typical size

Can exceed 100 lb; very large ray species.

Always match hooks, nets & lines to expected fish size.

Common Skate

Beginner baits

Bluey (blue whiting), Herring / sprat, Mackerel strip …

Keep it simple — small hook baits, little-and-often feeding.

Typical venues: Deep offshore marks in Scottish and Irish waters.
Scroll down for detailed tackle setups, methods and parent-friendly guidance.
Catch your first common skate with confidence

Catch your first Common Skate in 3 steps

A simple, repeatable plan juniors can follow with help from a parent, coach or older angler.

  1. Step 1

    Introduce rays with safety in mind

    Rays can be large, heavy and in the case of stingrays, dangerous. Junior involvement should focus on watching and helping experienced adults.

  2. Step 2

    Use strong tackle and large landing gear

    Heavy rods, big nets or careful beaching techniques are essential. Avoid dragging rays far up the beach and keep sessions organised and calm.

  3. Step 3

    Explain tail safety and conservation

    Teach juniors to stay clear of tails, especially on stingrays, and to support rays under the wings if moved briefly. Stress catch-and-release and photo-only policies for big species.

Tackle setups that work

Designed with juniors and fish welfare in mind. Start with an IDEAL or GOOD setup for easier casting and safe unhooking.

👉 Swipe sideways to view different setups.

Boat Rod

Beginner tip: These fish are **coach only** targets – emphasise safety, harness use where relevant and careful release.

IDEAL

Rod: 6–8 ft 12–30 lb class boat rod (uptide/downtide depending on venue).

Reel: Boat multiplier filled with 30–50 lb braid.

Line: 30–50 lb braid mainline with appropriate mono leader or rubbing trace.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Strong mono or wire traces"
  • "Large hooks"
  • "Heavy leads matched to tide"]

Extras

  • ["Fighting harness where needed"
  • "Heavy-duty landing gear"
  • "Long-handled t-bar or disgorger"]

Heavy boat setup for deep-water species, rays and sharks – always with skipper / coach supervision.

Downtide Rod

Beginner tip: These fish are **coach only** targets – emphasise safety, harness use where relevant and careful release.

IDEAL

Rod: 6–8 ft 12–30 lb class boat rod (uptide/downtide depending on venue).

Reel: Boat multiplier filled with 30–50 lb braid.

Line: 30–50 lb braid mainline with appropriate mono leader or rubbing trace.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Strong mono or wire traces"
  • "Large hooks"
  • "Heavy leads matched to tide"]

Extras

  • ["Fighting harness where needed"
  • "Heavy-duty landing gear"
  • "Long-handled t-bar or disgorger"]

Heavy boat setup for deep-water species, rays and sharks – always with skipper / coach supervision.

Uptide Rod

Beginner tip: These fish are **coach only** targets – emphasise safety, harness use where relevant and careful release.

IDEAL

Rod: 6–8 ft 12–30 lb class boat rod (uptide/downtide depending on venue).

Reel: Boat multiplier filled with 30–50 lb braid.

Line: 30–50 lb braid mainline with appropriate mono leader or rubbing trace.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Strong mono or wire traces"
  • "Large hooks"
  • "Heavy leads matched to tide"]

Extras

  • ["Fighting harness where needed"
  • "Heavy-duty landing gear"
  • "Long-handled t-bar or disgorger"]

Heavy boat setup for deep-water species, rays and sharks – always with skipper / coach supervision.

About the Common Skate

Common Skate are enormous rays that live in deep water. They are a protected species and strictly a catch-and-release target for experienced boat anglers.

Junior tip

Use Common Skate mainly as an example of conservation and big-fish care when teaching juniors, rather than as a fish to target.

Logged a Common Skate recently?

Add a catch report so juniors can see where they’re being caught, which baits work and how your tackle was set up.

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Want to discover more species? Browse the full species guide.

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