Thornback Ray species guide • Sea fish • Easy (5/10)

Thornback Ray junior fishing guide

Raja clavata

A clear, plain-English guide to thornback ray 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 Thornback Ray 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

5–15 lb common to both shore and boat anglers.

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

🐟

Beginner baits

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

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

Typical venues: Sandy and muddy ground in estuaries and open coasts.
Scroll down for detailed tackle setups, methods and parent-friendly guidance.
Catch your first thornback ray with confidence

Catch your first Thornback Ray 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 Thornback Ray

Thornback Rays have a kite-shaped body covered in spines. They are popular shore and boat targets and give steady, heavy resistance when hooked.

Junior tip

Use fish or squid baits on strong mono traces and keep the rod low when the ray kites in the tide. Support the fish carefully by the wings for photos.

Logged a Thornback Ray 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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