Redfish ride Rays: Why is chum so damn effective? Face it; gamefish are born opportunist. Even a rank amateur angler can toss some bait in the water and bring fish arunning. Its a snap. No wonder chumming is a huge deal here in Florida. It pays dividends like nothing else. No skill required.
Are redfish opportunists? Of course. And that’s why redfish ride rays. As a stingray wanders slowly along, its wings inevitably kick up the bottom. Its typically a cloud of silt and sand, but mixed in are little delicacies that redfish love. Shrimp, crabs, crustaceans, marine worms. Yes, its a smorgasbord of yummy seafood delights. A natural chum line.
Redfish ride Rays
When you see a big stingray coming down the beach, hold your fire for a moment. There may be reds right behind the ray. Expect them to be only a foot or two back, ready to pounce on anything the ray uncovers. Could be one red; could be two or more. Hard to say.
If you see reds, immediately drop your fly over the ray’s backs. One twitch is all it should take. Most of the time, reds riding rays are on red alert. God, that was an awful pun. But these ray riding reds tend to be super aggressive, and grab anything they see. Hey they’re opportunist. In fact the red in the picture was caught last evening by my friend Dave. You guessed it. This red was riding a ray. By the way spotted seatrout, and snook can ride rays too.
