Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

[mikeandronda]

Last night I was catfishin on the suwanee river 45 miles up river from the gulf and I caught a sting ray about 15 inches across. I didnt think that much about it being strange because I have seen fresh water Stingray in aquqrium stores in the past. I snaped a few pics and looked it over for a bit with my son then we put it back. After I started telling a few of the locals about it and they all never heard of someone catching a ray in the river I started thinking it was kinda wierd. I looked it up on the net and the only fresh water rays I could find come from Australia.......What would cause a salt water fish to swin 45 miles up river? One thing its really clear on the river right now and I was told the clearer the water the more brackish fish will swim up stream......Only thing I can think of.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

A lot of sharks and rays are very tolerant of brackish and even fresh water. Catching one in a river isn't at all unusual, even if a rare event.

Bull sharks, for example, have been caught hundreds of miles up the Mississippi. There's even a story of one that was caught a couple of years ago in Minnesota. I'm not kidding, but sharks and rays can travel quite a distance up a river in search of food.

Add: Here's a link to a story, with photos, of the Minnesota sharks:

http://www.nokomiseast.org/yard/light/creeksharks.html

 

[sunaj]

Re: Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

Bullheads can live in salt or freshwater

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

Add: Here's a link to a story, with photos, of the Minnesota sharks:

http://www.nokomiseast.org/yard/light/creeksharks.html

Aren't you a few months late on posting this story? I mean, it is from early April.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

I think the point of the link was to show salt waters critters do go into fresh water.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

That was probably a skate which is also a salt water fish. Over the years I have caught flounder and croaker while crappie fishing in our coastal rivers.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

I think the point of the link was to show salt waters critters do go into fresh water.

From the bottom of the page linked to

Any resemblance in the above story to actual fact may be coincidental and could be disregarded, depending on your mood. April Fools!

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Caught a Stingray...........In Fresh water?

Taklewasher.....gotcha

bhile I was thinking it could be a skate.......it did have a little point on the front......