Big rays caught at Sand Point

A number of large thornback rays have been caught over the past week at Sand Point.

The Bristol Channel boasts some of the best ray fishing in the country and a good number of large thornback rays have been landed over the past week from Sand Point.

There are four main species of ray that can be found in the channel, thornback, small-eyed, blonde and spotted.

The thornback has bred really well in recent years and would seem to be becoming a resident fish to this end of the Bristol Channel.

Anglers believe that the increase in numbers of thornbacks locally is a lot down to warmer water temperatures in the estuary, this has kept an abundance of natural food source here for the ray.

Weston Outcasts Sea Angling Club held a roving shore competition between Brean Down and Littleton-upon-Severn

The top five anglers all landed large thornback rays from the Sand Point area of the competition. The larger specimens of the day weighed in between the 12-13lb mark, which is a good size for this particular species.