How to Catch Freshwater Stingray in Singapore

How to Catch Freshwater Stingray in Singapore

Catching freshwater stingray in Singapore is a little different as compared to catching the regular bass or snakehead. Originally released by members of public, freshwater stingrays can be found in most of Singapore’s reservoirs and canals. These rays are considered an invasive species to our reservoirs and have since been growing and breeding in our waters.

Motoro Stingray

The one common type of stingray that can be found in Singapore’s freshwater is the Motoro Stingray. 

Motoro stingrays have been spotted in local reservoirs since at least 2006. They large species and can grow up to 36 inches in diameter (1m) and weigh over 10 kilos

Motoro Stingrays are always found sitting at the reservoir bed thus making topwater lures and minnows impractical. Motoro rays are more active at night and will tend to come to shallower waters thus making it easier to catch them in the darkness.

How to catch a Motoro Singray

As Motoro Stingrays are mostly bottom feeders.
They feed on small fish, worms and crustaceans.

Lures;
The recommended lures to use for these rays are sinking pencils, rubbers and jigs. Bouncing these lures on the riverbed can entice the ray into thinking that it is a small fish thus taking the lure. This method of fishing however may cause inexperienced anglers to lose many lures as they can easily get stuck to any debris underwater.

Baiting
For baiting, single apollo rigs are recommended along with any kind of meat or seafood as bait. Motoro Rays will get attracted to the bait by smell and thus getting them to strike. It is good to keep in mind that only sinking lures and rigs will work for catching these Rays as they are always only found on the bottom. 

Handling The Stingray
When handling these creatures, one must always be careful of its barbed tail. The barbs in a Ray’s tails contains deadly poisons that can cause severe injury. Thus, it is always advised to handle these fish with a bogar and a long pair of pliers while dehooking. Furthermore, it is also good to keep a pair of gloves while having direct contact with these rays. Lastly, do not step into the waters without and protective leg gear as there may be one of them by your feet at anytime. 

Fishing for these elusive creatures may pose a challenge at first due to the change in methods of luring and the increased activity of this creature at night. One recommendation for catching these rays is to bring a torchlight at night to spot them. Most of these Rays are not shy towards light and will stay where they are thus giving you more time to try and catch them

You should also not release captive stingrays into our reservoirs. They harmed both the animals and the aquatic ecosystem. These animals may not survive and those few that are able to do so disrupt the ecological balance of the natural habitats by competing with the native species for resources.