The perfect Big Hammer Bait

Legal ,fairly easy to snag and available around Florida most of the year ,a plate sized ray is the perfect enticement for the MONSTER hammers that patrol the beaches of Florida.Some of the shark fishermen that fish the keys bridges will prefer a live barracuda but the ray is smaller in size and slower then a cuda therefore easier for a shark to catch and devour.Sometimes the Southern stingray or cow nose rays can be found in much bigger sizes in which case we often cut them up into smaller more ideal size to use as bait.Sometimes on the bridges I will snag a large stingray (cut in 3 sections-mid plus two wings)hang the mid section on a rope with the blood and guts dripping into the outgoing current as an added way to draw the shark to the stingrays wing bait on my hooks.If there multiple stingrays in the area and you can hang one down alive but bleeding and float a smaller one out alive it's almost a guranteed shark.Some monster sharks can be attracted on the bridges and piers this way and if it's day time you will often see the hammerhead shark or it's fin come up in the current as it homes in on the struggling live ray or wing. On a live ray we like to use two hooks size depending on the rays overall size .you have to watch your line and where the ray is swimming because often they will tend to swim back in and under the structure you're on so the secret is to set them out in the current with just the right tension on your fishing line so they will swim back and forth without sinking to the bottom or swimming under on you.Remember a live thrashing and bloody bait is always the most ideal way to attract a PROWLING HUNGRY MONSTER SHARK.

Big Will preparing a live ray for deployment in the current

the lively one goes over with a ballon and a bottle


Big Will letting the current take out the perfect hammer bait

The perfect size for three baits(midsection and 2 wings)

Jimmy with a Florida keys flats caught stingray