Have any of you guys used sting ray shin guards or any other type of protection against this potentially painful and immobolizing possibility?

Have you ever stepped on a ray and had this happen? I've heard some HORROR stories.

I bought a pair of Foreverlast ray guard boots with the shields attached. http://www.foreverlast.com/RayGuard.htm Used them for a couple of days of wading in the Chandeleurs last month and they were great. Seem pretty tough and were pretty comfortable. Definitely felt secure in them - like you could wade through anything not that I'd recommend putting it to the test.

Academy stocks them.

My brother uses those Rayguards too. He really likes them. I think Hodgeman makes some like that too that are a little less $$$ and they have them at Sportmans Warehouse.

I have these and feel they are pretty secure.



[This message has been edited by pedro_martinez (edited 6/9/2006 11:51a).]

The Everlast work good and can double for snake leggins for your kiddos if you ever need them..

We were always told to just shuffle our feet instead of taking actual steps. Don't know if that's right or wrong, but we never got hit and on more than one occasion you'd shuffle into one and it would scurry off.

What Goose said. We always were told to drag our feet.

I've always done that as well, but I was fishing the other day out at San Louis Pass when a guy told me a story that gave me chills. He was about half a mile away from his truck when he stepped on a ray and the barb went through his calf and shattered the bones. Getting back to his truck was a miracle and he doesn't even remember the ride to the hospital (he was the one driving).

Point of the story, I don't want that to happen to me.

I have the hodgmans got em at bass pro shops for about 70 bucks about 4-5 years ago. After catchin the damn things and bringing em up on the shore and lookin at the barbs I'm not sure anything is truly sting ray proof. I used to shuffle my feet but have gotten lazy in the past few years and don't. The key I think is not to step back when you set the hook because I think they feed on everything you kick up as you walk.

Hard to step "on" them when you are sliding your feet. Boots or shin guards aren't a bad idea, but going slow and sliding your feet will accomplish the same thing.

Those ray guards are a nice product, but it's a trade off, IMHO.

If you wear the ray-guards:
pros: Piece of mind (a very important factor that only you can judge) & ADDED protection (these things ARE NOT 100 % ray proof, I've seen guys hit while wearing them).

con: I've found these boots to be very uncomfortable & heavy, especially in mud.

Even if you have the guards, you still need to shuffle your feet to avoid rays. If you still have to shuffle your feet, I feel you might as well wear a boot that is more comfortable ( I recently switched to Simms from the foreverlast & DAMN they are comfortable). If your boot is more comfortable, you will stay in the water longer, wade longer, & cover more water (which equals more fish). As we all know, that's all that reallly matters.

Just my two cents.

Ditto what SW Assasin said. I bought them for the peace of mind and extra protection but don't let the things fool you...I would bet a barb might still penetrate if hit just right. I've always shuffled in the past and will continue to do so, even with the boots on. Also I've just used them on very solid sand - haven't gotten into that boot sucking mud yet so we'll see how that works out.

I wade fish alot and am terrible about shuffling my feet despite knowing how important it is. I also flounder gig alot at night, and if you've ever done that, you know just HOW DAM MANY of those things are in the water. In all honesty, despite trying to shuffle my feet, I'm shocked that myself and others don't get hit more. I'm also considering investing in them cause I know that if I keep wade-fishing, I just feel that eventually it will happen.

So, it seems like none of you guys have ever been hit. Have you ever heard of anyone that has? Was it bad? I'm also more surprised that it doesn't happen more often.

I have a buddy who was hit a couple years back out of Rockport. Went through the side of his foot near his pinky toe. He said it hurt like holy hell. It was early in the morning and he went back in to his place and I think he called the doc and I don't know what they told him or what he did for it but he wound up going back out wading that afternoon. He told me since then he's talked to a few guys who have told him if you ever get hit by one to rub it down w/ a bar of soap and flush it near the exhaust (where the water cycles out- I'm not sure if its called exhaust) on your motor and it will help a lot. He still wades w/ just the regular old low wading shoes.

I have at least one pair of every wading boot known to man. The Ray Guard makes you feel very secure but they are the heaviest most uncomfortable boot I have ever owned. I normally wade in very shallow water and I really like an Orvis low top Christmas Island Flats boot. If it's muddy I usually wear a Patagonia Marlwalker. It is a lace up and is very comfortable.
I have not been stung but I know a lot of people that have. Most of them changed to some type of protected boot for a while but slowly migrated back to a more comfortable boot.
If it happens, a paste made from Adolph's Meat Tenderizer & Vinegar helps....a little.

[This message has been edited by sunchaser (edited 6/8/2006 7:47p).]

I've never been hit before, and have looked for a pair of "ray-proof" boots, but I can't find them in my size (14 or 15)

I shuffle my feet, and hope for the best.

**Edit- I see everlast does come in my size***

[This message has been edited by Jeremiah Johnson (edited 6/8/2006 8:27p).]

My dad was struck by one a few years back. The only time I have seen him cry. Lots of ice and benedryl coupled with a trip to the clinic and he was his old self by the evening. He described it as the most painful thing to ever happen to him.

Hot water for the pain. A buddy of mine was hit - top of thumb knuckle (don't ask) - a few years ago. He said it wasn't too bad immediately after the hit but five minutes later he said it felt like someone had hit him in the armpit with a baseball bat. In another five minutes he was seeing stars. ...immediately headed for the marina. Once there he was given a styrofoam cup of very hot water - stuck the thumb in it and he said that most of the pain immediately went away. He had a 100+ mile ride home so stopped at convenience stores on the way to nuke his water. Got a load of antibiotics and other meds when he went to the doc. ...still has a pretty good scar.

I started carrying heat packs on the boat after that. ...don't know if they'll help or not - haven't ever used one. I have heard that hot water from the tattle tale has been used by some to help with the pain while out in the bay.

Oh - and I use the Foreverlast Ray Guards. I've kicked up rays while sliding my feet but never stepped on one or got hit. ...did get banged in the calves by a blacktip one time (with the boots on) - but that's another story (no damage if you don't count my underwear).

MA

[This message has been edited by Mowdy Ag (edited 6/9/2006 11:18a).]

Wow, how big was the black tip? Did it bite you?

I think I read that female rays will guard their nest in the Spring and are much more reluctant to move where normally they'd just shove off.

Do sting rays die if their barb gets broken off in someone's leg?

The shark was about four feet long - big enough to do some serious damage if it wanted to. I was hand-landing a speck in chest deep clear water in the surf at Cedar Bayou a few years ago. I had turned sideways to the surf and had my feet spread a little to brace myself. He hit be from behind just as I grabbed the speck. No bite - but its pecs hit both calves hard enough to almost knock me down - then I felt another slap on the right calf - its tail. It actually swam between my legs. If I hadn't had the boots on I would have probably lost some skin. I guess it had followed the speck in looking for an easy meal & I messed up its plans. I kind of lost interest in fishing for a while that morning.

I don't think losing the barb has any effect on the ray. When I was a kid, it was fairly common practice for people to chop the entire tail off before unhooking and releasing them. I saw a few bob-tailed sting rays caught in Copano.

MA

[This message has been edited by Mowdy Ag (edited 6/9/2006 2:02p).]

We used to just cut the barb off.

Mowdy Ag- I'm guessing the hot water trick is the reason my buddy was told to put the injured area near the water exhaust on the motor.

bam - that's probably true. I've also read elsewhere that heat (hot water in particular) is the best way to control the pain.

MA

[This message has been edited by Mowdy Ag (edited 6/9/2006 5:00p).]

I got hit in the summer of '92 in South Padre.
Worst pain I've ever felt in my life. Nothing even comes close. I imagine that's what getting shot feels like. It hit my right foot on the inside and just forward of my heel (nice and fleshy). The split second it hit me it almost felt like a pinch (the first thought I had was that I was getting pinched by a crab) That lasted about 3 seconds before the "HOLY *%^#!!!!" pain set in. I staggered out of the water and ran towards my buddy and mother (I was 18 at the time). My mother nearly fainted because the barb had severed a vein of some sort because it was spurting blood as my heart beat. I remember laying on my back in the sand just clenching my fists as hard as I could to take my mind off of the pain. The nearest doctor was across the bay in Port Isabel. LONGEST. CAR. RIDE. EVER.
I still have a neat little scar to remind me of that day.
If I were a wade fisherman I would DEFINITELY buy a ray guard of some sort.



"Now the thing that I call living is just being satisfied with knowing I've got no one left to blame"

I've used ray boots before and they tore and cut up my shins, so I don't wear them any more, especially in light of vibrio.

Would love to know about something comfortable though, because that extra peace of mind is nice.

I understand hot water--as hot as you can stand--will denature the nerve toxin, and the pain will go away soon.

Rays will almost always try to get out of the way unless you come up on them too fast or the water is too murky. If you go slow and shuffle, they have all the time in the world to move unless the water is too murky. I have never been hit, but I know a guy who got hit through the top of his shoe. The barb went through the top of his shoe and lodged in his foot. Luckily he was wading the seawall and was able to drive himself to UTMB. I am also a diver, and it isn't uncommon to see rays swimming around with shorter tails where they have lost their barb or had the tail damaged in some way. They are very skittish of divers as well, and it is rare to get within 20 feet of one in clear water before it spooks and takes off.

EVA - mine chafed my shins too. I had some bicycle leggings (worn below bike shorts in cold weather). They're a stretchy blend of nylon and lycra and run from the ankle to the knee. I tried wearing them under the boots & it was much more comfortable - stopped the chaffing too. You should be able to find some at a bike shop.

MA

Mine are comfy.

I got hit by a sting ray one night in port a at about 3am, thought I got the barb out.... Obviously didnt. Staph infection and a week in the hospital.... Still have a 4 inch scar on my ankle... It is the worst pain ever...

[This message has been edited by JCHRebel21 (edited 6/10/2006 8:40p).]

Are sting ray barbs poisonous?

[This message has been edited by Moron (edited 6/11/2006 11:52a).]

No but they are covered in all sorts of nasty stuff. After spending a week in the hospital and 2 months not being able to walk I have learned a few things from doctors and personal experience when it comes to sting rays.
1. If you do get hit go somewhere and get that crap cleaned out by a pro, dont be a dumb crap like me and try and drink the pain off and pour a little Peroixde on it.. it wont work.
2. Do the sting ray shuffle, drag your feet while walking, dont just step down.
3. This one is probably the most important, stay the hell away from them, it is the worst pain you will ever feel.


My sting ray got me between the bone and achilles. Almost went out the other side. Dr. said another half a CM and he would have had to cut off my foot. Moral of the story, stay the hell away from them. lol

I got hit a few years ago in the surf at Cedar bayou near Rockport. Not fun.

I've got the boot/shin guard combo and also a pair of "ray proof" boots that I wear with the separate shin guards. I much prefer the separate set up. The one piece boots are just too uncomfortable.