Hello all...some of you may know me as a relatively new member
of the NAHC.

I have a question about some rays that I've seen here in NW
Florida (specifically, from theDestin bridge, while cast-net fishing for
mullet, in the East Pass. The Destin bridge is around 35' (or so I'm
told) around where I fished{1}****il my bridge net got too old---I no
longer have the equipment to make the lead weights to finish making my
new one). From that height, back before I retired that net, I used to see
HUGE rays come through in groups at certain times between June and
November (probably was sometime around August to October, but my memory
isn't clear on this, and the month when I'd see these monsters varied.

The rays I saw were both Manta Rays and either Stingrays or something
that resembles a Stingray closely enough to be confused with one. They
moved in groups (less than 10), and appeared from that height to be
around 25 to 30 feet (wingspan). I've been trying to find a species of
saltwater Singray that even approaches that wingspan, and from what I've
read, there are none that come even remotely close. Does anyone have any
idea what these might have been? Again, they closely resemble a Stingray
(tail, roundish body, and all). The more I think about it, the more
curious I am.

Thanks,
   --jim (aka Spooky)

PS: This year, I plan on using my dock net (a tiny 10 foot 10;5 lb cast
    net) with the handline from my bridge net, and will also be buying a
    rod/reel for the other type of fishing. Favorites: mullet (silvers
    for frying, black mullet for smoking/grilling and from there, making
    mullet dip), sheepshead, speck, and, though I've yet to keep one in
    the net long enough to pull it up, redfish. Sheepshead are also tough
    to hold onto---I had one in the net once that was dead center in the
    net as it fell, and when my net was about 3 inches from the bottom,
    he turned on his side and slipped right under the leadline and out of
    the net. All I could do was tip my hat and acknowledge that it didn't
    get that big by being stupid......