Louisiana man ‘amazed’ after catching stingray in Mississippi River
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A Louisiana fisherman was “amazed” at what he pulled out of the Mississippi River over the weekend.
William Hammond, 54, of Port Allen said he was fishing around 1 p.m. Sunday, June 30 between Plaquemine and Bayou Goula on the Mississippi River when he caught a stingray.
Hammond said he “thought it was a catfish the way he was fighting.” He said it took about five to seven minutes to reel in the stingray.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Finfish Program Biologist Jason Adriance said what Hammond caught was likely an Atlantic stingray.
“Atlantic stingrays are usually not aggressive, however, anglers should exercise caution when handling them as they have long sharp spines on their tails that inflict painful venomous wounds,” Adriance said.
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Hammond said he was not stung and that this was the first time he ever reeled in a stingray from the Mississippi River.
Adriance said it’s not rare to catch that species of stingray in the Mississippi River.
“Atlantic stingrays are known to occur in fresher as well as saltier waters and occasionally enter Louisiana rivers,” according to Adriance.
Hammond said he plans to clean and cook the stingray on the Fourth of July.
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