Fish guide
Skates (non-target)
Little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) and other skates. Also called Skate.
Takes baited hooks readily, especially bass baits on the bottom. Listed so you can identify it. Not a target.
Showing the fish for Maine coast, ME.
Season in Maine
Maine DMR: little skates move into shallower water as it warms in spring and back to deeper water in winter, over sand to gravel bottom. No month data. (Our inference)
Season by region
| Long Island | JFMAMJJASOND |
|---|---|
| Maine | JFMAMJJASOND |
| New Hampshire | JFMAMJJASOND |
| North Shore MA | JFMAMJJASOND |
Where to find them
Any sandy bottom from the surf to the bays, on bottom baits.
Bottom.
Handling
- Rough, thorny skin
Unhook with pliers or cut the line close to the hook and slide it back into the water.
Keep or release
Release.
Typical: 16 to 20 in. Large: 21 in (largest recorded little skate).
Limits
FishOS has not checked the ME limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Maine Department of Marine Resources before you keep a fish.
Sources
- Maine DMR species sheet: Little Skate (Official source)
- Bigelow and Schroeder, Fishes of the Gulf of Maine (online text): little skate (Official source)