At the time of writing, the Common Skate (Dipturus batis) is rated as "Critically Endangered", so anglers need to take this into consideration and, ideally, avoid targeting them until numbers recover. Known to play with bait before taking, be sure to not tighten your line too soon when fishing for Common Skate. You'll need a sturdy rod and reel for skate because they are powerful and heavy. Fish of this size and weight have the width across the wings to fully use the suction on the seabed. When fishing from a boat, the tidal pressure on their body and wings can also be used to change direction and suddenly increase rod pressure before diving. Set the hook by winding in any slack and letting the line come tight against the preset drag. When the line comes close to the fish, the rod will begin to take on a more powerful set, and this constant pressure will bring the hook in. To keep the retrieval ratio as high as possible, you need to allow a lot of line to be off the reel spool while maintaining a high line profile. It is also beneficial to have a two-speed reel so that you can lower the speed by putting it in the lowest gear. In this way, when the big skate finally moves you can raise the tip of the rod just a few inches and the low gearing lets you gently inch it up and away from the seabed. Once the fish is well up in the water column, you can switch back to the higher gearing. If you can avoid removing the fish from the water, easier on the bech than a boat, then this is best. However, if you must get it into the boat or onto the rocks, gentle handling is essential in order to avoid hurting or stressing the fish too much. Keep your fingers out of it's mouth and use a tool to remove the hook. Gently return it to the water where it may take a while to recover, but it will swim off eventually.