FISHING WITH BARHAM
Spurdogs are not only a winter target.
Once the most abundant small-shark species found in European waters, commercial pressure at the back end of the 1990s decimated spurdog populations to the point where catching one was considered something of a rarity. Thanks to the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (SSACN), who won EU protective legislation, spurdogs have made a magnificent recovery, with lots of them being caught and released all over the country each year.
Along the south coast, the main run of spurdogs is from November through to the end of February, and it’s during these winter months that you stand the best chance of connecting with a 20lb-plus specimen. However, during the summer you can target spurs from most areas, including the Welsh coast and Scottish lochs. One of the most consistent places for decent summer spurdogs is off the coast of the Isle of Man.
IDENTIFICATION
The upper body of a spurdog is usually grey or a dark charcoal colour and covered in small white spots, with its underside white. Often referred to as a ‘spiney dogfish’ around the world, the most noticeable feature is a protruding spine (spur) at the front of each of the two dorsal fins. You need to be extra cautious of these when handling a fish on deck because they can inflict a rather nasty injury.
Spurdogs can be found in depths to well over 500 metres, and they feed from the midto-bottom layers in large packs – it’s quite common for anglers fishing the Scottish lochs to catch their spurdogs midwater, rather than hard on the bottom.
The spurdog is a slow-growing shark, with females pregnant for more than 18 months and giving birth to between one and twenty live pups, which are between 20cm to 30cm at birth. Females mature at 70cm to 100cm, while the males mature at 55cm to 60cm.
TACKLING UP
Spurdogs provide great sport on light tackle, but unlike smoothhounds, they are often found in deeper water, so it is usually the depth of water and tidal flow that determines how much lead weight you require, and that will reflect what gear you will need to fish effectively.
Sometimes, fishing marks like the famous Holyhead Deep, you can get away with using a light spinning rod and fixed-spool reel loaded with 20lb braid. This combo allows you to use just 4oz of lead weight to get your bait down to the seabed.
However, as a general rule, you should go for a 12lb or 20lb-class boat rod with a suitable multiplier reel loaded with 30lb braid, plus a 40lb leader, which will cover you for most situations.
ESSENTIAL RIG
The most important part of your armoury is your rig, for the simple reason that spurdogs have lots of tiny, sharp teeth.
It’s no use using a 30lb or 40lb trace, such as you would for summer smoothhounds, because a spurdog of any size will make short work of that. It is generally considered that 80lb breaking strain mono is the minimum you should use, with many anglers opting for 100lb to be safe.
In Scotland, they like to use a length of glow-in-the-dark tubing directly above the hook. This also acts to help protect the line, but the main reason why it is used is because of the luminous qualities. In the deep-water lochs, it works a real treat – even the shore anglers use it to great effect.
You don’t need to use a complicated trace either. A simple running leger made from 3ft of 100lb mono with a strong size 6/0 hook on the end is all you really need.
TOP BAITS
Spurdogs tend to feed on fish baits more than anything else. They are known to eat prawns and crabs, but much prefer fish like herring and mackerel, and also squid.
To go well prepared for a trip, you should ensure that you have some decent blast-frozen squid, plus some frozen mackerel and a good supply of frozen sandeels or launce.
One of the best baits for big spurs is a cocktail of mackerel and a sandeel. There’s something about the combination of these two fish baits that the big spurs just can’t resist – and it has been proven on countless occasions to outfish other baits.
THE BITE AND FIGHT
Spurdogs can be finicky and give the shyest of bites, but, for the most part, they will snaffle your bait and then run off in the tide – just like any other shark. It is important to slacken off your drag and turn on the ratchet alarm so that a hooked fish can take line from the reel – just in case your back is turned and you don’t see the initial bite. The last thing you want is to have your prized rod and reel pulled over the side of the boat.
Playing a decent spurdog to the safety of the waiting net is just as exciting as the initial bite. A decent spur will make many dives and take line repeatedly, especially when it nears the surface, even from a tight drag. So be prepared for numerous hard runs before the fish is ready to give up.
Dave Roberts reports on a spurdog session at Ilfracombe – check it out on page 60. ■