IDENTITY PARADE
Fishing for smoothhounds.
There are 28 species of smoothhound (or Mustelus to give them their proper name), two of which were believed to visit our shores, the starry (Mustelus asterias) and the common (Mustelus mustelus). However, recent research has suggested that it is probable that only one type actually frequents British waters.
Of around 800 specimens of ‘both’ species of hounds caught around our shores for a scientific programme, DNA testing proved that all of them were the starry variety. Strangely, the surveys showed that even though some of the hounds caught had no apparent spots, they were still starry hounds.
Though further tests are now being conducted, it seems fairly certain that the common smoothhound does not venture this far north. That version tends not to have any stars or spots on its back, unlike the starry, which, as its name suggests, sports many quite bold stars.
The two species are very different genetically, with the starry giving birth to egg sacs, while the common bears live youngsters.
Interestingly, the British records for both species seemed remarkably similar at around 28lb. We will have to keep a look out for the conclusions to this research for the final outcome.
BOAT FISHING: TIME & PLACE
If it’s non-stop action you are looking for from your day afloat, you could do no better than target one of our most sporting of species, the smoothhound.
Whatever type of hound we think they are, we catch loads of them from charter boats, private boats and kayaks – and great fun they are too!
During the spring and summer, large packs of these sporty mini-sharks flood into my area, the Bristol Channel, with many specimens topping the magical 20lb mark. These hungry hounds will home in on the many areas of rough ground in search of the crustaceans that abound here.
Take a look at their mouth and notice the lack of sharp, tearing teeth normally associated with members of the shark family. Their sleek profile and large powerful fins give them all it takes to earn their sporting reputation.
Being primarily a crab-eating species, their jaws are specially designed to make short work of the armoury of most crustaceans.
The larger packs of hounds usually consist of smaller fish up to around 10lb. These fish often hunt very close inshore, while their larger counterparts tend to be more solitary and spend more time in deeper water.
Hounds can be found almost anywhere, though they seem to hunt in areas of rough ground, such as rocky outcrops or coral ridges. Anywhere that a crab or two may be lurking is the sort of place to look for the smoothie. I like to anchor my boat on an area of clean ground adjacent to such an underwater feature. This way, our bait’s scent trail will invariably attract the foraging hounds to our baits.