Species of the Month: Smoothhound (Mustelus asterias)

Catching smoothhounds doesn’t require overly complicated rigs or exotic bait. A simple pulley rig does the job beautifully—strong, streamlined, and effective over rough and clean sea beds. Bait-wise, you can’t go wrong with peeler crab or prawns. These natural baits are irresistible to smoothhounds, which are naturally drawn to areas rich in crustacean life.

My go-to hook for targeting smoothhounds is the Varivas Full Circle in 4/0 size, fished on a dongle. This hook is absolutely ideal—it’s incredibly sharp, just the right gauge for secure hook-ups, and performs superbly under pressure. It’s a hook I trust completely when I know a decent hound could come along at any moment. Fished in conjunction with an 80mm dongle, perfect for a crab or prawn bait, it results in very few missed bites. 

In terms of conditions, smoothhounds seem to have a taste for the kind of weather many anglers find uncomfortable: overcast skies, southerly winds, and muggy, heavy air. They’re not put off by rough seas either—if anything, a bit of chop and swell can switch them on. They thrive in dynamic environments, particularly where there’s a good run of tide and plenty of crab activity.

Smoothhounds are commonly found patrolling the sandy and muddy stretches where crabs are abundant, and the tidal flow keeps things stirred up. These are the marks to target—places where the current is strong and the sea floor is alive. As a general rule, it is best to fish low water marks over neap tides and high water marks over spring tides. There will be exceptions to this, but for the most part it is consistent with good catches. 

There’s no need for anything too fancy. Basic beach casting gear will do the trick—an all-round beachcaster and a decent multiplier or fixed spool reel loaded with 20–25lb mainline (plus a shockleader) is a solid setup. If you're fishing a cleaner mark, you drop your mainline diameter considerably to aid casting distance. Just be prepared to step up your lead weights to cope with the strong tides of the Bristol Channel. A 6-7oz grip lead is often a must to hold bottom effectively and should be cast uptide to fish effectively. A weigh sling is a must for weighing fish and it's important to fully support your catch whenever possible. Smoothhounds should never be held up by their tail.