EDITOR’S NOTE: This text is written by a succesful Holyhead skipper, Gethyn Owen, however the rules apply to smoothound fishing in lots of places all through the UK. Should you ever fancy a fishing journey to North Wales, try http://www.goangling.co.uk/
WHEN YOU CLICK ON LINKS TO VARIOUS MERCHANTS ON THIS SITE AND MAKE A PURCHASE, THIS CAN RESULT IN THIS SITE EARNING A COMMISSION. AFFILIATE PROGRAMS AND AFFILIATIONS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE EBAY PARTNER NETWORK AND AMAZON
Holyhead Smoothhound
North Wales has lengthy been related to some excellent catches of smoothound. The fish have been focused by each boat and shore anglers with some excellent outcomes. Hounds will be discovered round many boat marks off Holyhead, Trearddur Bay, Llanddwyn and Whitebeach. All these marks have given anglers some high quality specimen fish over a few years the exact same areas additionally providing shore anglers the chance to hook into this difficult combating species. Fishing for smoothies in waters comparatively shallow at solely 45’ is usually a very exhilarating expertise.
Identification
Smoothhound have a gray higher physique and white underside. The starry smoothound (Mustelus asterias) takes it identify from the numerous white spots which are discovered on the higher a part of its physique, whereas the frequent smoothhound, Mustelus mustelus, has none. The starry smoothhound is ovoviviparous (technique of animal replica wherein fertilized eggs develop throughout the feminine and the embryo positive aspects no dietary substances from the feminine) with a gestation interval of as much as 12 months.
A hound has two dorsal fins, two giant pectoral fins and an extended snout. In its mouth it has a set of enormous crushing jaws moderately than tooth, way more useful given its food plan.
I’m positive many studying it will have caught a good variety of smoothhound, each starry and customary, although have they actually hooked a typical hound? PhD researcher Ed Farrell, Dublin College, has been conducting a variety of research into the distribution of frequent smoothhound all through Eire and the UK. There’s a frequent smoothhound species that may be discovered within the Mediterranean and South African seas, Ed nonetheless is nearly actually satisfied that the frequent hound species Mustelus mustelus, doesn’t make it into UK waters. No proof of a typical hound was discovered, his findings concluding in each the Irish and Welsh angling governing our bodies itemizing solely the starry hound on their file record.
Smoothhound are present in primarily shallow waters round our shoreline feeding on a number of crustaceans that embody hermit, shore and edible crabs. In Holyhead, when crab has been laborious to come back by, we have now additionally had pretty good catches when fishing for smoothhound utilizing giant squid baits tipped with 3 or 4 good sized ragworm.
Habitat & Feeding
Smoothhound are typically a shallow water shark and are not often present in waters deeper than 200ft. They have an inclination to favour sand or combined floor, the youthful hounds feeding on prawns and small crustaceans with the bigger specimens favouring a variety of various crustaceans.
Shore crabs are best when peeling or as a gentle again. A peeler crab is just a crab that’s shedding its present outer safety, the shell, to develop bigger. Beneath the present laborious shell you will discover a brand new softer and larger shell. Such crabs are discovered sheltering in gentle sand, or mud flats and so forth below rocks or different items of particles that provide them safety from predators. With its shell gentle, the crab is vulnerable to assault from smoothies and different fish desirous to feast on this delicacy. Peeling crabs ooze a really pungent orangy/yellow liquid, which the odor of drives many a fish akin to smoothhound, cod and bass right into a feeding frenzy.
Baiting Up
When utilizing a peeler, many anglers select to peel the outer shell and take away the crab’s gills, in preparation to wrap this specific bait right into a neat little parcel for the hook. If selecting this technique, don’t wrap the bait an excessive amount of. Typically you see crab baits aboard My Method that might look higher in an Egyptian Mummy’s museum and never trotting alongside a sea mattress. Care when hooking the bait, and some light twists of cotton, will permit the juices to seep from the bait unhindered.
Nevertheless, is the difficulty of peeling and wrapping in cotton truly required, after all of the smoothhound will not be used to this degree of meals preparation earlier than it munches down on its prey? The smoothhound is a member of the shark household, who, as most of us are conscious have a really delicate degree of odor, and are reputed to detect scent from a meals supply from a good few miles away. My most popular technique is to easily hook one or two crabs as soon as by the again, and, hey presto, job executed. In doing this you might be presenting to the smoothhound a extra real looking trying meals, but nonetheless releasing the scent from the crab. This technique additionally safeguards in opposition to the odor being washed out of the crab too rapidly. Moreover, there are at all times different fish in an space the place smoothies are being focused. These fish additionally after a feed, akin to canine, small codling, whiting and so forth, are all drawn to plentiful odor of the peeler, so one other saving grace of utilizing the easy technique is that it may well cut back the variety of hook ups from undesirable pests on the time of your smoothhound fishing.
When To Fish
Hounds first transfer in throughout early Could, and cling round till early July. These fish typically hit properly into double figures with some specimens taken simply shy of the 20lb mark. Off Holyhead, we have now additionally famous a return of the fish for a month from late August into mid-September, with these fish averaging round 8lb.
Rods, Reels and Rigs
Owing to the shallow depths of water often related to smoothhound fishing across the North Wales coast, concentrating on this species advantages most from uptiding; launching the bait out of the scare space across the boat, and anchoring it laborious to the ocean mattress. There is no such thing as a actual must trot bait across the sea mattress when fishing for smoothies, as they’re pack fish and have a tendency to swim in feeding shoals that can search out your bait with ease.
A great uptider or normal function rod will fortunately deal with the rigours of taking part in a quick and laborious combating smoothhound. For almost all of our rent rods, we have now a wide range of boat rods out there Shakespeare Agility 2 braid boat 12/20lb, Greys GR100S 20lb or the Shakespeare Ugly Stix G2 12/20lb.
However for our hound fishing, we prefer to scale down the gear barely. Shakespeare Agility Tipster rods or the PENN Squadron II Contact Tip rods supply a lightweight and exhilarating expertise when fishing for hounds. For the marginally extra skilled, we downsize even additional; PENN Rampage II Bass Spin 15-55grm rods are the last word thrill when touchdown a 20lb smoothhound!
When selecting your predominant line, you have to be on the lookout for one thing within the area of 20–25lb breaking strains. The selection between braid and mono must be all the way down to the person and their most popular reel line. Nevertheless, if selecting braid, a 40 or 50lb shock chief will assist take up any influence if the fish makes an impromptu bid for freedom, plus protected guard in opposition to potential scuffs when fishing the rocky grounds. .
There will not be too many variations of rigs when fishing for smoothhound. A easy working ledger of both 1 or 2 hooks will suffice. Your hint line ought to be between 30 and 50lb breaking pressure, with hook sizes between 1/0 and 4/0.
When concentrating on the a lot bigger smoothhounds, typically it’s smart to improve your hooks to five/0, thus permitting you to fish larger baits, akin to entire giant velvet or swimmer crabs. Naturally, you could discover that hook-ups shall be diminished, however as with most types of sea angling, with perseverance you possibly can be rewarded with a fish in extra of 20lb.
In closing, although, it is very important level out that almost all of double determine smoothhounds, and particularly these caught in Could and June are pup bearing females. These fish ought to be launched rapidly in conjunction with the boat wherever doable. Nevertheless, if a weight and {photograph} is needed by you or your mate, by all means accomplish that, however take care to be as fast as doable, returning the fish to the water with out an excessive amount of stress.
