Smooth-Hound
Shark
A grey-silver, streamlined shark with a rounded snout and small, flattened, pavement-like teeth adapted for crushing crab shells rather than tearing flesh.
Facts
- Feeds almost exclusively on crabs, which is why peeler crab is by far the best bait.
- Arrives inshore in numbers through summer, often in sizeable shoals following crab activity.
- Gives birth to live young (it's ovoviviparous), with pups born fully formed and ready to hunt.
UK fishing rules
No statutory UK recreational size or bag limit currently applies, though many anglers release smooth-hound given their slow growth and the importance of breeding females.
Where to catch Smooth-Hound (29 marks)
| Mark | Region | Season | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Island (Whitmore Bay) | Wales | Jun–Sep | crab or fish bait fished hard on the deck for the bigger stuff |
| Bexhill Seafront | South East | May-Sep | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom |
| Bognor Regis Pier | South East | Jun-Sep | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom |
| Brighton Marina West Arm | South East | May–Jul | Peeler crab on a pulley rig, most productive over the summer months on the lower bays. |
| Caister-on-Sea Beach | East | Summer | Bait or lure at low water |
| Chesil Beach (Ferrybridge, Dorset) | South West | May–Aug | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom, especially around the Ferrybridge run. |
| Cley-next-the-Sea Beach | East | Summer | Peeler crab on a simple leger |
| Deal Pier | South East | May–Aug | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom |
| Dover Admiralty Pier | South East | May–Aug | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom at range |
| Fraserburgh Harbour | Scotland | Jun–Sep | Bigger fish or crab baits fished at range |
| Hayling Island Seafront (South Beach/Eastoke) | South East | Jun-Sep | Peeler crab fished on the bottom |
| Herne Bay | South East | May–Aug | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom at range |
| Hunstanton Cliffs & Beach | East | Summer | Peeler crab on a simple running leger |
| Lee-on-the-Solent Seafront | South East | May-Sep | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom |
| Littlehampton West Beach & East Bank | South East | Jun-Sep | Peeler crab fished on the bottom |
| Luce Bay (Sandhead) | Scotland | May–Aug, peak Jun–Jul | Peeler or soft crab bait, fished well out on strong beachcaster tackle. |
| Lymington Town Quay & Pennington Wall | South East | Jun-Sep | Crab bait fished from Pennington Wall on summer evenings |
| Millook Haven | South West | Jun–Sep | Same crab-baited rotten-bottom approach as huss, best on a big push of tide. |
| Mundesley Beach | East | Summer | Peeler crab |
| Paignton Pier | South West | Autumn–winter | Bottom fished worm or fish bait |
| Reculver | South East | May–Aug | Peeler or hardback crab on a 3/0–4/0 hook |
| Rhossili Bay | Wales | Jun–Sep | crab bait fished hard on the sand for the bigger stuff |
| Saunton Sands | South West | May–Aug | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom. |
| Selsey Bill | South East | Jun-Sep | Peeler crab, double-figure fish possible |
| Shoeburyness East Beach | East | Summer | Bait fished, reported locally though less consistently documented than the winter species |
| Slapton Sands | South West | May–Aug, peak late spring–midsummer | Peeler or shore crab on strong, abrasion-resistant snoods, flooding tide into darkness. |
| Southsea Seafront | South East | May–Sep | Peeler crab on a pulley/running ledger rig, especially productive on summer evening tides. |
| Splash Point, Rhyl | Wales | May–Aug | Crab or squid fished hard on the bottom at low water, when hounds move in close along this stretch. |
| Worthing Pier | South East | Jun-Sep | Peeler crab fished hard on the bottom |