All species
UK shore species
Lesser spotted dogfish
Scyliorhinus canicula
Also Small-spotted catshark, LSD, Rough hound
BeginnerPopularNightledger
Habitat
Sand, mixed ground, the edge of rough. Almost any night beach in the right month.
Season
Peak: Sep · Oct · Nov · Apr · May · Jun
Also possible: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
The most common shark from UK beaches. They come in on a night tide, they rattle, they wrap the leader, and they are not a consolation prize if you came for a fish that fights.
- Sand-coloured catshark densely covered in small dark spots
- Nasal flaps that do not quite reach the mouth (compared with a bull huss)
- Two small dorsal fins set well back
- Rough skin
Typically 50–70 cm. An 80 cm dogfish is a good one.
- Colour
- Sandy with many small dark spots, no large pale-ringed blotches.
- Fins
- Two small dorsals far back, low tail.
- Mouth
- Crescent, underslung, nasal flaps short of the mouth.
Ranked for this species, not as a universal law. Local crab runs and what is actually fresh matter more.
- MackerelA thin strip on a small hook; a side on a Pennel; a whole fish on a running tope rig.Strong target
- SquidA strip on a flapper; a whole small squid or a wrap over fish on a Pennel.Strong target
- SandeelHead-hooked so it swims, or a Pennel through the head and the middle. Bind if you are casting far.Good target
- LugwormThread the worm so the hook is hidden and the tail still moves. A bunch for bigger fish; a single for dabs.Possible target
- HerringA side on a Pennel, bound. Whole on a tope clip.Good target
- Pulley rigThe lead hangs on a pulley so a fish pulling up helps break the lead out. A rough-ground friend.Intermediate
- Pennel rigTwo hooks on one bait — one in the head, one in the body. The way to fish a crab, a squid wrap or a big worm.Intermediate
- Running ledgerThe lead slides on the line so a shy fish does not feel the weight. Simple and sensitive close in.Beginner
- 2-hook flapperThe default UK beach rig. Two snoods above a lead, baits off the bottom, easy to tie, easy to fish.Beginner
- Single-hook clipped-downThe bait is held against the leader with a bait clip so it flies as one and releases in the water. The way to punch a bait into a headwind.Advanced
Hooks: 1/0–4/0. A 2/0 Pennel covers most.