Smoothhound species guide • Sea fish • Easy (4/10)

Smoothhound junior fishing guide

Mustelus mustelus / asterias

A clear, plain-English guide to smoothhound for parents, coaches and juniors. See where they live, the best starter tackle, simple bait choices and a three-step plan to help young anglers catch their first one safely.

🎣 View starter tackle setups 📋 Log a Smoothhound catch
Junior-first & welfare-aware • 3-step beginner plan • UK venues & seasons
Skill & size • Seasons • Beginner baits

Skill level

Easy (4/10)

Great for coached juniors and confident beginners.

Best time

Spring–Autumn

Pick mild, settled days for junior sessions.

Typical size

5–15 lb common; larger fish possible.

Always match hooks, nets & lines to expected fish size.

🐟

Beginner baits

Crab cart, Hardback crab, Peeler crab …

Keep it simple — small hook baits, little-and-often feeding.

Typical venues: Shallow sand and mixed ground beaches and banks with crab stocks.
Scroll down for detailed tackle setups, methods and parent-friendly guidance.
Catch your first smoothhound with confidence

Catch your first Smoothhound in 3 steps

A simple, repeatable plan juniors can follow with help from a parent, coach or older angler.

  1. Step 1

    Choose crab-rich surf beaches

    Smoothhounds are superb sport fish for older juniors on safe, shallow beaches with good crab populations.

  2. Step 2

    Crab baits on strong but sporting tackle

    Use medium-heavy beach rods, strong lines and circle hooks with peeler crab baits. Set drags correctly and let fish run.

  3. Step 3

    Practice calm playing and release

    Show juniors how to keep the rod nicely bent, avoid pumping wildly and walk fish in with the surf. Release quickly after a photo at the water’s edge.

Tackle setups that work

Designed with juniors and fish welfare in mind. Start with an IDEAL or GOOD setup for easier casting and safe unhooking.

👉 Swipe sideways to view different setups.

Beachcaster

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

Surf Rod

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

About the Smoothhound

Smoothhounds are sleek, fast sharks that specialise in eating crabs. They fight very hard on relatively light shore tackle and are a popular summer target.

Junior tip

Use strong but balanced tackle, circle hooks and crab baits. Play them steadily and keep the fish in shallow water only for quick photos before release.

Logged a Smoothhound recently?

Add a catch report so juniors can see where they’re being caught, which baits work and how your tackle was set up.

Submit a catch report

Want to discover more species? Browse the full species guide.

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