Rays and sharks · Beach and boat
Smoothhound
Summer evenings on the Mersey, Wirral and North Wales beaches. They take crab and run hard.
- Know it
- Small grey shark with flat, grinding teeth (no cutting teeth), sometimes with white spots.
- Bait
- Peeler crab, hard-back crab
- Table
- Good eating Edible, but nearly everyone returns them. They breed slowly.
Season
Typical months on the North West and North East coasts, with this month ringed. Seasons shift a few weeks with water temperature and run differently around the coast: see each region's headline fish below.
Legal minimum size
Smoothhound
Last checked 18 October 2026Measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (rays: wing tip to wing tip). Each region links to its regulator.
| Area | Minimum |
|---|---|
| North West England | No legal minimum |
| North Wales | No legal minimum |
| Yorkshire to the Tyne | No legal minimum |
| Northumberland | No legal minimum |
No size for this fish is listed in the regional rules we checked for Cardigan Bay and the Llyn, Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales, Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon. That may mean none is set, or that the national rules apply: check locally.
and 11 other regionsRules change, usually each spring. Check the regulator for the area before you keep a fish.
Tips
Smoothhound
Peeler crab is the bait, on a strong 4/0 and at least a 40lb trace. Fish the drag light or the reel on the ratchet: a hound will pull a rod in. Calm, muggy evening floods on big tides are best.
A headline fish in
May to September
Cardigan Bay and the Llyn
Sandy beaches near Barmouth and on the Llyn. Peeler crab on a pulley rig, with a strong hooklength.
May to September
Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon
West Somerset reefs and beaches, and well up the channel now. One medium peeler crab or a trimmed prawn on a pulley rig.
May to September
Dorset, Hampshire and the Solent
The Solent, Hurst and Hayling. Peeler or hardback crab on a long pulley rig, with the drag set light.
May to September
Kent, the Thames and Essex
Sheppey, Whitstable and the Essex shore. Peeler crab on a long trace.
May to September
Suffolk, Norfolk and the Wash
North Norfolk beaches such as Trimingham, on the ebb after high. Peeler crab first, squid will do. Have spare baited traces ready when a pack arrives.
May to September
Ayrshire, Galloway and the Scottish Solway
Southerness and Solway beaches. Peeler crab on the flood as it fills gullies.
Where to catch it
Regions with marks where smoothhound is one of the main fish, and how many marks.
How to cook it
Edible, but nearly everyone returns them. They breed slowly. Simple ways to cook it at home. More on bleeding, gutting, filleting and freezing in From sea to plate.
Method 1
Pan-fried steaks
Most anglers return smoothhound, which breed slowly. If you keep one, skin it, cut it into steaks and fry in a little oil for 3 to 4 minutes a side.