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Using fishing tools, fishing for smoothound

Mike Thrussell 15 June, 2004 05:00:00

ALL TOOLED UP
Over the years I've built up quite a collection of unhooking tools. Each of which I carry for different styles of fishing.

I wouldn't be without a pair of long nosed pliers. These are the mainstay tool and can be used to gently release all manner of lightly hooked fish as well as perform numerous other tasks. But they can't do everything.

In my shore box I also carry an 8-inch pair of stainless steel forceps. These are excellent when you're unhooking small mouthed fish like flatties and other scratching species. They can be gently manoeuvred to release deeper hooks in the smaller size range up to size 1's without harming the fish due to the forceps thin jaws. Forceps lack the strength though, to remove bigger hooks.

multitool.jpg
The right tools for the job
Years ago I came across the Hook-Out tool from the USA. This is like a thin pistol in shape and about 8-inches long with a trigger system that when pulled closes the jaws. The jaws are serrated for extra grip. It is excellent for removing hooks in fish that have teeth and can scratch your hands like codling, whiting and wrasse. Again the length of the jaws can access any slightly deeper hooks and allow safe release of the fish. The extra gripping power of this tool makes it ideal for hooks in sizes from 1/0 to 6/0.

When it comes to rock fishing for double figure conger and huss, then you need a T bar in your rucksack. Mine is 8-inches long 3/8in stainless steel bar with a deep hook at the end. You put the line in the hook, run the bar down the line and onto the hook, and then holding the line at an opposite angle to the T bar you can pressure the hook out using the weight of the fish. This does minimal if any damage to the fish, and if you take the hook out with the fish over water it makes for an easy and safe release method with minimal handling.

A variation on the T bar is to have just a V shaped end giving you the option to place the V shape in the U bend of the hook and with minimal downward pressure you can push a stubborn hook free. This can be useful for releasing deeper hooked rays, conger and shore tope if you're lucky enough to catch one.

Although it does no harm to release a fish with a bronzed or blued hook still in place, I find that with a variety of unhooking tools most hooks can be freed with a little patience and care without harming the fish.

TIPS AND TRICKS
Pop in to a chemist or film developer and ask them if they have any spare plastic film containers. Most will gladly give you loads as they just chuck them away. These are excellent containers for smaller accessories like beads, swivels, smaller hooks and links. They are just the right size to fit in small tackle boxes, but being clear allow instant identification of the contents, plus they are waterproof.

SMOOTHOUND TACTICS

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Crab makes good smoothound bait
Smoothies are one of our hardest fighting fish. They are often confused with small tope, but look at a smoothound and you'll see that the dorsal fin is set almost directly above the pectoral fins, whereas a tope's dorsal is set well behind the pectorals. Tope have obvious teeth too, but the smoothound only hard grinding plates like the rays.

Smoothound are most frequently caught on the Essex beaches and down through Kent and Sussex, on the Hampshire beaches and the Isle of Wight. Other hotspots occur along both sides of the Bristol Channel, with occasional fish contacted by anglers in North Wales. The main season is from April in the south, but May further north through to August.

Although smoothounds like sandbanks, the better fishing beaches are often those with a light to heavy mix of rough ground. A good place to fish is where a reef runs inwards from offshore, as smoothound will use this as feeding area as the tide starts to flood. Crab plays a large part in their diet and the rougher ground along the shore carries large numbers of crabs. Smoothound will work ground just 2 or 3-feet deep, in broad daylight. Early morning and late evening tend to give the best fishing.

The bigger spring tides are the more successful ones to fish, but in areas where the tide runs very fast the middle-sized tides rising up towards the higher springs can be excellent. It is often quoted that the fishing is best when the sea is flat and the weather calm. It can be good, but often the fishing is better during moderate onshore winds and good surf as it exposes more food.

The bite sequence can differ greatly. With some fish it's all "hit and rush" resulting in a sudden savage pull down on the rod tip and the rod butt pulling up off the ground if it's in a rest. In very calm weather they tend to play with a bait a little before taking off and it pays to hold the rod as you would when bass fishing and "feel" for the fish. They will run off many yards of line on the first run, then tend to swim parallel along the beach using the surf tables for cover.

Tackle needs be nothing more than standard 2 to 4oz bass gear and 15lb line if the fish are at close range and the snags minimal. Over rough ground, or where casting distance is necessary trade up to a 5oz beachcaster and 18lb line. Best rig is a pulley rig, as the fish will lift the lead clear of the snags as it takes the bait and moves off.

Top baits are peeler or soft crab, followed by whole king rag. They occasionally take lugworm, razorfish and even mackerel, but not that often.