Fishing for sharks can provide sea anglers with tremendous sport, both from boat and shore. In Scotland we are lucky enough to have a good variety available to us, and a widespread distribution. Granted, no shark species is too common on the east coast, but from the Solway in the south west to the very northern tip of Scotland at Caithness, there are lots of options.

Unfortunately some species have come up against severe commercial pressure over the past few years, wiping out certain species in some areas, and endangering others. Some anglers have realised the importance of Sharks to sport fishing, and have decided to take action to prevent future damage, protect and conserve our valuable stocks. See more about the various conservation and political projects currently in operation at: www.ssacn.org

Drummore charter Skipper Ian Burrett is the man to speak to about tope, which are undoubtedly our favourite sport fish in Scotland. His Luce Bay based fleet enjoy fantastic tope sport with fish to over 50lbs from May to October. WSF have a yearly meet with him, and indeed we are all looking forward to our 2008 Meet in August!

Here’s a rough guide to the most popular Scottish sharks:

Lesser Spotted Dogfish
No Scottish shark guide would be complete without mention of dogfish. This is by far the most prolific species of shark around our coast, and they can show up almost anywhere! They are prolific up and down the west coast, particular the south west where they can be found in plague proportions at times. They are scavengers, and as such, can be caught on almost any bait. Knock yourself out!

Bullhuss
The greater spotted dogfish; more desirable, but sadly far less prolific than there lesser spotted cousins. These can grow very large, and have been landed to over 18lbs in Scotland. They provide good sport for both boat and shore anglers, and will put up a dogged fight. There distribution is very limited, and they have only really been caught in the south west corner of Scotland, from the Solway Firth to the Mull of Galloway. Again they will scavenge on anything, but prefer fish baits. A whole mackerel or squid, ledgered in mixed to rough ground in darkness will usually see you into some Scottish ‘huss.

Spurdog
Spurdog were once found in large numbers all along Scotland’s west coast, but due to extreme pressure from long-liners, are now only found in the western Sea Lochs and along the northern coast. Anglers take a huge interest in this species because of their striking appearance, good sporting qualities, the size they can reach and their willingness to take a bait. They are found over a mixture of ground, deep and shallow water. Loch Etive and Sunart are very popular locations for spurdog anglers. Any fish bait will catch you a spurdog.

Tope
Tope are by far the most popular sport fish in Scotland. They are a species which grow to a very large size, can be found in numbers, and give you a fight you won’t forget in a hurry. They will scavenge when food is short, but they are true predators and follow mackerel shoals around the coast. With this in mind, live baiting is often a very effective method. They are far more prolific in the South West, and Luce Bay in particular, but they can be found all along the west coast, into some of the sea lochs, and even as far North as Orkney.

Porbeagle
The porbeagle fishery in Scotland is vastly unknown, but they are certainly around in numbers. They are the closest shark species we have in Scotland to any man eating ‘jaws’, although these heavyweight brutes prefer snacking on cod and coalfish than human flesh. They can be specifically targeted in Caithness in the far north, where they are known to frequent in the winter to feed, but anglers and skippers have seen them all around Scotland’s coast. Your best bet would be to contact one of the Scrabster boats, where the record is held at over 500lbs!

Smoothound
This species has come to the attention of anglers over the past few years in particular. They can be caught into double figures, but are more popular for their pound for pound fighting qualities. They enter the estuaries in search of crabs, and are targeted between May and September when the crabs are in moult. There distribution is similar to bullhuss in that they are fairly limited to the south west, in particular the shallower reaches of the Solway Firth and Luce bay - although one or two have become lost up north from time to time. The smoothound fishery in Scotland is certainly growing, and needs exploring.

Skate and Rays
Rays in particular are very popular in Scotland, because they are fairly common, easy to catch and can be caught to double figures. Nowadays they are far more common in the western sea lochs than any other area. They were once common in the south west also, but numbers sadly declined. Thornback rays are by far the most prolific, but spotted, cuckoo and even blondes are not entirely out of the question.

Huge common skate have made the area around Oban and The Sound of Mull famous. These giants have been landed to over 200lbs, and average treble figures. They were once under serious threat, but thanks to some conservation effort from individuals such as Davy Holt, the species seems to be established, thriving, and even showing up in other areas.

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