SSACN - Tagsharks » Tutorials

Gordon’s Guide to the SSTP Tagging Card

editor — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 09:53:18 +0000

Hi,

The purpose of this article is to try and explain why each piece of info requested on the Tagging Card ( available here in pdf ) is important to the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme.

Tagger’s name – We reward anglers who have tagged 10, 50 and 100 fish with our bronze, silver and gold baseball hats. A small thank you for the voluntary effort put in, but feedback is that they are appreciated by those who have received them. See the current award winners here.
Tagger’s email – If you record a recapture, we will send you any details we may have of its past. If you tag a fish for the first time and it is recaptured later on – you will receive an update from us.
Location – Not everyone has GPS, but a good description will tell us where the fish was caught.
Date – helps us to know how long the fish has been at large and how long it has taken to travel between capture points.
Latitude / Longitude – locations of fish captures can be plotted on a nautical chart and used for further analysis. This information is NOT made publically available.
Depth – may give an indication of the location of fish at different times of the year / breeding / mating cycle, eg: thornbacks move into shallow water to breed at certain times of the year.
Time Start / End / Rods in water – this helps establish a catch rate. If for example three rods were fished for eight hours and tagged four fish, this gives a capture rate of one fish per six rod hours – this will help to compare catch rates year upon year in the future.
Comments – I usually add in tide times, weather conditions and water temperature which is shown on my fish finder, but anything else that you feel may have relevance can be included here.
Tag No. – Vital. Without this, the info could relate to any fish. When tagging, I write the number of my next tag in before the fish is landed, this may be tempting fate, but saves trying to read a small tag number when a large fish is writhing about on the deck or the shore.
Species and Sex – Species speaks for itself; sex can help with movement patterns during mating.
Length / girth or width / weight – very important – we are trying to develop size to weight ratio charts which will help minimise handling. The more information gathered, the more accurate the charts. It is useful if in the comments box (or fish condition) to put if the fish was weighted or estimated.
Bait used – helps research students to understand diet patterns of shark types.
Time Caught – This can be compared to tide times to see if a pattern can be established. IE – at XXX location, spurdog may tend to feed two hours after high water. Trends and patterns like this can only be established from the information recorded on the tag returns
Fish condition – I have tagged fish that have had wounds, lice, leeches, fin damage etc. If the fish condition is accurately recorded and the fish is later recaptured, we can establish if fish heal themselves to any extent; if parasites become more of a problem or can be shaken off; or if new damage appears to the fish etc. and how long it took for that change to take place. Photographs definitely do help understand the issues.
Pictures – This is not on the card and we appreciate this isn’t always easy and can be time consuming, but as long as it will cause no harm to the fish ( see the various codes of best practice ), photos can really help substantiate sex, species, condition, size and provide a useful backup to each record. These can even be put on our facebook page with the tag number as a title!

I know anglers are concerned that if they give precise locations on the cards that they will be made public, this is NOT the case. The data entered into the SSTP database is only accessible to a few people, each of whom is under obligation not to disclose exact locations of marks to anyone.

Any location information that is used in SSACN members and public reports will be very un-precise and will not be sufficient to identify a particular mark.

Eg: – Individual catch sites within the Firth of Lorn will be released as being within the Firth of Lorn area as opposed to their exact locations. Figure A shows how that data would be presented for scientific data analysis; Figure B – the same data as presented to the general public.

Finally, thank you for all your tagging effort up to date, the SSTP is a very successful tagging programme and without your input would not be in place today.

I hope this guide will help you understand why we ask for each piece of information and would be grateful if you could take a little extra time and fill in as much information as possible.

Thank you.

Gordon.

Rigging up for spurdog

editor — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:44:12 +0000

Of all the species of shark regularly encountered around the UK, the Spurdog (Squalas Acanthias) is one of the easiest to identify, namely due to the large spines which protrude in front of both dorsal fins

Spurdog are generally slate gray or dark brown on their back which fades to a white belly; they also have distinctive green eyes and scissor like teeth.

Whilst Spurdog may look big and tough creatures they are actually quite delicate especially when out of the water. Losing a fish because of an inappropriate trace increases the likelihood of fish mortality due to trailing line.

To help minimize that possibility, Les McBride has put together a step by step process for creating a suitable rig for spurdog.

The basic components :

4 feet of 150lb nylon

1 heavy duty tube boom

2 165lb swivels

3 small beads

1 twisted wire boom

Hook length components :

2 fine wire 8/0 circle hooks

2 150lb swivels

6 surecatch 12mm luminous beads

4 crimps

Thread the line through the boom, slide on a small bead and crimp the swivel to the end and do the same at the top of the trace.

Attaching the boom :

Approx 18 inches up the rig body tie a 3 turn stop knot in the rig body, slide on a small bead followed by the twisted wire boom followed by another small bead then tie another 3 turn stop knot as close as possible the the boom.

Finally add the other swivel to the top of the rig to finish the rig body.

Body Complete

Making up the snoods

Thread the 150lb line through the crimp, the beads, through the hook and back through the beads and crimp again, pull down tight against the eye of the hook and crimp tightly, the beads provide an extra protection against the spurdogs teeth, then add the top swivel to the snood.

Make one snood short at about 6″ for the boom and the other about 14-16″ to run off the boom

To attach the snoods to the trace body use breakaway fastlinks, which are very strong.

You could use splitrings or mustad oval links as well.

The completed trace

If you have any feedback on this article, or any questions for Les – please use the following contact form, thanks.

How to rig up for common skate

editor — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:21:01 +0000

With thanks to the original author – Les McBride

Big powerful common skate will terminally expose any weakness in tackle. Terminal tackle in particular needs to be strong, and rig design well considered. But what is the best rig?

Boat angler Les has numerous massive commons under his belt and reveals the rig that works for him and many other dedicated skate hunters…

Imagine a fish almost eight feet long with sharp, crushing teeth at one end, and row upon row of jagged line-slicing thorns studded along the back, wings and tail. You have wrestled this leviathan up from a dark depth of over 140 metres almost to within sight of the boat. She doesn’t like the intensity of light from above and suddenly headstands, beats massive wings and powers headlong inexorably for the seabed.

With the drag carefully set harness straps bite into your shoulders. Tight as a guitar string, line peels grudgingly from the reel. Battle is locked for several long minutes, then sickeningly the rod abruptly relaxes and the giant fish is gone, taking the hook, trace and weight with it.

You wind in the slack and discover the tough 50lb mono line looks like it’s been rasped with cheese grater… you’ve been fatally tailed. Your main line had been raked through by the skate’s coarse skin, and a fish lifetime is offski because you put your trust in that wholly inappropriate ebay ‘SKATE’ rig.

So how do you combat this all too common scenario? Go to a 10ft, 250lb mono trace perhaps? Well you could, but imagine having to drop a large bait such as two whole mackerel on a 12/0 hook plus 2lb of lead down through over 500 feet of water. Tangling around the main line is just about guaranteed at some point, and once the bait is down you can’t be sure no way of knowing it’s not wrapped and hanging 10ft off the bottom; even if it is only partially tangled, if a big skate takes the bait there’s a good chance of the tangle resulting in a broken line.

The other problem with long traces for common skate fishing is deep hooked fish. Three times last year anglers on my boat had a big common skate with a lost trace in its mouth, and without exception it was a long trace of eight feet or more. Each time the hook was so deep it couldn’t be seen, so the offending trace was trimmed as close to the hook as possible and the fish released.

Deep hooking typically occurs because with a 10 foot trace the fish can sit munching on the bait without any rod indication in such depths of water. Theoretically, a skate can swim up to 20 feet while swallowing the bait before the rod shows a bite; this is plenty of time for gut hooking to occur.

Simple solution

The answer to this problem is to fish a far shorter hook-length of around 12-14 inches. This way, as soon as a fish takes the bait there is a visible indication on the rod tip, and if you strike straight away you will hook it in the jaw 9-out-of-10 times, and eliminate the potential for gut-hooking.

To counter the risk of the tail sawing through the main line a 10ft, 250lb mono rubbing length is used behind the short hook trace. A compact detachable boom rides on the rubbing length, which will slide off the trace in the event of line breakage, ensuring the fish will only have a barbless hook in its mouth not it’s throat or stomach which it should manage to expel after a period.

While you could use a short trace with a wind-on leader, below is easier method to ensure safe and effective hooking of these giants. The working principal of the following rig is that the sliding tube will prevent tangles when the bait is lowered to the seabed, but should a break-off occur, the boom and weight will be jettisoned. This tutorial intends to tip the wink to budding common skate anglers, providing the best chance of landing that huge skate, while giving that fish the best possible chance of survival beyond the encounter.

Skate master rig

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to build the custom common skate trace.

1/ The removable boom

This is simply a short piece 10 – 30 cm of plastic central heating pipe available from places such as B&Q at only a couple of pounds for a six foot length, a cable tie and a cheap snap-lock swivel to hold the lead.

Simply attach as per pictures, just make sure you pull it very tightly to avoid slippage or use a dab of superglue to lock it in position if you like.

2/ Hooklength

You will need a 12/0 bronze O’Shaughnessy hook with barb removed or crushed, a good quality 300lb rolling swivel, 14 inches of 250lb monofilament and two correspondingly sized double crimps. I like to oversize things on my skate rigs, hence the 12/0 bronzed O’Shaughnessy hook with the barb crushed down in a vice or with pliers, and honed to a sharp point.

Use proper crimping pliers as merely squashing down crimps with a standard pair of pliers doesn’t provided a suitably secure or neat crimped finish.

A simple ‘Offshore loop’ (pictured below) is used to connect the hook.

3/ Rubbing trace

You will need a 300lb buckle swivel, a 300lb rolling swivel, a 20mm or bigger split ring, eight feet or more of 250lb nylon, and two double crimps to suit nylon. This follow the same build pattern as the hook-length, but use 8-10 feet of 250lb nylon. Crimp a swivel to each end and attach the split ring to the top eye of the buckle swivel – this acts as a stopper for the removable boom. As you can see pictured, the top swivel will pass through the boom allowing a lost fish to escape with only the trace minus the lead weight.

The finished rig (pictured below)is simple, effective and tangle free. It is good for repeated use, and some skate anglers can boast 20 or more 100lb plus fish in a season on the same hook-length and hook.

If you have any feedback on this article, or any questions for Les – please use the following contact form, thanks.

Shark ID Card

editor — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:01:27 +0000

The Scottish Shark Tagging Programme’s shark identification card shows 12 of the most common sharks, skates and rays in Scottish waters.

To get your copy of the SSTP Shark identification card

Just ‘click’ on the image.

SSTP recommended tagging sizes

ssacn — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:14:51 +0000

In the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme we are tagging and collecting data for the following species; tope, smoothhound, spurdog, bull huss, rays and common skate.

We are also recording numbers, but NOT tagging, of all other shark species caught, inc. Lesser Spotted Dogfish.

This guide may be downloaded here (pdf).

The following are the SSTP minimum tagging sizes :

Tope …………. Length 100cm (10.0 lb)
Spurdog……… Length 90cm (6.4 lb)
Bull Huss…… Length 100cm (7 lb)
Smoothhound…. Length 100cm (6.5 lb)
Rays……… Wingspan 50cm (5.25lb)
Common Skate… Wingspan 55cm (5.3lb)

If a fish is below the minimum tagging size, or you do not feel competent to tag, then please do not tag them, just record whatever details you can on the SSTP data card.

Only weigh a fish if you have a suitable weighing sling. We can estimate weights if you measure length or wingspan.

If in any doubt,

or if the health of the fish is in question

then – please release the fish immediately.

Catching Tope

ssacn — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:24:55 +0000

By Ian Burrett

Where to Look

Tope like features or structures, so look for reefs, deep hollows, trenches etc. Back Eddies around headlands are my favourite marks as they tend to be holding areas for bait fish. You can usually pick the strength of tide by the distance away from the headland. I like at least 25-30 ft of water below me and a reasonable amount of tide so a 2-10 oz lead will hold comfortable during the tide run.

If the mackerel are out of season then in many areas, the staple diet is Whiting and Dabs so a high concentration of those will be a good starting point.

Rubby Dubby

I usually use chopped up mackerel for rubby dubby placed in a heavy netting bag tied near the anchor. I use it to bring the tope into the area, once there, they will find the baits. A surface ruby dubby can work well in shallow water

Rods & Reels

I would strongly recommend a lever drag combined with braid because more fish are lost with anglers messing about with star drags than any other reason. A lever drag has a pre-set clutch so once you push the lever up you can strike with confidence knowing that your drag settings are right. The time taken to sort the correct drag setting with a star drag can lose the fish or worse, cause a gut hooked fish.

Many people over estimate the pulling power of the tope and use rigs that are far too heavy. This can spoil the enjoyment of the fight. A tope is a running fish that will eventually return to the boat, so line is given when the tope swims away and gained when it swims back towards the boat. Because of this you can generally fish with a 6-12 lb outfit balanced with a Penn 975 LD, Abu 6600LD or similar. In deep water with strong tides it may be essential to fish a 12-20 as the lead weight will kill the action of a lighter rod and you could be pulling the fish against the tide.

Line

I generally use a 30 lb braid with a 40-60 lb nylon leader because I want to enjoy the feeling of fishing light rods and reels , without endangering the fish by loosing one because of the main line parting and having the tope dragging booms and leads etc. round the ocean.

Traces

Again the traces are down to personal choice but I believe it is impossible to purchase the perfect trace from the shops. The all wire traces kink and cause danger at the side of the boat when the skipper is handling the trace.

My favourite trace has only 1 ft. of 100-150 lb wire to a swivel and 6ft of a heavy mono. I personally prefer 150 lb. mono as it is easier for me to handle and kinder to my hands at the side of the boat. We once lost an 80lb. tope at the side of the boat because the angler had bought a shop trace with only 80lb mono instead of the 150

Hooks

Hooks are matter of personal choice; I have experimented with circular hooks but didn’t find any advantage over a conventional J pattern. We seem to fish smaller hooks as the years go by. By tradition a 10/0 was used. We dropped this to an 8/0 then 7/0 and now my preferred hook is a flattened barb 5 or 6/0 O’Shaunessy.

Bait

This often a matter of choice but generally Mackerel is my preferred bait in Scotland and Dab in Wales. With mackerel I usually either fish them as live bait or chop it in half just behind the main dorsal fin and hook it through the lips leaving plenty of hook showing. Other baits are whiting, pout, eel section, coaley and lamprey.

In regards to the dab bait, I like to use the head and shoulders with the guts trailing. The best thing about this bait is the lsd’s will never touch it.

Tactics

Fish the lightest lead you can get away with, Drop the lead to the bottom and leave it in the minimum resistance possible with the fish alert ratchet on, so the tope can pick the bait up and run with it.

When to Strike

The old text book ruling was, wait until the start of the second run before striking, but this use to lead to a lot of gut hooked fish, which nobody wants to see these days.

The size of the average bait is just a small ‘smarty’ to a decent tope so you can assume the bait is in its mouth once it starts that ballistic run. With a live bait I will wait approximately 5-6 seconds from the first twitch of the rod tip. When fishing in strong tides you may well have double the depth of line out in a huge bow. It is therefore important to wind as quickly as possible until the clutch starts to slip. This is particularly important in strong tides because the tope will often swim uptide. Anglers often at this stage think they have lost the fish. The weight of the tope against the drag will set the hook so you don’t need a great strike.

The way the tope feeds varies from day to day depending on their mood. Some days you can have 10 runs 10 fish other days 10 runs and just a few fish. This can even change through the day. I remember one day we had 9 runs in the morning and hooked all nine. The afternoon also produced 9 runs and we only hooked a couple.

Over a season a 1 in 2 hook up rate is the norm, e.g., A day when we hook up 20 tope we will have approx 40 runs. This is mainly down to the skill of the anglers. Bear in mind that a good angler with a positive wind down and the correct rig will have a much better conversion rate but nobody wins them all.

When the tope are being picky we tend to go down in bait size and fish a fillet (providing their aren’t to many dogs about) As it’s such a small bait you can wind down instantly into the tope. The other suggestion is to fish a live bait. This will often out fish any other method and some days it is the only bait that will get touched. A live mackerel is my favourite bait but I have caught tope on Whiting, pout, dabs and even Coalie.

The reason for most dropped runs is the tope feels the resistance slowly coming on the line and realizes something is not quite right so drops the bait. I cannot stress enough the importance of winding down quickly to minimize that time between you deciding to strike and setting the hook.

If you have had a dropped run don’t assume it’s all over. Tope are a predatory fish and are far more likely to pick up moving bait. As soon as the fish has dropped the bait, wind it slowly back to the boat in a jerking manner. You are trying to imitate the movements of a dying fish. If this doesn’t work then drop it back but keep the bait moving. This will often result in the tope turning and chasing the bait. In this instance it is important to strike the fish immediately as the tope will often gulp the bait straight down and can result in gut hooked fish.

If you do happen to gut hook a fish don’t be too alarmed as the tope like other sharks can swallow their stomach again, this is a defence mechanism designed to get rid of unwanted contents. I had in the region of 500 tope this year and only on two occasions did I have to leave the hook in.

If you know there are fish about but you are not getting the runs; a moving bait will often pick up more fish. When fishing in tide, I will fish a lead that is too light to hold on the bottom and keep dropping it back 6 ft at a time. Providing you are fishing with light balanced tackle you will feel when the tope hits the bait. Engage the reel and wind it back to the boat until you feel the weight of the fish. I will sometimes have well over a 220 metre spool of braid out fishing in just 100 ft of water.

A dead bait firmly plonked on the bottom particularly when fishing with little tide doesn’t give off any signals for the tope to home in on. In this occasion we will often resort to the float (even in 150 ft of water) set a few ft. of the bottom or freelining in shallow water because it provides a moving bait.

Extra fish are often picked up (by using Pollack tactics.) at slack water, which is the time tope tend to go off the feed.We drop the bait to the bottom and wind slowly back to the boat similar to redgilling. The tope don’t half go in this scenario because they are often hooked just a few feet under the boat and make a desperate dive for the bottom.

Handling and Code of Best Practise

http://www.tagsharks.com/tope-handling-a-code-of-best-practise

Conclusion

Tope can be the most frustrating species to fish for and often results in feast or famine. They will swim 50 miles a day looking for food. You can have a great day fishing one day and return to the same mark the following day and just catch the odd one or two. They do however tend to be creatures of habit and will often be in the same location at the same stage of the tide.

One of my anglers caught a fish on a mark that I had tagged four years previously on the same mark.

For me, it’s the dropped baits and the runs that make the tope such a buzz to fish for. There’s always that split second when you wind down into the fish and your not totally sure if it is hooked or not; particularly when the tope uptides you.

When you have got a decent pack around the boat, I can’t think of another fish, certainly in the UK that can give an adrenaline rush for so many people for hours on end. You can miss a screaming run and don’t care, because you know you will have another one within minutes.

Catching Common Skate

ssacn — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:15:43 +0000

By Davy Holt

The purpose of this “Guide” is to give the relevant factual information required for the capture and safe return of Common Skate caught by anglers. I also hope it counters some of the fictional information that has been published in the Angling press regarding the world of Skate Angling. This is not a finished page and will be updated quite a bit more.

The Common Skate is one of the few species of fish where local populations can suffer as badly from poor angling practices as from commercial fishing pressure. The once prolific grounds off the Northern & Western Coast’s of Scotland were wiped out in the 1970′s partly due to the now frowned upon practice of anglers bringing skate ashore to be weighed and photographed, before their carcases were ignominiously dumped off the end of the local pier!

Thankfully times have changed and now anglers practice catch and release, with some even partaking in the tagging programme.

So… you decide you want to catch a Common Skate, where do you go, what tackle do you use?? Well read on and I’ll do my best to give you the information you need.

Location

Firstly you have to find an area with a population of Commons before you can catch them, the easiest way and the most commonly followed route is to do what everyone else does, fish off Oban. This gives you access to Skate angling 12 months of the year as the Skate are resident in the areas they are found. There are a few other places to catch them, such as the west Coast of Ireland and a few areas further North from Oban, however these areas tend to be very weather dependant thus restricting the chances of getting out after the Skate.

In the summer months they can be found right in shallow water, even as little as 30′. Then as the water cools, they move out of the shallower water back in to the deeper areas. By deeper I mean 200′ is plenty depth to be able to catch commons all year round. If your fishing in deeper water, say 400′ then the skate are there *all* year round, despite what has been said they don’t move out to deeper water. Anyway to almost everyone 400′ passes off as deep water. Also despite what has been said, tide strengths do not have a lot of effect on catches, the only real effect tide is in the amount of weight you have to use. That being said the state of the tide does have an effect, but you will find out most marks fish at different states of the tide.

Tackle

When angling for Skate use appropriate tackle IGFA 30lb Class gear should be regarded as the absolute minimum to use. Ideally 50-80lb Class should be used. This is as much to combat the ‘inhospitable’ conditions in the areas where skate are targeted. i.e. deep water, strong tides. The use of heavier gear allows the skate to be landed more quickly, i.e. not exhausted, allowing it to be released in better condition.
You can land Skate on lighter gear but you are not doing yourself or more importantly the fish any favours. Personally when Skate fishing I don’t use anything less than 50lb class, with 80lb being the norm. This way when I hook a fish I know the odds are on my side and the fish will be boated with the minimal chance of a hook being left in the fish.

Terminal tackle needs to be strong and is best kept simple. A single 12/0 bronzed hook (e.g. Mustad 3406), preferably with the barb crushed down is best. Never use stainless or plated hooks, as these will not biodegrade if they have to be left in a skate. Keep hook links short (maximum of 24″/60cm). Short hook links are necessary to minimise the chances of deep hooking your skate. These should be made up of 150lb (minimum) breaking strain monofilament, (there is absolutely no need for wire) crimped to a quality 200lb rated swivel. This hook link should then be attached to an 8′ (2.4m) rubbing leader or ‘wind on leader’ (How to make Wind-On Leader) made of 150lb b.s. monofilament. This is to protect the mainline from the sharp thorns on the skate’s tail. This leader also helps when bringing the skate to the side of the boat.
The weight boom runs on the heavy mono of the rubbing leader / wind on leader, the main reason for this is to avoid it damaging the mainline and also to assist in keeping the mainline well away from the Skate’s sharp tail thorns.

The business end, showing the full trace.

A close up of the boom with the leader running through it.

Bait

Common Skate are not fussy eaters and have a very varied menu; this covers most shellfish and fish species. As an apex predator, Common Skate are deceivably agile when it comes to hunting and can easily catch fast swimming species like Herring & Mackerel. More common fodder fish species are Spurdog, Rays, Dogfish and Whiting with Edible Crabs, Prawns, Squat Lobsters and Scallops making up the bulk of the shellfish fodder species. The most commonly used baits are Mackerel and Coalfish around the 1lb to 1.5lb mark

A bait ready for use (note small bit of Car inner tube holding the bait on the crushed barb hook)

Striking a take

Always ‘hit’ a take as quickly as possible – never wait for a run to develop as this will almost always result in a deep-hooked fish. Don’t worry about missing a bite; Skate can and do, swallow very big baits in seconds and if you do miss one, they almost always come back for a second, third or even fourth attempt at a bait.
A lot has been said about the “lack of” fight from Common Skate, this usually comes from people that have either never caught one or have been using mono rather than braid as a the main line. With mono the stretch takes most of the fight out of the encounter, giving the angler very little “feel” as to what is happening at the other end of his line. However with braid you are in full contact with the fish at all times, making the fight rather more interesting.

Handling

When a Skate is brought to the side of the boat, it can be held quite easily by holding the trace and then getting a firm handhold at the cheek area of the skate. Large specimens may require to be gaffed to aid holding the fish. This needs to be done with great care. The gaff should be used only in the area outside the halfway point of the leading edge of the wing and no more than 3″ from the leading edge. This gives a secure hold and poses no danger to internal organs. I have marked the area on this photo with a red mark.

If and when you bring a Skate into the boat, due to their size and shape they can be very difficult to move about : mother nature forgot to fit a set of handles to them. The easiest solution I have found is a 6′ x 4′ bit of old trawler netting, simply manoeuvre the fish over the net then you can use it to easily lift the fish back over the side. (see below)

While on the subject of handling the Skate, be very wary of the tail. The large thorns on the tail are razor sharp and the Skate have a habit of putting the tail where you don’t want it to be. Another danger area is only found on male Skate, it’s a rough patch or razor sharp thorns on the leading outer edge of the wings. Lastly is the mouth, a Common can easily crush a wayward hand to a pulp, so it pays to be very careful when unhooking the fish.

If the fish is deep hooked, DO NOT attempt to remove the bronzed hook. Simply cut the hook link as near to the hook as possible and release the fish. You can do more damage by trying to retrieve the hook and a living Skate returned is worth more than the cost of a hook! Deep hooking can and does cause fatal injuries to skate. TRY TO AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS!

If you can, try to avoid bringing the skate into the boat, they can be measured and the tag (if any) checked at the side of the boat. If the skate has to be brought onboard, for whatever reason, have everything to hand before doing so in order to release the fish back into the water as quickly as possible.

Measure the wingspan and the length, check the sex and then obtain the weight from charts available from Glasgow Museums or from [here].

If the fish is tagged, note the tag number before releasing the Skate DO NOT REMOVE THE TAG.
FINALLY, if you catch a tagged Common Skate, please take a note of the tag number, sex, wingspan, length date, time, location, also any other relevant information and enter them using our on-line form here.

Plastic dart guidelines

ssacn — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:40:33 +0000

The well being of the fish we catch has to be our principle concern.

Whilst sharks may look big and tough creatures they are actually quite delicate, especially when out of the water so when tagging it is necessary to return them to the water with the minimum of fuss and distress to the fish.

Please follow these few simple guidelines :

Strike early: This is essential to avoid a deep hooked fish as gut hooked sharks have a much lower survival rate than mouth hooked sharks.
Be Prepared: Have T bars, pliers, wire cutters, tagging kits, weighing slings, cameras etc. on hand. Note the tag number before tagging the fish
Tag/measure the spurdog in the water: carry out as much of the measuring, tagging, hook removal as possible with the fish still in the water. A flexible sewer’s measuring tape is the preferred option.
Weighing/photographing the spurdog: lift the fish supporting the main body area as much as possible and use a weigh sling which fully supports the whole fish. Never lift a fish by the tail. See image for where to measure from.
Damaged fish: Release damaged or bleeding sharks without tagging, as this gives them a better chance of survival.
Look after yourself: Shark Skin is highly abrasive and tough and the spines will easily pierce your skin.

If the health of the fish is at all in question return it immediately.

Inserting the tag

Do not be over anxious: By taking time to tag the spurdog this will ensure secure anchorage of the tag and correct placement.

Loading the cannula: place the blunt end of the tag inside the pointed end the cannula and line the tag up so only the anchor barb is showing.

Inserting the cannula: push cannula firmly through the skin until the anchor barb just disappears under the skin, either side of the dorsal fin and below the dorsal line at a 45° angle.
Removing the cannula: Give the cannula a slight twist and remove from fish. Tug the tag slightly to set the barb.

Spurdog – code of best practice

ssacn — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:34:07 +0000

Introduction

The spurdog or spiny dogfish has been fished beyond safe biological levels and are classed as critically endangered so please treat any fish you catch with respect and release them as soon as possible.

Whilst Spurdog may look big and tough creatures they are actually quite delicate especially when out of the water.

This code has been written so that you can enjoy fishing for spurdog but most importantly cause the minimum of damage to any Spurdog you are lucky enough to encounter.

It is worth remembering that the sharp spines are used by the fish as defensive weapon and these can easily pierce a wellington boot. In one instance the spine caused a wound on an angler that required 18 stitches so extreme care is required when handling them

Please remember a gut hooked fish is usually down to bad angling practice and should be avoided by striking early.

Releasing a spurdog without taking it out of the water is the preferred option.

Identity

The Spur is generally slate gray or dark brown on its back which fades to a white belly, the Spur also has a distinctive green eye and scissor like teeth.

Be Prepared

It is essential that you are prepared for any eventuality when landing a spurdog

It sounds obvious, but the time taken to find buried tools in tackle boxes or under a pile of clothing means the spurdog is under stress for longer than necessary.

This means having T bars, pliers, wire cutters, tagging kits, weighing slings (if applicable), cameras etc. at hand with each and every person present knowing what is expected of them.

Time is the vital factor that may dictate whether the fish will survive the capture and subsequent release

Hook sizes

The use of bronze finished hooks is the singularly most important factor in the release of deep-hooked sharks as any hook that has to be left in a fish will dissolve rapidly.

A size 4/0, is recommended, either barb-less or with the barb crushed to facilitate the unhooking process.

As lip hooking significantly reduces the likelihood of a hook being left in the fish the use of circle hooks should also be considered.

Traces

Spurdog are a large, strong fish with sharp teeth and rough skin.

Losing a fish because of an inappropriate trace increases the likelihood of fish mortality due to trailing line. The trace should be at least one metre long of 80 lb nylon with a 50 lb 200mm wire biting length.

When to strike

It is essential to strike early to avoid a deep hooked fish.

A gut hooked fish is usually down to bad angling practice, it is better to miss the bite than gut hook the fish.

Dealing with the fish

The recommended option is to release the fish in the water with a long handled “T” bar. This is far better for the fish and easiest option for the angler.

Insert the slit on the bar round the bend of the hook with one hand and pull the line down with the other. Use the weight of the fish to pull out the hook.

A barb-less hook or crushed barb makes this a simple task.

The practice of making spurs ‘easier’ or ‘safer’ to handle by breaking off the spines with a pair of pliers is to be frowned upon.

As spurs have a two year gestation period then there is a good chance any large spurdog you encounter will be pregnant so extra care must be taken to avoid the fish aborting through stress.

Spurdog are not an aggressive or vicious species despite the look of the teeth or spines – simply treat with caution. Do not attempt to handle by trying to wrap the head and tail in a single grip as is commonly done with the LSD.

To leave the hook in or not?

There are occasions, all though this is often down to inexperience or bad angling practice when, the spurdog swallows everything and the hook is out of sight or in the protruding stomach.

The best option for the welfare of the fish is to cut the line as close to the hook as possible.

The spurdog will lose the hook eventually (providing it is not stainless steel) and will swallow the stomach as this method is used by sharks, as a defence mechanism to get rid of unwanted stomach contents.

If you can see the hook in the wall of the mouth then it may be preferable to land the fish to safely remove the hook.

Landing the fish

If you need to land the fish then the safety of both the fish and the angler is paramount.

Remember sharks have no ribcage and the water pressure keeps all the vital organs in place.

Dragging a fish backwards or holding it by the tail can easily rupture the internal organs. It may swim off fine but die a few days later.

To remove the fish from the water hold the dorsal fin and tail and lift the fish horizontally, alternatively a pectoral fin may be used, however, where possible, the abdomen should be supported to the highest degree possible.

When you cannot reach the fish, a large, landing net should be used, taking care to lower the fish gently onto the deck or land.

A wet cloth or towel soaked in sea water should be placed over the head ensuring the eyes are fully covered; this usually pacifies the spurdog and makes the removal of the hook with a disgorger or long nosed pliers an easier and safer procedure.

Avoid Holding spurs in a death grip from behind the head as the fingers and thumb can crush the gill structures. A gentle grip either on the snout (neoprene gloves give an excellent grip) or behind the gill area will do the trick. A foot placed either side of the body can help minimise squirming while unhooking, provided you have a decent pair of leather (not rubber) boots on.

Where an angler is fishing alone it is recommended that all fish are released in the water, either by using a T bar or cutting the line close to the fish.

In no circumstances is the use of a gaff recommended. It is not necessary and seriously damages fish.

Weighing a fish.

If the spurdog is to be weighed, the preferred method is by the use of a suitably sized weighing sling laid out beforehand.

The fish should be placed in this sling immediately it is unhooked, ensuring that unsupported movement is restricted. Ensure that the fish is placed evenly within the sling before lifting.

Photographing the fish

When photographing and returning the fish remember to keep the fish horizontal, with the abdomen supported by the arms and the tail grasped firmly.

Releasing the fish.

When releasing the spurdog, hold the head of the fish into the tide for a short period to get oxygen back into its gills, once the fish kicks that is a good indication that it has recovered enough to be released.

On occasions the fish may become gassed up and fail to swim off; this can be caused by winding up the fish to fast. A slight pressure to the abdomen whilst the fish is in the water should expel the air.

Conclusion

Spurdog are a large, powerful, active fish and their teeth are as sharp as razor blades and will instantly bite a finger to the bone and their spines can cause severe damage to the angler.

The best practice for angler and fish is to remove the hook whilst the fish is still in the water, but if you have to land the fish then the safety of the angler and fish is paramount and care must be taken at all times.

Enjoy the fishing but please remember respect must be given to these magnificent sharks at all times.

By following this code, you will help preserve the stocks of this magnificent fighting fish for generations to come.

This code of conduct was produced by the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (www.ssacn.org). It may be freely distributed with the normal acknowledgements.

Common Skate – Code of best practice

ssacn — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:29:54 +0000

Author :: Davy Holt

General

The purpose of this ‘code of conduct’ is to act as a guide for the capture and safe return of common skate caught by anglers.

The common skate is one of the few species of fish where local populations can suffer as badly from poor angling practices as from commercial fishing pressure. The once prolific grounds off the Northern & Western coast of Scotland were wiped out in the 1970′s due in part to the now frowned upon practice of anglers bringing skate ashore to be weighed and photographed, before their carcases were ignominiously dumped off the end of the local pier!

Tackle

When angling for skate use appropriate tackle.

IGFA 30lb Class gear should be regarded as the absolute minimum to use. Ideally 50-80lb Class should be used. This is as much to combat the ‘inhospitable’ conditions in the areas where skate ate targeted. i.e. Deep water, strong tides.
The use of heavier gear allows the skate to be landed more quickly, i.e. not exhausted, allowing it to be released in better condition.
Terminal tackle needs to be strong and is best kept simple.
A single 12/0 bronzed hook (e.g. Mustad 3406), preferably with the barb crushed down is best. Never use stainless or plated hooks, as these will not biodegrade if they have to be left in a skate.
Keep hook links short (maximum of 24"/60cm). Short hook links are absolutely necessary to minimise the chances of deep hooking your skate. These should be made up of 150lb (minimum) b.s. monofilament, crimped to a quality 200lb rated swivel.
Rubbing leaders. This hook link should then be attached to an 8′ (2.4m) rubbing leader or ‘wind on leader’ made of 150lb b.s. monofilament. (See diagrams 1 & 2). This is to protect the mainline from the sharp thorns on the skate’s tail. This leader also helps when bringing the skate to the side of the boat.

Striking a take

Always ‘hit’ a take as quickly as possible – never wait for a run to develop as this will almost always result in a deep-hooked fish. Don’t worry about missing a bite; skate can and do, swallow very big baits in seconds.

Handling

When a skate is brought to the side of the boat, it can be held quite easily by holding the trace and then getting a firm handhold at the cheek area of the skate.

Large specimens may require to be gaffed to aid holding the fish. This needs to be done with great care. The gaff should be used only in the area outside the halfway point of the leading edge of the wing and no more than 4" from the leading edge. (See diagram 3). This gives a secure hold and poses no danger to internal organs.
If the fish is deep hooked, DO NOT attempt to remove the bronzed hook. Simply cut the hook link as near to the hook as possible and release the fish. You can do more damage by trying to retrieve the hook and a living skate returned is worth more than the cost of a hook!
Deep hooking can and does cause fatal injuries to skate. TRY TO AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS!
Return all deep hooked skate to the water quickly. Give it a chance of survival.
Measure the wingspan and the length, check the sex and then obtain the weight from charts available from Glasgow Museums.
If the fish is tagged, note the tag number BUT DO NOT REMOVE IT before releasing the skate.
Try to avoid bringing the skate into the boat if possible, they can be measured and the tag (if any) checked at the side of the boat.
If the skate has to be brought onboard, for whatever reason, have everything to hand before doing so in order to release the fish back into the water as quickly as possible.