Spurdog

Distribution:

The Spurdog is another of our 'Cat Sharks' that are to be found around the Irish coast. This Shark was once much more common than it is now due to gross over fishing and its relatively slow reproductive cycle. This Shark was once very common in the North sea but has since declined and said to have colapsed several times. Its numbers tend to be mainly sporadic while sometimes common for short periods until the fish move away elswhere. Lambay Island out of Dublin bay is sometimes noted for freak catches as is the Codling bank off wicklow head.

Habitat:

The Spurdog tends to prefer muddy or sandy bottoms. They are usually found around the lee of sandbanks in deep water searching for flatfish etc.. They can be found in anything from 100 ft to 3000 ft. Catches have been made over mixed ground also but not with as much consistancy.

Season:

Spurdogs tend to start to shoal around may and can hang around until October. Most of this has to do with abundant food fish. August - September is peak time with the vast Mackeral shoals that are to be found all around the coast.

Baits:

The Spurdog is a fish eater with Mackeral, Launce and Herring being the usual baits. Other baits often used are Garfish, Whiting, Squid and Dabs.

Tactics:

Tactics for 'Spurs' are much the same as Tope and indeed you can target both species at the same time. Smaller hooks are the norm however with 5/0 being ample. Hook traces should be about six ft and fished on the bottom. A wire trace is not really nessasary for Spurs as although their teeth are sharp they are not that big. Do use tough line of say 80 lb - 100 lb as a leader. This will combat their teeth and rough hides that may break your line. Reels should be set on free spool to allow this fish to take line if need be. Rubby Dubby can also work wonders and is recomended due to the scarcity of this species.

Spurdog Profile

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