Plate 51 of 79SaltwaterSurf & pier

Smooth Dogfish (Smoothhound Shark)

Mustelus canis

The smoothhound — a small, spineless, blunt-nosed shark caught constantly from Bay piers and jetties on cut bait in the warm months.

Typically present

beginnerShore-accessibleBoat recommendedEstuarineBrackishNearshore ocean

Practice this species

Try a simulated catch in Seven Casts. Use this guide and its official sources to plan a real trip.

This profile has not yet been checked against an official regional data source — confirm identification, seasons, and regulations before you rely on it.

Smooth Dogfish (Smoothhound Shark) (Mustelus canis) — Fig. 51. Mustelus canis
Illustration: Duane Raver / USFWS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Public domainLong edge is 752px, below this project's 1600px preference. Accepted because it is the best rights-clear, correctly-identified photo found for this species — see SPECIES_PHOTO_AUDIT.md for the source search record.

Habitat: Chesapeake Bay, Inlets
Methods: Inshore boat, Surf, Pier
Difficulty: beginner
Eating: Usually released

Identification

Look for

No white spots on the body (unlike the similar Atlantic sharpnose shark)
Two dorsal fins of nearly equal size, and small spiracles (openings behind the eyes) — the Atlantic sharpnose lacks spiracles
Slender, gray-brown body; blunt, rounded snout rather than sharpnose's pointed one

Local waters

Bay bottom near structure
Piers, jetties, and inlets

Catchable both from shore (surf, pier) and by boat (inshore boat).

Show on the map

When to fish

Typically present: spring, summer, fall

Spring through fall — one of the most commonly caught small sharks from Bay piers and jetties.

Tide stage for this kind of water

Rising water on the shallow flats

Flooding water lets fish spread onto shallow flats and grass to feed; open-Bay structure fishes on any moving tide.

From: Reading tides without overthinking them

Water temperature

The water, not the calendar, sets the season here — a warm October or a cold snap moves these bands.

Water temperature and the seasons

How to catch it

Catchable both from shore (surf, pier) and by boat (inshore boat). Technique notes for this species have not been written yet; the baits and rigs below are the documented starting points.

Bait & lures

Cut bait fished on bottom — often caught incidentally while bottom fishing for other species

Rigs for smooth dogfish (smoothhound shark)

All rigs

Sheet 13
Bottomintermediate
Shark bottom rig (circle hook, catch-and-release)
For atlantic sharpnose shark, sandbar shark, smooth dogfish (smoothhound shark), bonnethead shark from pier, surf, bay, inlet.
Atlantic Sharpnose SharkSandbar SharkSmooth Dogfish (Smoothhound Shark)

Terms usedPresentation Structure Current seam

Handling and release

Not a food-use species in this guide (catch-and-release or restricted) — release.

Federally open with no bag limit as of the last confirmed check — but see the note below on the permit requirement that applies before that's even relevant. Note: spiny dogfish is a real, different species sometimes confused with this one by name alone — it's managed under a completely separate federal fishery plan, not the Atlantic HMS shark program this page and its regulation link cover, so don't assume this entry's rules apply to it. Recreational anglers must hold a federal HMS Angling or Charterboat/Headboat permit *with a shark endorsement* to legally retain any shark species at all — most anglers fishing without one must release every shark regardless of that species' individual status, and Virginia (VMRC) rules may add further restrictions on top of federal ones. Anyone targeting sharks (from shore or a vessel) is also federally required to carry a device capable of quickly cutting the leader or hook. If removing the hook would delay release, cut the leader or hook as close to the hook as possible instead — the shark does not need to be lifted, dragged onto dry sand/a pier deck, or restrained to be released safely, and a shark should stay in the water throughout release whenever that's achievable.

Cleaning, chilling, and cooking a legal catch covers the steps between the cooler and the pan.