Most Wanted : Black Mouthed Dogfish.

Sharks are cool, fascinating creatures. I don't think anyone would dispute this fact. Some anglers do however have a strong dislike for a particular species of shark, namely the lesser spotted dogfish, commonly referred to as the doggy. In some areas these can reach plague proportions and anglers targeting other fish can have their baits picked up by the resident doggies much to their annoyance. Personally I don't mind catching them and at the end of the day I believe all fish deserve respect, even the humble bait stealing doggy.

My first ever lesser spotted dogfish. I still enjoy catching them even when I'm not targeting them.

A less well known and much less common cousin of the lesser spotted dogfish is the black mouthed dogfish. So named because, you've guessed it, the inside of its mouth is black. It has the same very abrasive skin as its spotted cousin but is darker in colour with rather nice markings down its flanks, has larger eyes and a longer pointed snout, the top of which is covered in highly sensitive prey detecting sensors.

A very nice looking member of the shark family I'm sure you'll agree.

As my "Most Wanted" list didn't have any sharks on it and since I've also set myself the goal of catching ten shark species this year I thought this was something I needed to address. There are other shark species that I'd like to catch for the first time too but this one is just a little unusual and that's why it joins the other species on my list of highly sought after catches. I know that black mouthed dogfish are sometimes caught on the west coast of Scotland and that's where I shall probably head to try and catch one.

Tight lines, Scott.