Lesser Guitarfish (Sandshark)
Illustration: gardenroutefishing.co.za
The sandkruiper — half shark, half ray, entirely harmless. Guitarfish lie buried on sandy bottoms in estuaries and gentle surf, ambushing crabs and prawns.
Where & how: estuary mouths and sandy bays; a common (often first) 'shark' for young anglers on prawn and crab baits. Strong, low-slung runs along the bottom.
Handling: no spine, no real teeth — one of the safest big fish to introduce kids to. Support the body, keep it wet, release quickly.
Status: endemic to southern Africa and declining in heavily fished areas — release everything.
Field guide
Powerful, sustained runs and dogged head-shaking — big fish test heavy tackle and your stamina rather than jumping.
How to catch Lesser Guitarfish (Sandshark)
Light-medium surf outfit
Large baitrunner spinning reel (8000–14000) or a 6/0–9/0 conventional with 300 m+ line capacity and a strong, smooth drag.
0.50–0.70 mm mono or 50–80 lb braid for the mainline.
8/0–12/0 non-stainless circle hooks (rust out if a deep-hooked fish is released).
1.5–2 m of 100–300 lb mono trace; multi-strand wire or cable for toothy sharks.
Prawn, crab
When to catch Lesser Guitarfish (Sandshark)
Estuary mouths and gentle surf, daytime
Feeds hard on moving water, especially the push and after dark; spring tides and a warm current switch them on.
Most active in warmer water, roughly 18–23 °C, especially when bait shoals are inshore.
🥅 Landing
On the beach, use the swash to slide the fish onto wet sand; from rocks, lead it to a safe gulley. Never gaff a shark you plan to release.
♻️ Release
Keep it in the water, support the body, remove the hook with a de-hooker or cut the trace close, then revive it upright facing the current until it swims off strongly.
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