Mahigeer (Hashem Nahid) and a shovelnose guitarfish at the Hermosa Beach Pier

Order Rhinobatiformes — Guitarfish—Family Rhinobatidae 

Species:  Rhinobatos productus (Ayres, 1854); from the Latin word rhin (shark with a rough skin) and the Greek word batis (a ray or skate), and the Latin word product  (a lengthened form, in reference to its long shape and form). 

OB Pier Rat (Mike) and a shovelnose from the Ocean Beach Pier

Alternate Names:  Shovelnose shark, sand shark or guitarfish. Called guitarra viola in Mexico.

Haley and her first shovelnose at the Ocean Beach Pier

Identification: They have a rather spade-shaped head with a long and pointed nose; the disk is longer than it is wide. Their body is flattened but the tail is well developed with two dorsal fins on the top. Their coloring is sandy brown above, white below. (They also have the “most soulful, woebegone eyes you have ever seen.” This last reference is from the book Certainly More Than You Want To Know About The Fishes Of The Pacific Coast by the eminent marine biologist Dr. Robin Milton Love, a book that every angler who fishes California’s coast should read.)

Size: Reported to 5 1/2 feet in length and over 40 pounds. Typical size at piers is from two to four feet.

Shovelnose from the Manhattan Beach Pier

Range: Southern Mexico and the Gulf of California to San Francisco. Though once considered rare north of Monterey Bay, quite a few have been  reported from San Francisco Bay piers since 2007.

 DompfaDan (Dan Acker) and a guitarfish from the Goleta Pier

Habitat: Found on sandy beaches in coastal waters as well as bays (on both muddy and sandy bottoms) to a depth of about 50 feet. Sometimes appears in very large aggregations (apparently when they’re in “the mood”). Typically feeds on worms, crabs, and clams.

Pierhead (Boyd Grant) with a shovelnose from the Ventura Pier (29.5 lbs, 56.7 inches)

Piers: One of the most common rays at all piers south of Pismo Beach and one of the favorites due to their size and the delicious meat which can be cut from the tail. Best bets: Imperial Beach Pier, Ocean Beach Pier, Crystal Pier, Oceanside Pier, San Clemente Pier, Newport Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Seal Beach Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Santa Monica Pier, Ventura Pier, Stearns Wharf and Goleta Pier.  

Leapin Bass (Pete Wolf of Big Hammer fame) with a shovelnose from the Goleta Pier

 Shoreline: A favorite catch of southern California shore fishermen, especially in bays.

Thomas Orozco and a guitarfish caught at the Marin Rod & Gun Club Pier in San Rafael

Bait and Tackle: Since this is one of the larger fish most pier anglers will encounter, you should use at least medium saltwater tackle—twenty pound test line and size 2 to 4/0 hooks. Guitarfish will hit almost any bait but live anchovies, smelt, shinerperch and brown bait—small queenfish or white croaker—seem to work best. Other baits considered to be good include ghost shrimp, squid, clams, innkeeper worms and cut mackerel or anchovies. Bait should be fished as close to the bottom as possible and in shallow water, just past the breakers. Most commonly seen in summer and fall.

Two shovelnose from the Malibu Pier

Food Value:Excellent. Unfortunately most anglers simply discard these rays even though, in taste and texture, the meat (found in two long, narrow fillets in the tail) is somewhat like that of expensive scallops. However, more and more people are learning how to properly prepare Mr. Shovelnose.

                                     A shovelnose taken from the Malibu Pier

Comments: Remember to bring a net or pier gaff (but only gaff them if you intend to keep them)!

Dad with a shovelnose caught in Mission Bay

My dad used to head down to Mission Bay each day, pump up some ghost shrimp, sit back with his dog Mitzi, and wait for a spotfin croaker or big old shovelnose to grab his bait. He was the one who taught me that guitarfish are good eating. In fact, one day he was talking to some visitors from Seattle who had been in San Diego on a fishing trip. They had fished on boats and shore and were headed back. He gave them some shovelnose and they called a few days later stating that they liked the meat from the shovelnose better than the other fish. Who would have known?

A shovelnose caught at the Marin Rod & Gun Club Pier in San Rafael

A related, though smaller relative, the banded guitarfish, is occasionally seen at piers in the San Diego area; most are caught from piers in San Diego Bay.

A banded guitarfish from the Goleta Pier

In Mexico, dead guitarfish are mutilated, shaped, dried, and turned into basilisks or diablos (devils) and sold to to naive/gullible tourists as curios. I imagine there might be a good market for them in the “Area 51″ crowd?

A garadiablo or sea demon made from a shovelnose guitarfish

Shovelnose guitarfish from the Balboa Pier

Then there’s always this real  guitar-fish. Courtesy of Barry Melton, co-founder of “County Joe and The Fish” and now a successful attorney.