Donfish

Spot on! thank you Roy thats very close to my hotel and i'll inquire about a short session when I get there tomorrow maybe fish for a few hours weds. before I return home. Hope the weather is better Weds as it looks like rain upon my arrival. Thank you again everyone Don

Good stuff there Guys I like the ssacn article it is very close in the way we deal with sport caught Mako and thresher sharks from the boat. Handling leopard sharks is easy enough and we don't hold the soupies up for photos by the tail but land and release them that way in the surf where keeping them in the water is not an option in the surf. they are supported by the sand. If you notice the hooks we use have small barbs and unhook quick and easy. The soupfin here feed on crabs and spiny Lobster so I doubt the lightwire hooks do any more damage then their nomal prey. We are allowed to take 1 per day (sport)if we choose to but I nor my mates have kept one in over 2 years and don't take time for photo's on them usually and never weigh them anymore. My post wasn't ment to offend any shark huggers and ment to share Pacific coast knowledge in exchange for Atlantic methods and knowledge.( XXXXX hugger is friendly jab we use here for catch and release fishermen and it applies to most of my fishing with exception of the few fish I keep for fish tacos once a year). Don

I notice alot of differant fish being infused there but this place is like 40 miles up the road from me and i haven't fished it in 25 ++years.Its the anti christ of tradition...http://irvinelake.net/irv/vt.php?t=3

At first on the wording and the way a local friend who has fished there made it sound it was a Catch and kill only Zone. I have no problem with catch and eat but with the invent of digital cameras and my eldering statehood I'm all about Responcible Catch Photograph and Release for more sporting catches(CPR) where Wahoo aka Ono and swordfish are about the only 2 that would have to grace my table. I Fish the ocean 99.9% of the time. Most all of people who dare post they caught a fish in the boards I am part of release all or most of what they catch and never take full daily bag limits unless they can use them all for a big fish fry or such. It's been over a year since I've taken a fish for table fare and thats just because I don't care to eat most fish. I'd rather catch em take a quick pic and let em get on their way.The Baitfish I catch to fish the Surfsharks have to die and are used. and the sharks are caught photographed and released to hassle the dumb local surfer that needs to surf where I'm catching sharks....

Beyond my last post I'll be staying at the comfort hotel couple miles er a kilo beyond up n right as the map goes of the airport won't be bringing gear as it would be less then optimal. Hangin with fellow fishers is always cool. Donfish is what I'll leave in the lobby for contact.Will check in around 2pm London time and out around the same unless I get jacked to fish the morn. Weds. I'll check the replies before I jet and thatnk you all or the suggestions. Don

I'm pretty sure our Soupfin sharks that we get here on the West Coast of the USA are the same critters as your Tope. Locally I target them from the surf and am intrested in exchanging knowledge across the continents and pond as they are Very seasonal here and don't show up at the same places every year but always tend to the same areas when they do. These are our Soupfin in the 6' 70-75lb range. They are a species not targeted by most here and are mythilogical in size here up to the largest of 151 1/2 lbs. as personally seen in an old photo from the early 80's.I have only landed a few personally and have lost specimens into the 100+ range once in heavy structure where we saw the fish. We fish a sliding sinker rig of equal distance from the hook leader and weight leader appx 30" with 135lb sevalon sevenstrand coated wire on the hook leader and 6oz pyramid weight with gamakatsu 10/0 Octopus hook. The rod I use is 13' with a Newell P344-5 on a new to me CUI 13' rodblank custom built for the task. 30lb mono for the mainline but the issues we seem to be running into is that the critters cut us off above the 30" wire leader quite often on the hookset and I'm not sure if they suck the bait That deep on the pickup or if they roll on it or are getting us with their tails. Line comes back clean without shark rash and no pigtails as we use double improved clinch knots that never break at the knot. Don't know it the Tope get that large there as the population here in the US are all females and usually larger where north into the San Francisco area up to Alaska are all smaller males. Incedential catches here include Shovel nose Guitarfish which need to be played prior to release, Batrays that top out over 150lbs. this one is about 100lbs. Leopard sharks That are Very scrappy in the surf and reach about 50lbs just over 6' this one is skinney and about 5' 25lbs. And then the occasionial this is my first and only and from talking to the oldschool surf fishing scholars a Very rare Apex predator in our southern waters 7Gill Cowshark. This one is male and is a specimen @ 8'5" 101" apprx. 250 lbs. I caught during a tri county contest for batrays that I'll gladly take for My biggest ever from the surf by about 100lbs. We caught Batrays to 49" wingspan to win the contest as well. Everything I showed pictures of were released with the exception of the old soupfin sharks that were killed and eaten with alot of remorse as they were all plugged with eggs and since we practice "CPR" Catch Photograph and release on them as well as all the rest of the sport model surffish we catch. I'm new to this forum but hope I can exchange various techniques with Y'all.... Don

Wow thank you all for all of your input. I have covered a Ton of information these past 2 days and think that without first atleast observing and asking alot of questions about local regulations gear and practices I can't really just stop in for a day and catch a few fish off the side of a road. I think our fishing here is a bit less formal but then again I have 35 years of fishing experience here and am trying to jamb 100's of years of tradition and development into parts of 2 days.(Typical American eh?)wait thats canadian slang... These courier trips come up a few times a year and with the current economy I might be taking them more often. I'm gonna try to see what I can workout to head up to Farlows(Thanks Mick )and see if they'll let me look around as I speak fishing just fine down in Baja Calif and don't speak spanish So English should be an easy enough barrier for me. Pesos Pounds Dollars all speak the same in fishing. Leaving in about 24 hours weather looks like it might clear enough for a quick Weds look around before I have to be at the airport for my return flight. Maybe next time a few days layover a rental car and appropriate gear. Thank you all again for your time and research and if ever you will be in the LA Calif area of the US and want to checkout the local surf fishing scene either I or my mates at SCsurffishing.com would be more then happy to take a brother angler out and put them on a few fish I have the same screen name there so its easy. Don

Yeah Kev we are a friendly bunch at SCsurffishing as well and often take people with us. I'm taking a guy from Canada out for some leopard shark and Batray fishing May11th as that is my main targets off of the beaches here and they are biting really well right now. I've been banging away on the keys here researching the various resevoirs such as the Queen mother Wraysbury King Georege VI and the Staines resevoirs and see quite a few unnamed park lakes and ponds(could be private land?) some need day tickets and others I am not finding much fishing info on. I'll do that same search on google and see what you found thanks for the tip Thanks for the article Steve fishing lingo varies alot around here so the vocabulary lesson and tips on artificials not often being used is especially helpful. thanks for the gear and lure suggestions Newt Don

So any post office will have 1 day licences? Very cool I really had my sights set towards Pike and they close the predator fishiery at bury hills in March. Is that a closed season for Pike everywhere or just at those lakes? thanks for the reply, Don

Hi Dan I'm new around here and fish more then 5000 miles away here in Los Angeles Calif USA but have many years experience in fishing tight to structure. I have the same concerns about anchoring my kayak close to dangerous areas and think in your case a small cartop aluminum or Fixed transom inflatible might be the better and safer way to go about the Conger hunt. Paddling backwards against 2 kts of current and trying to pull an anchor isn't going to work out too well if you start dragging. I'd go for a 6hp or better outboard on a Zodiac or equivelent inflatible. With the outboard you can quickly get out of a tight spot and manuver in the current while pulling the anchor. It's not a cheap solution but alot safer and more effective. as we say here in the US ,just my 2 cents Don

Thanks John Rookie mistake on the topic location.

Hi everyone My name is Don and I will be visiting London On Tues 4/28 AM leaving the following day back home Weds 4/29 PM. I am a very avid Surf kayak and offshore angler here but know next to nothing about fishing in the UK. I will be staying at a hotel near London/Heathrow airport and noticed a few ponds as well as some larger resevoirs nearby and would love the opportunity of sampling the fishing there. If someone could point me in the right direction as far as gear and lure recommendations and maybe a word or 2 of advice I would be very appricative. I am a member of our local fishing forums and will be posting a pictorial account of my little adventure upon my return. Thank you in advance for any insight you can pass on to this fish out of known waters. Don