When To Strike Tope

[bob@reefcatfishing]

Nice and interesting post Ian.

 

We don't fish for tope but do a lot of fishing for blue shark. We decided to experiment with circle hooks, and after 2 seasons I am definitely a fan. We just tighten the drag whilst the fish is running and pretty much most of the time we hook the fish in the scissors.

 

When using J hooks many clients wanted the crew to strike the fish for them, just in case they messed it up. Now with circles I am sure that inexperienced anglers have a much better chance of a hookup.

 

Our standard rig is TLD 30s with a 20-30lb stand up rod, we don't fish braid because of the potential for huge tangles. It also allows the angler to make a few mistakes that the stretch in the line will forgive.

 

We have loads of juvenile blues in the 30 - 60lb range, with the occassional large female topping 100lbs. We're fishing typically just above the continental shelf drop off in 200-300 metres of water, when its warm enough we can also catch mako, and have seen some enormous hammerhead (yet to hook one though).

 

So far we haven't had to leave a circle hook in a shark, the smaller ones we bring onboard to unhook, the larger fish we can usually T bar at the side of the boat. We do file down the barb on the hook, as the mustad commercial pattern has a huge barb for longliners.

[Ian Burrett]

Hi Bob

 

Do you fancy doing a short feature on How to catch, and handle the blue shark etc.with a few nice photos for the SOS website

[Stoaty]

In my experience tope tend to bite a bait off in the middle. If your using a whole mackeral this sometimes leaves you with just the head. I get a mate to weld/braize a couple of tines about an inch long onto the shank of a 10/0 hook. I then press this into the back of the bait. and thread the trace (150lb nylon) through the gills and out the mouth. I hold the hook in place with a couple of fine cable ties, through the body of the bait and round the hook shank. When I get a bite I don't wait for any run just wind down as fast as I can. I reckon on hooking most bites like this.

 

I have tried pennels but they seem to feel the hook in the tail and drop them. Single hooks in one end of the bait often leave you with half a bait. They don't seem to notice one big hook in the middle of the bait.

 

I have had good results with using dab as bait in the thames estuary but haven't tried it anywhere else.

[bob@reefcatfishing]

Ian - yes no problem, will do a small feature. Might have to wait a month or two cos I'm stuck in the UK, but I'll give it some thought.

[Ian Burrett]

Ian - yes no problem, will do a small feature. Might have to wait a month or two cos I'm stuck in the UK, but I'll give it some thought.

 

Hi Bob

 

I will look forward to recieving the article and thanks for joining SOS

 

cheers Ian

[five bellies]

Stoaty, an old boy I used to fish with swore on dab as a shore bait for tope on a mark in wales, he never told me where the mark was or how the hell you cast a dab! Half a mackie is hard enough and that is half way aerodynamic. but its food for thought though. I will give it a spin next summer.

[Stoaty]

You slit it down the middle pull as much of the bone out as you can, fold it in half top to bottom and put it on your hook. QED

 

Incidently, eel tail was always spouted as a great tope bait. I have tried it many times over the years. Caught diddly squat on it.

 

I have seen some big tope in very shallow water over the years. They are not scared of shallow water. I have seen them at Dungeness 3 feet from the waters edge following mackeral. I don't think distance casting matters much.

 

Some of the best marks for the big Thames Estuary ones are just 8-10 feet deep. They are a different fish in shallow water they run like the wind with the tide, against the tide, under the boat, round everybody line, skip across the surface and do it all again. They fight from first hooked till in the net. In my opinion they are the best sport fish we have.

Edited November 9, 2005 by Stoaty

[Newt]

Again the traces are down to personal choice but I believe it is impossible to purchase the perfect trace from the shops. The all wire traces kink and cause danger at the side of the boat when the skipper is handling the trace.

My favorite trace has only 1 ft. of 100-150 lb wire to a swivel and 6ft of a heavy mono. I personally prefer 150 lb. mono as it is easier for me to handle and kinder to my hands at the side of the boat. We once lost an 80lb. tope at the side of the boat because the angler had bought a shop trace with only 80lb mono instead of the 150

Nice post Ian.

 

Does the kinking problem happen even with titanium wire?

[five bellies]

Same as me ,never had a run on eel section there agian all my tope fishing is done on the south coast not in a euastaury having said that some of the lads down there swear by it all the same ,I use a whole mackral flapper a 2' 150lb mono trace tied to a 8' 80lb rubbing trace I use crimps on the 150lb to keep it neat and end it with a cox and rawle meat hook that I hone after every fish, cast uptide in shallow water seems to work well enough for me. I have grown to live with the occasional dropped run keeps you on your toes.

[Ian Burrett]

In my experience tope tend to bite a bait off in the middle. If your using a whole mackeral this sometimes leaves you with just the head. I get a mate to weld/braize a couple of tines about an inch long onto the shank of a 10/0 hook. I then press this into the back of the bait. and thread the trace (150lb nylon) through the gills and out the mouth. I hold the hook in place with a couple of fine cable ties, through the body of the

 

Hi Stoaty

We used to use a baiting needle which presented a bait with the hook sticking out the head facing backwards, but this method definatley caused more foul hooked fish with the novice angler.

 

Nice post Ian.

 

Does the kinking problem happen even with titanium wire?

 

We tend to use multi strand stainless wire in the UK which is far more flexible than the titanium wire.

mainly i think for longetivy. I can use the same trace for months.

 

Some like to fish a heavy nylon straight through but can this can cause a lost fish at the side of the boat. as the fish thrashing at the side of the boat will saw through the nylon and it is usually the big ones that get away. Isn't it always?