Tope Teeth

[corydoras]

The kayaks are increadibly stable and there is no reason that we can't catch anything caught by the boat fishermen, and I'm sure that some will be trying to beat that Tope record next year when the big females are back close in, or possibly Porbeagles later this year.

Rather you than me mate. I keep having visions of one of you losing a hand or a foot to a tope or of one of your kayaks coming up onto the plane behind a 3 metre porbeagle. Good luck to you all and TL.

[snakey1]

Heres a little bit of information for any of you guys who are thinking of taking on a porbeagle shark.

The porbeagle shark (lamna nasus) is one of the sharks in the family known as the mackeral sharks, this family includes the great white and the mako shark amongst others. The porbeagle is warm blooded in that it can maintain its blood temperature at a point several degrees higher than its surrounding water this allows its muscles to work with much greater efficiency and allows for great bursts of speed, (interestingly one of the few other fish capable of this is also the great white shark). although they are not known for jumping clear of the water when hooked there apparently have been cases of them breaching when chasing prey items(once again similar to the white shark).The current IGFA record stands at 507lbs caught off Scotland (although these sharks may grow much larger and weights up to 900lbs have and lengths of around 13 ft are considered about maximum) and there have been 2 recorded unprovoked attacks (both on divers,both nonfatal) on humans.

It may make you think twice when your quarry may be almost as long as your yak and weigh three times what you do, to me thats one hell of a step up from a tope no matter how large.

On a slightly different plane, as the weather warms up we should be getting the usual occasional sitings of a great white in our waters.Although these is no recorded evidence that these sharks do inhabit the waters around Britain it may interest you to know that the usual excuse of the water being too cold for them may not hold true in that the winter water temperatures in the mediterranean where they are definitely present can be several degrees lower than the summer temperatures of the waters off the southern coast of Britain. There has also been put forward the idea that white sharks may be following the increasingly large number of basking sharks that are appearing off our coasts and feeding upon these.

Anyone fancy a pop at one of them! white shark fishing on a kayak the ultimate adrenalin sport!

[Simon Everett]

When you get a tope on the kayak if you cover its eyes with a towel it goes very quiet and lays still- then you don't have a threshing monster!

 

The porgy record has been beaten several times since that Scottish one from the Pentland Firth - just last month Graeme Pullen had a 9 footer estimated at over 550 lbs to the boat. The record requires that the fish be killed and taken ashore for ratification - so I think the record will stand for some time as no caring shark angler will kill a fish just to claim a rcord - like Graeme, a photograph and personal knowledge of the record (especially when it is so clearly bigger than the current record) or not a record, is sufficient. To take a fish just to get your name on a piece of paper is unforgivable - and I hope there are some Yanks reading this. I don't care how many porbeagles there are - the morality of such an action is worse than Guantalamo Bay.

[corydoras]

I don't care how many porbeagles there are - the morality of such an action is worse than Guantalamo Bay.

No it is not, that is just being silly.

[GB]

While we are on the subject of shark, their teeth and more so porgies. Has anyone actually caught a porgy?

 

Before tackling one from the yak I would sugest fishing for one from the boat first, once you have landed one you may think twice about trying to land a large speciman on the yak (which includes unhooking at the side of the yak).

 

Now if you could target a porgies with an average weight of 100lbs and given the fact that from the yak you will more than likely tire the fish out more than you would from a boat then yes it is realistic to have a go for one.

 

So with the right preparation, a support boat to chum and assist landing/unhooking and the right venue it is realistic to consider targeting them. Venue wise south Pembrokeshire can see a good run of porgies most years and the marks are not to far from yak freindly launching spots. There must be other places in the U.K with the right criteria for a yak porgy.

 

To all the ney sayers, first it was "fishing from a yak, yeah right" then it was "tope from a yak, yeah right" and also "common skate from a yak, yeah right" although as yet the skate have not played ball the lads trying for them have ironed out the creases and it's only a matter of time before they hit the jackpot.

 

If or should I say when a party tries for a porgy I would certainly like to be there be it in a support boat or on my yak, although I would not consider putting a bait out myself from the yak only for the fact I do not have the experience to deal with such a large fish given my limited paddling experience, I would however be hovering with camcorder and camera at the ready.

 

Go for it lads, you have my respect for giving it a go.

[Simon Everett]

GB,

for the porgy bash those things are already in place - several small boats to carry rubby dubby and act as mother ship to take the rod if needed - and to give us a tow out if also needed - might be a 3 mile paddle from launch.

The boats will be covering the ground to find where the porgies are shoaling up - so we won't be fishing blind. Timing is set to coincide with the run of smaller fish - 80lbs - 150lbs average, but always the chance of a bigger one (gulp!) however, like the tope, this is the time when the youngsters show up and the big ones have moved off, but there might be the odd big one if we are unlucky.

 

Timing is end of July/early August.

Venue is Cornwall

Date - TBA.

[GB]

Timing is end of July/early August.

Venue is Cornwall

Date - TBA.

 

I shall watch this space then I quite like Cornwall

[Fastd]

Hi Guys,

 

Seems plans are afoot for bigger and better things. Good luck on the porgie front. I have plans to get one this year but have decided my 16ft boat is too small and opted for a larger craft.

 

With regards to getting a skate on a Yak I really do doubt it can be done in a safe manner.

 

I have caught several skate and to say they are stubborn is an understatement. To watch 18 stone guys getting towed across the deck is a sight to see. It is not unusual to see fathers holding on to the back of son's whilst playing them. The hardest part will be the initial shifting them off the bottom.

 

Having said that I wish you luck in the quest and if anyone fancies a go this weekend I will be in Lochaline from Fri lunch time to monday lunchtime and would happily provide safety support. It certainly would be a sight to see one caught from a Yak

 

 

 

dave

[snakey1]

Turning a shark on its back also has the same effect as covering their eyes, it puts them into a state of tonic immobilty (similar to a hypnotic trance) works on crocs and alligators too apparently. I'm not sure of the ethics of targeting small juvenile porgys in the proposed 80 -120lb class, i mean we try to avoid targeting undersize fish of other species surely sharks should be accorded the same respect & before anyone goes off at the deep end yes i do realise that the intention is to release the animal and not to keep it but even so it seems to me that if you don,t have the capability of dealing with a full grown adult then maybe you should think twice about going after juveniles just in case you do hook into an adult.If you want to try a slight ly larger fish than tope why not try targeting blue sharks most adults are within the 80 - 150lb bracket although once again their size does range up to approx 260lb Still if you do decide to go after porbeagles good luck and tight lines to you.

[corydoras]

...blue sharks most adults are within the 80 - 150lb bracket although once again their size does range up to approx 260lb Still if you do decide to go after porbeagles good luck and tight lines to you.

The are also requiem sharks with big teeth! I'm sure it must be a piece of the proverbial to flip a shark on its back from a kayak. I wish you all the best luck in the world, but methinks if you catch a porbeagle or a blue shark and try that someones gonna get bit!