Tope on a spinner

[Snatcher]

Before I put pen to paper on this one I know there will be doubters amongst you

 

All I can say it is a true account of what happened this afternoon.

 

Decided to have an hour or so at the end of the Mull to get some mackerel for a barbie back at the caravan. Climbed down to one of my favourite marks and tied on a toby spinner and chucked out. On my 4/5 cast got my first mackerel and popped it into a small rock pool beside me.

 

Cast out again, I was keeping the lure as low down in the water as possible because I also had pollack at the back of my mind Next thing the rod was nearly pulled out of my hands and a fish streaked off with a lot of line.

 

Now bearing in mind I was using a Greys 10' spin(15-60g) and a fixed spool loaded with 15lb mono I could not bully the fish! after about one hour I very slowly started to get a bit of line back.All I was getting now was a bit of head shaking. The tide rip did not help mind.

 

As this was happening recieved a couple of phone calls and even managed to talk to Guy and Mick telling them of my predicament.

 

After about 90 mins got a few glimpses of a dark shape under the water about 25 yds out.Risked a few photos with my free hand but on reviewing them you could not see the fish.

 

Now I did not expect to land the fish with the gear I was using. The best result I could have got would have been to scramble down and unhook it in the water. All I really wanted was to get a photo of the damm thing.

 

It was not to be. The inevitable happened "twang":sad:After a few minutes collecting my senses I tied on another toby and set back to my original task of a bagful of mackerel for the barbie,thinking that the tope hook up was a total one off.

 

Boy o boy was I wrong:unsure: First cast hooked into another tope.Same as the first fish it smoked a lot of line on an initial run. After about 30 mins another two anglers turned up and took a real interest in what was happening. Did not catch the guys names but one lives in Port William and smokes a pipe.His mate was retired out of the fire service due to illness.Anyone know them ?

 

Anyway had a bit crack on with them whilst fighting this second tope and I asked him if he could take a couple of pictures of the scrap. This is what he came up with

 

 

 

 

After about 90 mins of fighting the fish I appeared to be slowly winning.As fate would have it I was also pulling in a lobster bouy and rope

 

Damm. I gave the fish slack line to see if would untangle from the rope but it did not.Eventually the 15lb mono gave up the ghost!!! I did expect it mind.

 

The whole experience blew my mind. I had been there approx 3 hours and had been fighting fish the whole time!!!

 

Time was getting on and I did not want to risk another hook up with a tope.All I can think of is that there must have been a very large pack of tope just in front of me.

 

Wouls appreciate your thoughts on this strange afternoons fishing I had. Back over in two weeks and will be going back to the same mark - WITH MY BEACHCASTER AND A WIRE TRACE

[Norm B]

Before I put pen to paper on this one I know there will be doubters amongst you

 

All I can say it is a true account of what happened this afternoon.

 

Decided to have an hour or so at the end of the Mull to get some mackerel for a barbie back at the caravan. Climbed down to one of my favourite marks and tied on a toby spinner and chucked out. On my 4/5 cast got my first mackerel and popped it into a small rock pool beside me.

 

Cast out again, I was keeping the lure as low down in the water as possible because I also had pollack at the back of my mind Next thing the rod was nearly pulled out of my hands and a fish streaked off with a lot of line.

 

Now bearing in mind I was using a Greys 10' spin(15-60g) and a fixed spool loaded with 15lb mono I could not bully the fish! after about one hour I very slowly started to get a bit of line back.All I was getting now was a bit of head shaking. The tide rip did not help mind.

 

As this was happening recieved a couple of phone calls and even managed to talk to Guy and Mick telling them of my predicament.

 

After about 90 mins got a few glimpses of a dark shape under the water about 25 yds out.Risked a few photos with my free hand but on reviewing them you could not see the fish.

 

Now I did not expect to land the fish with the gear I was using. The best result I could have got would have been to scramble down and unhook it in the water. All I really wanted was to get a photo of the damm thing.

 

It was not to be. The inevitable happened "twang":sad:After a few minutes collecting my senses I tied on another toby and set back to my original task of a bagful of mackerel for the barbie,thinking that the tope hook up was a total one off.

 

Boy o boy was I wrong:unsure: First cast hooked into another tope.Same as the first fish it smoked a lot of line on an initial run. After about 30 mins another two anglers turned up and took a real interest in what was happening. Did not catch the guys names but one lives in Port William and smokes a pipe.His mate was retired out of the fire service due to illness.Anyone know them ?

 

Anyway had a bit crack on with them whilst fighting this second tope and I asked him if he could take a couple of pictures of the scrap. This is what he came up with

 

 

After about 90 mins of fighting the fish I appeared to be slowly winning.As fate would have it I was also pulling in a lobster bouy and rope

 

Damm. I gave the fish slack line to see if would untangle from the rope but it did not.Eventually the 15lb mono gave up the ghost!!! I did expect it mind.

 

The whole experience blew my mind. I had been there approx 3 hours and had been fighting fish the whole time!!!

 

Time was getting on and I did not want to risk another hook up with a tope.All I can think of is that there must have been a very large pack of tope just in front of me.

 

Wouls appreciate your thoughts on this strange afternoons fishing I had. Back over in two weeks and will be going back to the same mark - WITH MY BEACHCASTER AND A WIRE TRACE

Not unbelievable at all, I've often hooked tope on feathers and even landed some of them. Get the wire traces out and go for them while they're there. Here today, gone tomorrow.

[spasor]

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QUOTE(Norm B @ Jul 30 2007, 10:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not unbelievable at all, I've often hooked tope on feathers and even landed some of them. Get the wire traces out and go for them while they're there. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Watch out Snatcher, if tope are within range they`ll take most anything. We were out with Norm toping a couple of years ago. I was trying for bream until someone caught the first tope. Well it was me!! Size 2 hooks and slivvers of squid. I boated it, 10lb line or not. It was all of 15ins long!!

I`ve managed to catch tope, breaming, bassing, catching mackeral and scratching about on the bottom for doggies. They`ve no self respect, they`ll take anything.

[Elton]

Snatcher, that looks nuts!

 

Next time, take a beefier rod and a pair of water-skis

[captain cojones]

you watch out you dont get pulled off that ledge snatch!!

[Tony U]

Snatcher

Good effort mate, I have some 100lb and some 150lb spinning traces, spare if you need them and a 3/0 lever drag reel that should get the bu***rs in.

 

 

Tony

Edited July 30, 2007 by Tony U

[Snatcher]

Snatcher

Good effort mate, I have some 100lb and some 150lb spinning traces, spare if you need them and a 3/0 lever drag reel that should get the bu***rs in.

Tony

 

Thanks for the offer Tony but got my own wire traces. It was certainly a one off experience - I hope

 

Was fishing the west side of the Mull on the Saturday and got smoked off a good fish then. Stripped line and went to ground. At the time I thought pollack but after Sundays carry on nothing over on the MOG would suprise me now!!

 

Hope to have a few beers with you over New Year Tony if you are back up

[thedogs]

Hello Snatcher, if you do decide to go spinning for tope again I would surgest beefing up your gear and maybe puting a single large hook on the troby. That way the tope will not be swimming around with trebles in its god!

[Snatcher]

Hello Snatcher, if you do decide to go spinning for tope again I would surgest beefing up your gear and maybe puting a single large hook on the troby. That way the tope will not be swimming around with trebles in its god!

 

You never know I might give it a go

[Tiger lilly3]

Pity you didnt get them in, for a photo or better still landed and weighed.

I fish the Tiger lilly off the West cumbrian coast, and this year have had 6 tope taken on Mackrel feathers (not all at the same time) these have all been mid water, the biggest being 60lb, though when these have been taken, we have changed rigs to accomodate the tope, with 0 results.

it could be that they have been feeding on smaller fry etc rather than the bigger fish,, who knows, as we have caught them on all manner of diffrent types of baits not really intended for these fish, the strangest being a large sea anemone which had been dragged up from the bottom still with the stone attached, this was duly taken by a 30+ tope.

 

could this be a new form of angling with light spinning gear for tope,,,,,,,, it could be well worth targeting these with the intention of catching one on 10 to 15lb tackle with light rod and reel.

i am certainly going to give it i go,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, if teh weather ever improves