Duration 5thirty-11thirty
Tide:low to high prettty much
Weather:calm, slight offshore, dry
Bait:Mack, rag, crab, lamprey, yes, lamprey
Rigs:Tope sized Pulleys, flappers..
Results:me: 2 palm size flounder, Ken: el Blanko....
the Report:
So I get a text off Ken the other day askin how the tope fishin went... I replied, ' not me mate'... but this put a thought in my head, why not try for tope?!
SO met Ken down in Wicklow at 5pm, first time meetin up, meant to go on some sessions before but Schtuff always scuppered them. Bang on bloke! ANyhow, after Keanser's beast the other day, we figured we give em a blast- ..
I'd just got new chest waders today in Southside Angling, damn helpful chaps there, always sort me out.., so wanted to give em a wash in the briney deep.
Setup 2 rods, the beachcaster with fixed spool with 3 hook flapper, and shorter rod with multiplier with tope pulley. Had just put new line on it today, 30lb, as it will primarily be for batin congers, I was aware that there was only 120 yrds or so on it......My first mistake....Ken went for 2 flappers I believe...
Not much happening..
Some crabs, weed, and a tiny flounder. So I took out my scratchin rod, drilled bulet, 1/0, ragworm, to see if any bigger flounder were interested in a roving bait... as I was using this the short rod starteds hoppin, line flyin off the reel... i grabbed it- My first tope hook up.. Sweet Mother of Shakin' stevens that thing took off!! I thought, it will slow soon, when it does I shall strike, then battle it to shore after some more runs, take a pic with it, show the pic to women and become a golden god Man beast small shark lslayer to them....
suddenly - kerrthunk- I'm thinkin, jaysus, I got a knot on the reel, I look down- the hoor had spooled me!! So I do the obvious thing, start walkin into the sea.....but then it happened, My knot, oh my Foogin knot came loose, fish gone....
I really didn;t care though, The rush just off feelin the power of that fish was enouhg to get me started on a quest for them...
that was bout 8pm.. Noting then til bout 10 thirty.... Ken got a tap on his 'doss rod' it is his old rod, 15lb line, ya know the kind we all have, been thru the wars, caught many fish.... His first tope run.... Line was taken at speed, He even had it burn into his thumb, but he didn;t care(probably gonna show the ladies down the pub tomorrow, tell em it was a 15ft Mako that did it)...gradually controllin the drag, but then the line snapped.....
we did not mind losing them, just to hook such a powerful fish from the shore was amazing. I had hoped to hook up on the fixed spool as it holds about 250 yrds of 26lb, more of a chance I reckoned.....
Great night down wicklow way though, will be back soon.......
Anyone got an old big spooled multiplier that they wabt rid of? i've not much cash as I'm jobsless at the mo, but Could barter a free watercolour portrait or something, As I get €150 - 200 for one of those, so be worth crackin a deal, maybe even get some special time off yer aul lady( or man) as you got them a lovely painting of the kids/goats/milkman....
IF yis are consider it, you can gnader at my wares at
www.dairelynch.com
Just a thought....
Anyhow, tight lines,
daire
if you are targeting them again why not try 18lb mono on a big fixed spool?300 yards + should be plenty ,new line is advisable and good knots 
a good long shockleader helps for landing them as you can pull them into the shallows and tail them out (dennis is good for this 
i always bring him just for this purpose!)
me arse you dont get them on the east coast 
fishing for the last 36 years and never seen one around here 