Bulloch 7th Aug

[beebub2]

People:Self and Stephen8wood

Duration: 7am-11am

Tide: High at 9am

Weather: fine

Bait: Mack

Rigs:v arious feathers and Hokkias

Results: Macks, whiting, Tub Gurnard, Tope

Report:

What a morning! We started pretty sharply with a mack on the 1st cast. Macks came in fairly steadily throughout the morning with a total of about 15. We had a few small whiting and I caught a nice Tub Gurnard.

However, Stephen was trying out a new light spinning rod with a size 1/0 squid hokkai with 12lb line. It bent in two and he just about grabbed it before it went completely over board. A big fight ensued. The fish was just taking the line for fun. Stephen fought with it for approx. 30 minutes. Every time he tried to reel it in, it would take 3 times the amount of line he reeled in. It must have eventually tired and it got caught up in my line also. He was expecting a big pollack given the size of the rod and line. As he eventually got it near the surface I saw, what I would call a bloody big fish swimming around. He got it right up to the boat with its nose out of the water. I was taking my phone out of my pocket to take a picture as he tried to free my line which was caught on its fin. Just as he freed my line, the fish broke free and I didn't get a photo.

I can't imagine the buzz of reeling in such a fish, but I was exhilarated just watching this thing get closer to the boat and then come up along side. We're assuming it was a tope, but it was at least 5 feet long and it's body was probably 2-2 1/2 feet accross.

What a blast. I've never seen a fish that size or anything like it before while fishing. Absolutely amazing.

Cooked up the mack for lunch and they were delicious. 1st mack of the season too.

Jany but this fishing malarkey can be really great!

[twinkle]

my god thought i was slow typing a whole month to get a report together. and a astory about the one that got away tell steven he must watch the film the old man and the sea

[Stephen8wood]

It was today, 7th August. Beebub is a month out due to shock. It was a Tope without a doubt.

I was using seriously light gear (three piece 8 foot sonic spinning rod which is as light as a feather, and a 300 series spinning reel with 12lb braid) in the hope of getting a fight from one of the small pollock that are about. I had a string of muppits baited with mac at the end of the line.

When the fish hit it just felt heavy like a big wrasse or something. Then the runs started and I thought it was a big pollock. The top half of my rod was submerged for most of the fight and I thought that the reel seat was going to crack so I just eased the tension on the drag and let him run. The problem was that this thing could run and run. There was no way the gear would have held him so at the end of each run I just tried to gain back a bit of line. I had to crank the reel handle from the centre like turning a key. We started about 100 yards from the southern side of the island. By the time I got it to the side of the boat we were about half a mile further south.

I can't claim to have landed him because although he was against the side of the boat, while I was freeing beebub's trace he jinked and came free from my line. I must have allowed it to go slack.

I haven't seen the film twinkle but i read the book and I'd say today is about as close as I'll come to that story. Great fish, great day. I'll have to see about catching one of those on my fly rod
The only thing that would have made it better would be if I had mannaged to hold him longer to allow Beebub to get the photo.

[beebub2]

Oops! Thanks Twinkle. It was of course yesterday!

It was Old Man and the Sea alright. In fact I seem to remember referencing Spencer Treacy during the fight.

[eric]

to be honest you dont really get tope just off the island.conger maybe?

[Stephen8wood]

Eric, I didn't expect a tope from there either but I know what a tope looks like. Thanks anyway.

[twinkle]

lads i knew the date were messed its so annoying when they dont hang around for the photoshoot its gutwrenching after a huge fight for it to get off. i hooked in to a biggie last year had it for about 20mins it bit through the wire trace all the teeth marks on the piece that came back. well done lads im sure the air was blue when he scarpered

[Stephen8wood]

More of a deafening silence twinkle but it was far better to get him up beside the boat than to have lost him halfway through.

[nicefish]

Nice report, at least you know you got a decent spinning rod.

[FRANK1]

Fair play .Great to get a surprise like that and will give you a buzz every time you drop a line in same place.

Have to say thats typical that the tope are up here when I travel down to Cahore looking for them and only a very lonely 20 pounder in the boat.Must stick up a report.

[Stephen8wood]

Well done Frank. You are one up on me in that you actually got it into the boat. What length was your twenty pounder? I initially thought the one I had was about 5 feet but it might have been a bit less, 4 and a half maybe. It would be interesting to have some idea of what weight he would have been.

[beebub2]

I did manage to get the Gurnard on board and get a photo... not quite the same as the Tope, but here it is anyway...

[beebub2]

to be honest you dont really get tope just off the island.conger maybe?

Definately not a conger. But now that you mention it, it might have been a flounder. I always get flounder and tope mixed up. It's an easy mistake to make, no?

[Tommy B]

Great report lads and I'd well believe it was a tope. I was out there myself yesterday and twice I was into mackeral and left them there to fill up all the feathers only to be hit with a massive pull. Hadn't got my drag set so I'd say both times I just pulled out of what hat taken the mack. But there was definetly somthing big down there.

[beebub2]

That was probably the seal Tommy. There was one the size of a cow hanging around not far from the island when we were there. It must be difficult for him to pass up a dinner that can't get away.

[Tommy B]

Don't think so there wasn't a sign of a seal all day suprisingly enough.

[FRANK1]

It was released at the side of the boat .Probably about 4 foot long but fairly slender .It wasnt mine I have to say .The fella that had it was disgusted coz he only wantet a ray for the pan .

On Tommy B - we were getting lashed out of it by the seal last week when we had mack on .It locked solid when he hit , a tug or two and then free .Best was when my young lad brought up just a mack jaw bone.Unusual for him not to come up now and again for a look though.

[Stephen8wood]

It might well have been a Tope Tommy. I know the seals hunt there but they always seem to show their faces when they are around.

[eric]

to be honest you dont really get tope just off the island.conger maybe?

Definately not a conger. But now that you mention it, it might have been a flounder. I always get flounder and tope mixed up. It's an easy mistake to make, no?

ok your very funny but a tope 2 and half feet wide would be considered a great white?

[JimC]

Enough already