Fishing for or Catching Tope from the shore - any tips?

[KERRY1]

It's always been a dream of mine to catch a tope from the shore.
I am going to be targeting tope from the shore on a trip that I am going on in a few weeks time and I was just wondering if anyone can give me any tips or advice that will help me catch one. I have abit of knowledge and information on catching them but not alot and any help that you can give me would be really appreciated.

Can anyone give me advice on the following:

1. What are the best baits to use?
2. What tackle I will need?
3. What are the best rigs to use?
4. Hooking my bait - I've been told two different things regarding this. Firstly I have been told to attach my bait to the hook ensuring that the hook point is showing.
But then I have also been told that when fishing for Tope from the shore it's advisable to partially bury the hook in the bait as they can be a very wary fish and having the hook on display could spook them.
What do you think?
Any other tips that you can give me would be great, thanks in advance.

[husshunter]

Firstly where i live a chance of a tope at this time of year will be nil ,you will need a 7000 size reel capable of taking 300 yards of 25 lbs mono running ledger rig with 8/o hook 18 inches of wire and 1 meter of 100 lbs mono to help with abrasion.In your chosen spot try to get into the rips and channels ,hard sometimes with running ledger and fillet of mack .Set your ratchet on and wait tope will pick up bait run with it and then stop this is when you should strike.Beware have your drag set right as a tope could empty your spool in moments ,to soft and say bye bye to your line tooo hard and it will snap it .Mack season is when you can get them from the shore up here when there chasing shoals so that is the prefered bait dont know about this time of year maybe whole launce?Let us know how you get on good luck

[eric]

paula you need polo mints and lots of em. lenghts of timber are a help too, best of all a helicopter if your feeling a tad afluent.

[bigsod]

Think youd be better trying in the Autumn for the tope, seems to be the best time for them. You need a powerful beachcaster capable of casting a big bait a fair way and a reel that will hold a lot of line. Rig wise I use a pulley with a six inch wire trace on the end of the snood and size 6/0 to 8/0 hooks. As for bait mack or flounders are good baits and id tend to leave the hook point exposed, In saying all that ive only ever caught pup tope from the shore

[ShaneH]

get urself down to wicklow in autume with a big reel strong rod and some mack try not use wire for the snoods instead use 200lb mono

[The Austrian]

the best of luck Paula, here some hints, hope this helps you to catch one:

'The Cork and Kerry beaches in Ireland hold fish from May through June, and again in September, but the rock ledges can produce just about anytime throughout the summer period, especially the Mayo rock marks.

TIDES & WEATHER The spring tides after the full moon rather than those following the new moon are best for surf beach tope, especially the building tides two or three days before the tide cycle peaks. Fewer tope are taken on tides falling in size immediately after the very biggest tide. Tope can be in the surf table as soon as a new tide starts to flood, but it's far more likely they'll appear during the mid flood tide period and stay until just before high water when they'll disappear.

The best chances are always at night as the light fades in to darkness. The surf beaches are generally shallow and carry clear water. Tope, being a predator, prefer the advantage of a night attack, plus small potential food fish are moving on to the beaches to feed as night falls to provide food for them.

Ideal conditions for beach tope are hot, humid nights, a flat calm sea with gentle surf tables and little or no wind. Moonlight is okay, but overcast skies are best.

It's less critical from the rock ledges and small neap tides and daylight conditions can produce fish. On the whole though, even on the rocks, aim to fish a bigger than average tide towards dusk and into dark for the best results. Calm seas are best, but the deep water neutralises any major movement, though avoid fishing after recent storms and in sediment coloured seas.

BAITS Shore tope are looking for sandeels and flatfish in the surf tables and these prove to be the best baits.

Either a whole or half launce sandeel 15cms long with the hook threaded down inside the body cavity and the hook point brought out about 5cms above the bottom end of the bait and secured with a few turns of light elastic thread is ideal.

Alternatively, half a fillet of a small dab with the hook passed through two or three times, then the fillet rolled up and secured by elastic thread oozes juices but is aerodynamically shaped for long casting.

Lamprey is a little known but highly effective bait. Present it the same as the sandeel, but this has masses of blood juice, is streamlined for casting and tends to pick out better-sized fish.

Mackerel is okay either as a cone bait formed by cutting the tail fin off and cutting through the body about 7cms above the tail fin cut, or as a large slice, but it is not as effective as sandeel or dab.

TACKLE & RIGS Although tope are powerful fish and run fast and far you don't need heavy tackle for them. Stick to a standard 5oz to 6oz beachcaster and a multiplier reel in the ABU 7000 size loaded with roughly 300-metres of 15lb to 18lb line and 22-feet of 60lb shock leader to take the strain of casting. It's the capacity of reel line that counts not the overall strength. Fixed-spool reels are okay, but choose a quality one with a good smooth drag.

The only rig worth considering for both beach and rock fishing is a pulley rig. Here's how to construct it.

Take 4-feet (122cms) of 60lb mono line and tie a size 4 rolling swivel to one end. Slide on a 5mm bead then pass the line through one eye only of a second size 4 swivel followed by another bead. At the other end, add a 3/0 Mustad oval split ring. The hook trace is formed in two parts. To the original tied on swivel add 18-inches (46cms) of 50lb mono then a size 6 swivel. Add to this by crimping 18-inches (46cms) of 50lb wire, preferably not the type that has a plastic sleeving over it and at the other end crimp on a size 6/0 Mustad Barbless Tope & Ray hook. The barbless hook is much easier to set in the jaw of a tope, won't fall free if you maintain a tight line, and is easier to remove when releasing the tope.

The free running swivel is attached to the leader line. When a tope takes the bait, the rig body line slides through the eye of the connector swivel pulling the lead free of the seabed and sliding it upwards out of harms way. The main advantage is that the pulley effect gives you 7-feet (213cms) of heavy rig line and hook trace to avoid the rough body of the tope cutting the line if it should come in contact with it.

The lead is important. Use release wired leads with long tail wires. Fix in place on the tail wire a bait clip made from stainless steel wire of 18-gauge diameter. By placing the baited hook in this bait clip on the tail wire the bait becomes part of the lead enabling it to cast further, gains protection by flying in the calm pocket of air broken by the nose of the lead in flight which maintains perfect presentation. As the rig falls slack as the lead hits the sea after the cast, the bait simply falls free ready to fish.

TECHNIQUE On surf beaches, look for the slightly deeper gullies or gutters that run parallel along the beach. Aim to position your baits in the middle of these as tope like to run through them when hunting.

Have the rod placed in a rodrest, the reel in free spool but with the ratchet on. A tope's initial run will be fast and can be between 50-metres and 75-metres long. When it slows down almost to a stop then the fish is beginning to swallow the bait and must be struck. Expect a series of fast runs, kiting in the surf tables and dogged stubbornness during the fight. A tope is beaten only when it starts to roll slowly rather than free swimming.

The best way to land a tope from the beach is to tail it. Wade in to the surf and get behind the tope, grab the wrist of the tail and then walk it slowly up on to dry sand. Be aware that the tope can twist around and bite, so keep it at arms length and well away from your legs.

The hook can be easily freed if at the front of the mouth. A deeper hook should be left in by cutting the wire. The hook will fall free by itself later. Take a picture, then gently slide the tope back in to the water by sliding it in to the surf holding the wrist of the tail. The fish will swim away of its own free will when ready.

There is no need to gaff tope, even from the rock marks. Simply get down to the waters edge and let the angler draw the fish towards a convenient access point. With the tope alongside, grab the wrist of the tail and pull the fish up on to dry ground, but without hurting the fish. If possible, lift the fish by both the tail and the dorsal fin. Again, free the hook, take a photo and release the fish gently.' Mike Thrussel

some more info on the subject:
http://www.fishing.co.uk/article.php3?id=112
http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/forum ... opic=151.0
http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... 6&p=209123
http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/s ... ?p=2572143

[KERRY1]

Thanks everyone for your help, it's really appreciated. I'll let you know how I get on.

[corbyeire]

rule no.1 - patience

[Seaniebo]

Hi,

The east coast tope fishing is best in Autumn, but over here on the West coast you'll get them from May. I know parts of Kerry where they'll have cleared off by the last week of May.

My personal rig preferance is a pulley rig made with a 200lb Mono snood length about 2.5 feet long, rig body and shock leader 80lb mono. Size 6/0 hook.

Baitwise, I use Mac. If possible to get Joeys I would and fish them like a flapper with the fillets trimmed back a bit.

Definately have the hook point showing.

Best of luck and hope you get a few.

[hughcronin]

the best of luck Paula, here some hints, hope this helps you to catch one:

'The Cork and Kerry beaches in Ireland hold fish from May through June, and again in September, but the rock ledges can produce just about anytime throughout the summer period, especially the Mayo rock marks.

Mike Thrussel

some more info on the subject:
http://www.fishing.co.uk/article.php3?id=112
http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/forum ... opic=151.0
http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bull ... 6&p=209123
http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/s ... ?p=2572143

Anyone here get a tope on a cork beach?
I don't want marks or anything. just currious

[KERRY1]

rule no.1 - patience

Thanks - patience is something that I have plenty off - I fish for mullet after all!

[hughcronin]

rule no.1 - patience

Thanks - patience is something that I have plenty off - I fish for mullet after all!

Put in 200 hours last year approx of fishing time for Tope and did not catch any (you can devide that in two cause had two rods out).
And the marks are s**tholes too. tides, weed etc.
But, will prob head out for em in another month or so again this year!

[beachbuddy]

Hi Hugh,
hope alls well,remember the story we were told about tope from roches point only spot i ever heard around here that has had recent rumours ie past 20yrs .I might meet up with you at weekend for flattie bashing session,sharpen those flapper rigs

[hughcronin]

Hi Hugh,
hope alls well,remember the story we were told about tope from roches point only spot i ever heard around here that has had recent rumours ie past 20yrs .I might meet up with you at weekend for flattie bashing session,sharpen those flapper rigs

Ah Mike, could have sworn you saw the DVD of tope caught from Roches point lad!
Weather was bit nicer though!
Funny I'm back sniffing around the forums again this time of year though. Fancy meeting you here.

PS would you recommend the pink Size4 Kamesans or the Blue One's for June?

[KERRY1]

Thanks again everyone for your replies and for the PM’s sent, all the information I have received has been useful.

[roger de dodger]

are you mad you,ll never get one !!!!! (she,ll be on the beaches for months now )go kerry go!

[KERRY1]

are you mad you,ll never get one !!!!! (she,ll be on the beaches for months now )go kerry go!

I know that it's your birthday but that doesn't mean that you can be cheeky to me you know

[Tanglerat]

Tope should be appearing in the Swilly soon. Entirely possible to hook one i'd have thought, if you spoke to the right people.

[fishermannum1]

(she,ll be on the beaches for months now )go kerry go!

never mind the beaches rog, after a few sessions after the tope she will be on the Diazepam

[KERRY1]

Tope should be appearing in the Swilly soon. Entirely possible to hook one i'd have thought, if you spoke to the right people.

Thanks Tanglerat. I'm trying to do my research to give myself the best chance of hooking one. It saves me from alot of wasted time & effort when I do eventually go fishing for them. I know they are no-where near easy to catch, I'm not kidding myself thinking that, far from it but as you said I don't see why they can't be caught if you do your homework first to give yourself the best chance.

(she,ll be on the beaches for months now )go kerry go!

never mind the beaches rog, after a few sessions after the tope she will be on the Diazepam

Ha! Ha! You both should have been comedians