snatcher
01-05-08, 10:55 PM
Hi Guys
John ,new kid on the block here. Joined this forum as coming over to Sydney in Sept for 2 months to see my daughter. Have fished all my life so fancied a dangle over here. I had one posting on the Sydney Harbour forum entitled "New kid on the block". Some of you guys expressed an interest in the UK sea fishing so I put on a quick report about these fish-Common Skate
3199
Will follow it up with a quick report and a few pictures on tope fishing in the UK. The tope is a member of the shark family and is fairly widespread around the south and west coasts of the UK. Everyone over here does catch and release with them and most charter boats operate a tagging system.
Tope tend to bottom feed and the normal method we use to catch them is to fish either a whole mackerel or mackerel flapper on a 6/0 bronze hook with the barb crushed down to make release easier. We would have a 1 foot wire trace joined to a 250lb mono rubbing leader. The strength of the main line braid is a personal choice along with the rod and reel. Depends on how sporting you want to be.
We would normally attach a rubby dubby (chum)bag filled with mashed up mackerel to the anchor trail to lead a blood scent back to the baits.
I have a static caravan on the Mull of Galloway,Scotland and do my tope fishing over there. Luce Bay is a real good spot for them. Had a real good day with them a while ago and will add a few pictures.
My sons mate Dale was on the boat and he had the first fish. The sea was choppy and Dale had been spewing up so he was a bit unsteady on his feet. At one stage the fish nearly had him over the side - check out my restraining hand on his collar!!!
3200
The charter skipper was Ian burrett,who knows the area like the back of hid hand. This is him doing the unhooking
3201
We now have Dale proud as punch posing for the camera - notice the tag in its back.
3202
Next up it was me to have a run,a man in a grey suit was knocking at my door. The tope really fought well on fairly light gear
3203
Me posing with the fish
3204
The fish being returned
Tope can also be caught off the shore,check this one out. I was spinning for mackerel esing light gear and only 15 lb mono when a tope snaffled my lure. It took 90mins to snap me off.Next cast another tope took the lure and again that one snapped me after about 90 mins.There must have been a pack of them in front of me that day. It was madness!!
Well this is an insight into the tope fishing in the UK,hope you enjoyed it.
The charter skipper whose boat I was on has a website http://www.seafishingscotland.co.uk/
It really does make worthwhile reading :smiile:
3205
John ,new kid on the block here. Joined this forum as coming over to Sydney in Sept for 2 months to see my daughter. Have fished all my life so fancied a dangle over here. I had one posting on the Sydney Harbour forum entitled "New kid on the block". Some of you guys expressed an interest in the UK sea fishing so I put on a quick report about these fish-Common Skate
3199
Will follow it up with a quick report and a few pictures on tope fishing in the UK. The tope is a member of the shark family and is fairly widespread around the south and west coasts of the UK. Everyone over here does catch and release with them and most charter boats operate a tagging system.
Tope tend to bottom feed and the normal method we use to catch them is to fish either a whole mackerel or mackerel flapper on a 6/0 bronze hook with the barb crushed down to make release easier. We would have a 1 foot wire trace joined to a 250lb mono rubbing leader. The strength of the main line braid is a personal choice along with the rod and reel. Depends on how sporting you want to be.
We would normally attach a rubby dubby (chum)bag filled with mashed up mackerel to the anchor trail to lead a blood scent back to the baits.
I have a static caravan on the Mull of Galloway,Scotland and do my tope fishing over there. Luce Bay is a real good spot for them. Had a real good day with them a while ago and will add a few pictures.
My sons mate Dale was on the boat and he had the first fish. The sea was choppy and Dale had been spewing up so he was a bit unsteady on his feet. At one stage the fish nearly had him over the side - check out my restraining hand on his collar!!!
3200
The charter skipper was Ian burrett,who knows the area like the back of hid hand. This is him doing the unhooking
3201
We now have Dale proud as punch posing for the camera - notice the tag in its back.
3202
Next up it was me to have a run,a man in a grey suit was knocking at my door. The tope really fought well on fairly light gear
3203
Me posing with the fish
3204
The fish being returned
Tope can also be caught off the shore,check this one out. I was spinning for mackerel esing light gear and only 15 lb mono when a tope snaffled my lure. It took 90mins to snap me off.Next cast another tope took the lure and again that one snapped me after about 90 mins.There must have been a pack of them in front of me that day. It was madness!!
Well this is an insight into the tope fishing in the UK,hope you enjoyed it.
The charter skipper whose boat I was on has a website http://www.seafishingscotland.co.uk/
It really does make worthwhile reading :smiile:
3205