tope

[Surfpunklee]

alreet, from reading the fishing mags when i go in wh smiths.
It looks like its the start of the tope season in sme parts of the country.
You dnt hear of many tope being caught in the north east but i bet theres a fair few out there.
But with all the boat fishing goin on ud think a few would get caught up and down the coast, unless not many people fish the bottom or people dont mention itif they catch one.
jus wondered if any at all get caught in the area?
thanks for feedback

[Russ hud]

Not sure about Tope mate, but some of the Whitby boats do sharking trips out on the wall and they do catch a few. Check out Shytorque website, theres plenty of pics and vids.

[Surfpunklee]

thanks 4 feedback mate,yea ive looked at them before, shy torque targets porbeagles,so they fish up in the water not on the bottom, but they get a few tope apparently. theres gotta be more tope around then porgies thougth i wudda thought,id rather catch a porgie thougth.

[Codcrazy]

Must of been reading my mind, until moving north I lived in Skegness and the summer toping was at times fantastic, uptiding into deep gullies with plenty of tide usually finds the fish, they get a good run of tope in the boats off the south yorkshire coast i'm sure there will be some around up here just a case of finding the right mark and experimenting.

I have promised myself to have a bash this year but you know what happens, crap weather spoils plans then when you do get out you just want to find some fish so end up hitting your known marks. Maybe this is the year to do it!!

[billyturbot]

There was one on the famous (Hartlepool) a few year back about 70LB also the owner Dave had a hook up with a shark
if these were targeted , conga as well you would get them

[Persues]

I've not caught one on this side of the country. I used to fish Loch Ryan most summers for tope years back and had great fun.

I may experiment a bit this summer up at Craster and Dunstanburgh, maybe Beadnell as well.

I've seen Conger caught at Dunstanburgh and another NESA member tells me he has seen Ling caught there. I've often thought of throwing a bag of chum on a long line with a balloon to keep in the surface out from the cliffs and either livebaiting under a float or splitting a mackerel into some sort of 'flapper' and float fishing that on heavier than normal gear.

Could be worth doing a time or two without any gear out and just watch the chum bag for a few hours and see what happens, if anything.

My only real concerns are the seals up there - don't want any bother from them and I don't want to cause one any damage with a couple of 6/0 or 7/0 circle hooks...

[Surfpunklee]

yea mate theres got to be tope about,there wasnt any caught in whitby till they started getting the ruby duby out for the porgies!! it must of attracted them,if they catch them in whitby theyl be in the north east.
apparently the fish boffins have done sme tests and mostly tope eat flatties, not mackeral which most people think they do. so i bet theres a fair few tope on the bottom,like u say in the gullies.
ive been searching the old threads on here and apparently the trawlers get tope in northumberland.