Species: Tope
About Tope
Tope are true sharks. They are very nomadic creatures; indeed tope tagged and released from British waters have been recaptured several months later from as far afield as South Africa. Small males hunt in packs, competing for food. Females, which are bigger, tend to lead more solitary lives.
Tope are bottom feeders, feeding on all manner of small fish found on the seabed. They do venture into surprisingly shallow water during the warmer months.
Conservation is uppermost in the mind of tope anglers. For this reason you will not see gaffs being used to land fish, and all fish go back unharmed irrespective of size - you could say it is an unwritten rule. No self-respecting angler would retain a tope for any reason, let alone for the purpose of simply claiming a record.
Here in the Isle of Man we are truly blessed with the opportunity to catch tope from the shore. Tope are a realistic target from late May through to early August. Fish can weigh anything from 15lb upwards to 50lb.
This article goes some way to telling you how, where and when to target tope from Manx shores, but it cannot possibly begin to explain just how awesome it is to hook into a tope, play it, land it, photograph it and return it unharmed. You simply have to experience it for yourself to believe it.
Fishing for tope can be the most frustrating and rewarding aspect of shore fishing in the Isle of Man. If you are seriously going to target tope then the chances are that you will spend many fishless hours on the beach when you could be elsewhere bagging up on other species. Stick it out, and I am sure you will agree that it is worth it.
Tackle
Standard beach tackle is all that is needed for catching tope from the shore. A 12 or 13 foot beachcaster, preferably matched with a multiplier loaded with 15-18lb line is the norm. A multiplier has the edge over a fixed spool for two reasons: firstly they generally have better drag mechanisms (and tope are one of the few fish in UK waters that will truly test your drag), and secondly, most multipliers have a 'ratchet' mechanism, which as you will see later is essential. My favourite reels for tope fishing are Daiwa SL20 and Penn Mag 525, both of which are robust reels with a ratchet.
That isn't to say that you can't use a fixed spool, just that it will be harder for you to fish for and land a tope on one compared to a multiplier.
A pair of chest waders makes landing the fish much easier.
Method
Tope can be caught surprisingly close in at times, with fish appearing from as little as 50 yards. However, a cast of 100 yards+ is recommended and will certainly put your bait in the right place.
A long leader is essential when tope fishing. This is because the tope, which has very abrasive skin, can wrap itself up in your line, but more importantly because you need the leader line on your reel at the vital stage when you are trying to land the tope. Two full rod lengths is about right. Tapered shock leaders are an excellent choice because the leader knot is smaller than a conventional leader knot, and so attracts less weed. The leader knot can jam in the tip ring because of all the weed clinging to it, which can be disastrous if you have a tope on at the time. Whichever type of leader you are using, be sure to tie the leader knot correctly as it will be under a lot of pressure if you are lucky enough to hook into a tope.
The trace is a one-hook paternoster, constructed with quality components. The trace body is made from 60lb-80lb mono, as is the first 2 foot of the hook length, with an 8inch section of nylon covered wire (or 150lb mono) attached to the end via a strong swivel. Incorporate an impact shield or impact lead into the trace design to add yards to the casting distance. The hook should be a 6/0 sized bronzed O'Shaughensy or similar. Be sure to choose the bronzed finish, as in the event of a tope biting you off, or being deep hooked, the hook will soon dissolve. Tope will test every part of your tackle, and even one poorly tied knot will result in a lost fish.
The next bit is important if you want to prevent your rod from being pulled in! If using a multiplier you need to set the ratchet. For both fixed spool and multiplier reels you must slacken off the drag completely after you have cast out. This will probably result in the tide pulling line from your reel, so tighten the drag slightly until the line stops coming of under the pressure of the tide. Failure to do this will result in a tope pulling your rod clean out of the rest when it hits your bait.
Bait
Bait is a large sandeel threaded onto the hook and bound in place with elastic cotton, cut the head and tail off to allow more scent to escape. The advantage of this bait is that it is big enough to temp a tope, but also streamlined enough to cast. Alternatively, use a fillet of mackerel cut in half lengthways, again bound on with elastic cotton. It is often possible to catch fresh mackerel for bait while you are tope fishing.
When to Fish
Tope can be targeted from late May through to early August, although it really depends on the weather. The best time to focus your fishing effort is during periods of warm and settled weather, when high water falls some time around 7-10pm.
Consult your tide table and you will see that tides are right for 3 or 4 consecutive days about 4 or 5 times during the season. Winds above a force 4, anywhere between SW and N direction will generally produce too much surf, which in turn brings about too much floating weed for productive fishing. You have to accept that weather conditions will not be right during some of these 'tope tides', so it makes sense to fish hard when conditions are right rather than putting your efforts in at other less productive times.
Time your trip to fish for three hours up to high water, and an hour after. The tide runs lateral to the beach, and can very strong over the high water period. If you are fishing up to and then over high water you will find that initially the tide runs from left to right, and then switches from right to left about an hour and a half before high water. The tidal flow will reverse again about an hour after high water. I have noticed that a lot of tope are caught just as the tidal flow is changing direction. This is a bonus, because at this time the floating weed is also less of a problem.
Tope fishing can be extremely frustrating, but is ultimately rewarding. You could be lucky and catch on your first cast, or, more likely, you could go five or six trips before you see any action. Devote enough time to fishing for tope and eventually you will come across one of those very rare days when the action is hectic and you may catch several fish in the same session.
Where to Fish
Tope are regularly caught from the Northwest beaches of the Island. Anywhere along the 10 mile stretch from Kirk Michael to Point West is tope country. There are many access points to the beach along the way, including Sartfield, Ballagaraghyn, Lhen, Blue Point, Smeale and Ballaghennie. Different anglers have their own favourite hotspots, based on their own previous experiences.
One problem with all NW beaches is that they frequently have lots of floating weed that collects on the line and drags it down tide in a matter of minutes. You can try your best to combat the weed by keeping the rod tip high at all times, thereby keeping the line clear of the surf, but at times the weed can be so bad that it is simply unfishable.
It seems unlikely that tope do not make an appearance at other shore marks around the Island, especially inshore at some of the deep water rock marks where nearby boats regularly catch, but such appearances are probably so rare that all effort should be devoted to the NW beaches.
