A mixed bag of thoughts this week. Starting with catch reports, it looks like the early summer is in full swing, plenty of mackerel and garfish in the usual places. Bream are still around in numbers – and not just over the traditional rocky marks either. You can pick them up over many other areas of hard ground as well. Smoothhound are being caught on crab baits with some coming to squid baits as well. And the best news of all is that some good tope are being caught, so there will be some excellent sport if we can get to the tope marks in Utopia and off Selsey.
On the subject of tope, I have met a number of small-boat anglers who have yet to catch a sizable one, but they are not that difficult to locate and catch. Here’s how I have done it. Firstly, location. Tope seem to like running through deep channels, so find yourself a deep hole or gully especially if you can find one that narrows, concentrating fish and food. Tackle is simple – a running ledger with a long trace and at least 6/0 hook, either with a wire trace or 150lb+ mono. They have sharp teeth. Bait is equally simple: whole mackerel or part thereof. I have had success with flapper (whole mackerel with just the backbone and tail removed); Arron prefers the whole fish. He should know, see his catch report of a 36 pounder.
Let the bait fish away with the rod on free spool, or just enough drag to stop the tide taking it away. A tope will pick up a bait and run with it – let it go, and tighten up only after it has stopped, turned the bait and run again. If you get a good hook hold, be prepared for a running fight that can last half an hour!
One word of warning, when landing it be wary of a tail-hold only. Fish are able to change direction by bracing their tails against the water. If you hold their tails, they are able to turn and bite – and they will. Hang on to some front fins as well!
Finally, when out with Tony recently on Summer Breeze we were passed by the latest Cunard mega-liner Queen Victoria. Am I old-fashioned or is that one ugly sea-going block of flats? What happened to those sleek liners that used to cruise past us?
