Stormtrooper
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2020
- Messages
- 289
- Reaction score
- 2,660
- Points
- 93
- Location
- Herne Bay
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
Hi all,
So I’d been planning a trip to North Wales in search of a tope for many months and on Thursday night, the time had finally arrived!!
I set off from home in Kent around 7:30pm for a very long drive. Thankfully, the roads were behaving themselves and including a dinner break and a couple of pee stops, I arrived at my mark for around 2:30am.
Not to waste a journey not knowing what I was doing, I’d booked a guide in the shape of the well-known Gareth Griffiths. He was already there and asleep in his car, he said we’d get going around 5:30am so I took the opportunity to get some sleep myself… I’d emptied the van of all my work gear and had an air bed in the back, it was all more comfortable than I thought it’d be!
5:30am came and my alarm went off, the rain was hammering the van roof outside, I was not looking forward to a soaking so I was fairly pleased to receive a message from Gareth saying we’d give it another hour before setting off.
I snoozed a bit longer and before I knew it, I got a bang on the van door, time to go!
It was still raining as I quickly gathered my gear, not entirely sure of everything I’d need, I did my best to grab what I could.
By this time, we’d been joined by a friend of Gareth’s, Ben Cook, and we set out across a cow field. The rain stopped 10 minutes later but I was already fairly soaked!!
We yomped through a couple of fields as the sun came up but I hadn’t realised how much we’d been going down hill or for how long. Things started to get really steep and before I knew it, I was clinging to a rock face like spiderman! We carried on down slowly, passing our gear along as we went before finally coming to a large cove-like plateau.
As we started getting the rods set up, Ben began feathering for some fresh bait. Before I knew it, a string of mackerel were being hauled up the cliff so I joined him with my trusty 11’ bass rod.
It wasn’t long until our rock pool was alive with fresh flapping fish, and I hadn’t blanked!!
We got 1 tope rig set up each and out they went. Chucking half a mackerel and a 7oz lead whilst balancing on tiny rock precipices is far more difficult than I’d imagined, especially when you’re as unbalanced as I am!! Gareth and Ben made it look so easy, flinging them out 100yds or so.
Whilst we waited, we began scratching with 2 hook flappers baited with small mackerel chunks.
I can’t remember the exact order of things but Ben landed a nice bass around the 3lbs mark before pulling up a beautiful male cuckoo wrasse.
I then landed the same, the colours were amazing! Before long, both Ben and I had a second cuckoo each with my second one going just over 1lbs! Gareth was not impressed he couldn’t find one but the pollock were keeping him busy enough.
We fished on with various small species coming out including pollock, pouting, poor cod and dogfish. I then landed a second new species for me, a 3 bearded rockling… and a good one too!! It was a fun tussle on my light gear but we got it in and it weighed a massive 1lbs 10oz!!
As we carried on, the tide started to run hard to the left and Gareth said it was pointless to try and fish this part of the tide. I’d lost so much gear it was unreal so when he suggested we head back to the cars to get a brekkie, I was relieved I could stock up!
We headed back up, leaving the gear on the cliff. It was against everything I’ve ever learnt about looking after your gear but as Gareth quite rightly pointed out, it wasn’t the sort of place someone was just going to stroll past!! It was in the middle of nowhere and fairly inaccessible to anyone without mountain goat genes.
I then realised how much we’d walked down hill to get there as we climbed back out. I was knackered and the thought of hauling all my gear out again later concerned me greatly. That’s a problem for later though.
We drove to the nearest village and found an eatery where we scoffed down bacon and sausage rolls before stopping for a quick pint.
Back to the fishing and now was prime time for the whole purpose of the journey, the tope!!
We fished hard for the next 4-5hrs, the sun came out and made our ledge into a proper suntrap, we were all down to shorts and t-shirts in no time at all!!
Gareth then had a slightly better bite which resulted in a strap of about 3lbs and within minutes, the same happened to me with the same outcome.
Shortly after I had another reasonable bite, I assumed it was another conger and lifted in. I lost the fish but when I retrieved the bait it was covered in teeth marks!! Gareth and Ben were fairly certain it was a tope but had just played with the bait rather than screaming off with it. If not for the congers moments earlier, I might’ve left it longer and stood a chance. Grrrrr.
The session continued until it was clear the prime time had passed. We feathered a few more Mackies for the evening tide/following day and set about packing up.
I was right to be concerned with the walk back to the cars, with all my gear it damn near killed me!!
We got back and after a quick breather headed to a different mark about a 1hr 20min drive away.
Once there, we met Gareth’s next client, Luke Ripley, and went for a nutritious dinner of kebab and chips! ? To be fair, it was spot on and one of the best kebabs I’ve ever had.
We drove to our spot from there and the tide wasn’t worth fishing until about 5am the following morning. The guys all hunkered down for the night but I took the opportunity to sort out my mess of a tackle box and make a much needed mug of coffee.
The following morning came and we were straight up and out on the beach. Things were quiet but there was promise from catch reports of the previous day, it was a much more relaxed beach, far more the sort of venue I’m used to.
With the van not far away, I ran back at one point to grab some more bait only to be told on my return that Ben had just lost a 20lbs (ish) tope at his feet in the surf. It spat the hook before Gareth could get his net over it. They were gutted, as was I to have missed the action!
For the rest of the day and evening we stayed at this spot, stopping for lunch and a walk about over low. By around 10pm, the lads packed up and we said our goodbyes. I fished on for another hour or so but it was not meant to be this time. I was disappointed of course but I’d had an awesome adventure and it really opened my eyes to few things.
I can’t wait to get back over there at some point, if anything, I’m even more determined to get one now!!
So I’d been planning a trip to North Wales in search of a tope for many months and on Thursday night, the time had finally arrived!!
I set off from home in Kent around 7:30pm for a very long drive. Thankfully, the roads were behaving themselves and including a dinner break and a couple of pee stops, I arrived at my mark for around 2:30am.
Not to waste a journey not knowing what I was doing, I’d booked a guide in the shape of the well-known Gareth Griffiths. He was already there and asleep in his car, he said we’d get going around 5:30am so I took the opportunity to get some sleep myself… I’d emptied the van of all my work gear and had an air bed in the back, it was all more comfortable than I thought it’d be!
5:30am came and my alarm went off, the rain was hammering the van roof outside, I was not looking forward to a soaking so I was fairly pleased to receive a message from Gareth saying we’d give it another hour before setting off.
I snoozed a bit longer and before I knew it, I got a bang on the van door, time to go!
It was still raining as I quickly gathered my gear, not entirely sure of everything I’d need, I did my best to grab what I could.
By this time, we’d been joined by a friend of Gareth’s, Ben Cook, and we set out across a cow field. The rain stopped 10 minutes later but I was already fairly soaked!!
We yomped through a couple of fields as the sun came up but I hadn’t realised how much we’d been going down hill or for how long. Things started to get really steep and before I knew it, I was clinging to a rock face like spiderman! We carried on down slowly, passing our gear along as we went before finally coming to a large cove-like plateau.
As we started getting the rods set up, Ben began feathering for some fresh bait. Before I knew it, a string of mackerel were being hauled up the cliff so I joined him with my trusty 11’ bass rod.
It wasn’t long until our rock pool was alive with fresh flapping fish, and I hadn’t blanked!!
We got 1 tope rig set up each and out they went. Chucking half a mackerel and a 7oz lead whilst balancing on tiny rock precipices is far more difficult than I’d imagined, especially when you’re as unbalanced as I am!! Gareth and Ben made it look so easy, flinging them out 100yds or so.
Whilst we waited, we began scratching with 2 hook flappers baited with small mackerel chunks.
I can’t remember the exact order of things but Ben landed a nice bass around the 3lbs mark before pulling up a beautiful male cuckoo wrasse.
I then landed the same, the colours were amazing! Before long, both Ben and I had a second cuckoo each with my second one going just over 1lbs! Gareth was not impressed he couldn’t find one but the pollock were keeping him busy enough.
We fished on with various small species coming out including pollock, pouting, poor cod and dogfish. I then landed a second new species for me, a 3 bearded rockling… and a good one too!! It was a fun tussle on my light gear but we got it in and it weighed a massive 1lbs 10oz!!
As we carried on, the tide started to run hard to the left and Gareth said it was pointless to try and fish this part of the tide. I’d lost so much gear it was unreal so when he suggested we head back to the cars to get a brekkie, I was relieved I could stock up!
We headed back up, leaving the gear on the cliff. It was against everything I’ve ever learnt about looking after your gear but as Gareth quite rightly pointed out, it wasn’t the sort of place someone was just going to stroll past!! It was in the middle of nowhere and fairly inaccessible to anyone without mountain goat genes.
I then realised how much we’d walked down hill to get there as we climbed back out. I was knackered and the thought of hauling all my gear out again later concerned me greatly. That’s a problem for later though.
We drove to the nearest village and found an eatery where we scoffed down bacon and sausage rolls before stopping for a quick pint.
Back to the fishing and now was prime time for the whole purpose of the journey, the tope!!
We fished hard for the next 4-5hrs, the sun came out and made our ledge into a proper suntrap, we were all down to shorts and t-shirts in no time at all!!
Gareth then had a slightly better bite which resulted in a strap of about 3lbs and within minutes, the same happened to me with the same outcome.
Shortly after I had another reasonable bite, I assumed it was another conger and lifted in. I lost the fish but when I retrieved the bait it was covered in teeth marks!! Gareth and Ben were fairly certain it was a tope but had just played with the bait rather than screaming off with it. If not for the congers moments earlier, I might’ve left it longer and stood a chance. Grrrrr.
The session continued until it was clear the prime time had passed. We feathered a few more Mackies for the evening tide/following day and set about packing up.
I was right to be concerned with the walk back to the cars, with all my gear it damn near killed me!!
We got back and after a quick breather headed to a different mark about a 1hr 20min drive away.
Once there, we met Gareth’s next client, Luke Ripley, and went for a nutritious dinner of kebab and chips! ? To be fair, it was spot on and one of the best kebabs I’ve ever had.
We drove to our spot from there and the tide wasn’t worth fishing until about 5am the following morning. The guys all hunkered down for the night but I took the opportunity to sort out my mess of a tackle box and make a much needed mug of coffee.
The following morning came and we were straight up and out on the beach. Things were quiet but there was promise from catch reports of the previous day, it was a much more relaxed beach, far more the sort of venue I’m used to.
With the van not far away, I ran back at one point to grab some more bait only to be told on my return that Ben had just lost a 20lbs (ish) tope at his feet in the surf. It spat the hook before Gareth could get his net over it. They were gutted, as was I to have missed the action!
For the rest of the day and evening we stayed at this spot, stopping for lunch and a walk about over low. By around 10pm, the lads packed up and we said our goodbyes. I fished on for another hour or so but it was not meant to be this time. I was disappointed of course but I’d had an awesome adventure and it really opened my eyes to few things.
I can’t wait to get back over there at some point, if anything, I’m even more determined to get one now!!
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