Hi Mighty Mouse,

Your Father is quite right about Tope fishing from the shore. Back in the 70's, I fished regularly with a very forward thinking group of sea anglers from Swansea, who were at the forefront of pioneering light tackle, sportfishing for bass, tope and other prey species. I fished alongside them and have excellent photographs of double figure tope caught from the shore, taken on practical, "light tackle" for the species.
It was the policy in those days to catch the fish, weigh and return them as quick as possible.
I cannot vouch for the viability of this fishing in todays world, but looking at the photos sponsors some excellent memories. In those days, it was possible to buy gutted, flat and frozen packs of herring which was the prime bait used at the time. Also, whole mackerel.
The rods used were just a step up from a top end bass rod of today, main line was 15 lb. blue Sylcast with a leader of 55 lb test. Hook was a well sharpened 5 or 6/0 Mustad attached to a length of plastic coated spun wire trace. A grip lead of 4/5 0r 6 ounces, depending on the tide height was used. Cast the bait out, not a great distance, place the rod in a "Monopod" so that it was vertical, set the drag to a medium tension, put the reel in free spool, and click on the ratchet.
It was then a matter of waiting patiently for the first run, with the line buzzing off the spool and the ratchet signaling Tope interest. Pick up the rod delicately so as not to spook the fish, wait for the initial run to stop and the fish to turn the bait before striking and then all hell was let loose. On the kind of tackle used in those days, it required a lot of skill and patience to land one of these hard fighting fish. Most, if I remember correctly, were in the 20/30 to 40 lb. mark and the best one I saw caught was 56 lb.

Well, there we are, Mighty Mouse, I hope that ties in with your Fathers reminicenses. Ask him if he remembers my rod building business "Literods", which was operative from the late 70's and 80's, on the Bridgend Industrial Estate.

Good to talk to you,

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek Townsend)

 

think i might give it a go with the modern touch to it and see if it works thanks for the info sometimes i feel like not beleaving my dad cos it sounds to good to be true just wish i could experiance what you my dad and your generation have

 

Clive Gammon, Lyndon Lammas, Gordon Long, Dougie Tucker & several others & it was common for a tope to take 3 sets of baits in its initial run, & if you weren't careful all 3 rods would end up in the sea. I dont know if the area is used by the females any more, cant see why not though its not as though they have been persecuted locally, but who knows what's happened over the horizon?
I couldn't walk as far as the beach from the car park nowadays but if I was 24 again I would certainly be giving it a try

 

Hi Blueskip,

You mentioned some names in your post that I was familiar with. Lyndon Llamas, new him well. I used to fish with people like Dai Jones, Graham Mock , Nipper and many others the names of whom I can't recall. They really were very forward in their thinking and I had some excellent fishing sessions both bass and tope, with them in the early 70's. Of course, I knew Clive Gammon through the said group, and arranged for him to do a talk in Porthcawl a year or two later.
Like you, I am also limited in how far I can walk these days, so those sort of marks are outside my capabilities, but it is good to ,at least, have some strong memories of those days.

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek Townsend)

 

I remember reading articles and reports in the original SEA ANGLER mag. back in the 70's of very large shore caught tope in the Burry Inlet fishing at low water on big spring tides in the Whitford sands area . It sounded brilliant .
I also know that in the red hot summer of 76 masses of big tope were also caught from boats fishing in the same area.
Are they still around today I doubt it as the fish they feed on, mackerel for example, are in short supply these days. But maybe some adventurous younger angler anglers might give it a go. I also know that the boys from Anglers Corner llanelli have been trying extreme long range tactics for them from local surf beaches but don't know if they have been successful yet.

 

I was talking to Lyndon on the phone the other night his Parkinsons is giving him problems but he was telling me he still takes his rod & chair down to Port Talbot Docks fishing for whatever bites next. Nipper I last saw about 2 years ago when he scrounged some Elm off me to make another spectacular jewellery box (he really is a craftsman, I wonder if he will re-ring my my old 484:g
Dai Jones was "giving it large" at a recent meeting on the Bristol Channel Bass & Ray Fishery, the sustainability of which Mike Pawson & some Marine Research Consultancy were trying to determine. Dai let them have both barrels about the comparison of then & now concerning his bass catches, he has fishing diaries from the late 60's & I think he was going to let them take copies of them to determine their findings. Graham Mock I havent heard of in 20yrs, Ah well those were the days

 

i to have heard some stories from old timers abou double figure tope and even common skate being caught in the bristol channel many years ago as most people who have read my posts i exclusively fish porthcawl pier and during the spring you do get small tope i call them fresh outs but last year i did catch a few tope around the 4lb mark from the pier and they are definately tope they had teeth smoothhounds have a bony plate there are a few photos in my album

 

I can remember catching several double figure tope from north Gower beach marks, and remember a large common skate being lost about 20 feet fromthe boat when the hook link snaped.
I landed several porbeagle shark out on a charter boat from Porthcawl the largest being 88lb with skipper Ken Parsons.
Ian

 

Hi Ian 1953,

I remember Ken Parsons very well. In fact, way back in the late 60's or early 70's, he commissioned me to design and build three very special shark rods, one for him and one each for two of his customers. I cannot remember the class of the blanks, but they were fitted throughout with special, expensive roller rings. Anyhow, they worked well and were instrumental in the capture of a number of porbeagle sharks.

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek Townsend)

 

great read, i like listing to the old heads talking fishing, but were in this day and age would you target tope from the shore, and what or when would make you decide to target them at that paticular time.
i asked a simular question about tope from manorbier but dont know were to start really.

 

Hi Ian 1953,

I remember Ken Parsons very well. In fact, way back in the late 60's or early 70's, he commissioned me to design and build three very special shark rods, one for him and one each for two of his customers. I cannot remember the class of the blanks, but they were fitted throughout with special, expensive roller rings. Anyhow, they worked well and were instrumental in the capture of a number of porbeagle sharks.

Best regards,

Ticker (Derek Townsend)

Ken was a great skipper but thinking back the rods we used were heavy 50lb class which over powerd the fish too quickly. Recenly last year I played and landed a shark estimated at 60lb on an upter.
Talking of rods i remember buying one of your bones bass rods a mark 3 i think used it for years until my son jamed it in the car door and snaped it.

 

great read, i like listing to the old heads talking fishing, but were in this day and age would you target tope from the shore, and what or when would make you decide to target them at that paticular time.
i asked a simular question about tope from manorbier but dont know were to start really.

On the north gower we fished at low tide and I used half a flatie for bait fished into the channels about 100 yards out we only got three or bfour casts befor they were out of casting range

 

great read, i like listing to the old heads talking fishing, but were in this day and age would you target tope from the shore, and what or when would make you decide to target them at that paticular time.
i asked a simular question about tope from manorbier but dont know were to start really.

from what my old man has told me normaly the end of august threw to september when you get them around the gower area wish he could come with me but the old sea water has got to him and he a bit weathered now lol:wheelchai

 

Here's the proof,lol
Clive Gammon and a Tope caught from Broughton beach on 12lbs Line.
I found the picture in an old "Angling Guide to Wales" book from 1976.
http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f217/kodak57/?action=view&current=tope.jpg&newest=1

Also the write up from the book for Broughton.
http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f217/kodak57/?action=view&current=Broughton.jpg

 

Clive Gammon, Lyndon Lammas, Gordon Long, Dougie Tucker & several others & it was common for a tope to take 3 sets of baits in its initial run, & if you weren't careful all 3 rods would end up in the sea. I dont know if the area is used by the females any more, cant see why not though its not as though they have been persecuted locally, but who knows what's happened over the horizon?
I couldn't walk as far as the beach from the car park nowadays but if I was 24 again I would certainly be giving it a try

got a Clive Gammon book about fishing in wales,and if my memory serves me correctly,the cover has a picture of him with a shore caught tope at broughton bay



oops,just seen the above post..lol

 

Sorry matey,lol Does the links to the photos work? I'm new to this lark and not very good at it:wallbash:

yep,they work :1a:

 

yep,they work :1a:

Cheers,that's a suprise:yahoo:

 

great thread, a good read on a wet and windy Sunday

 

I can remember Tope being caught off the ledges Rhosilli, the shore at Oxwich bay and from Cefn Sidan beach where anglers and I believe Clive Gammon was one of the would fish for them as early as May.

 

from what my old man has told me normaly the end of august threw to september when you get them around the gower area wish he could come with me but the old sea water has got to him and he a bit weathered now lol:wheelchai

In April & early May they were almost always pregnant females that were coming into the estuary to pup, I see no reason why they still dont? Its probably that people no longer target them for the short time period they are available (in both tide & days) chances are the channel that runs from Burry Holms to Whitford is very similar to what it was then, it just needs somebody to put the time in probably.
Go on all you 20 & 30 somethings it could be your chance to do what you are sick of hearing the "old men" talk about!:whistling"

 

I remember reading articles and reports in the original SEA ANGLER mag. back in the 70's of very large shore caught tope in the Burry Inlet fishing at low water on big spring tides in the Whitford sands area . It sounded brilliant .
I also know that in the red hot summer of 76 masses of big tope were also caught from boats fishing in the same area.
Are they still around today I doubt it as the fish they feed on, mackerel for example, are in short supply these days. But maybe some adventurous younger angler anglers might give it a go. I also know that the boys from Anglers Corner llanelli have been trying extreme long range tactics for them from local surf beaches but don't know if they have been successful yet.

Your getting on! ;O)

 

my grandfather, raymond newton used to be in the old boat club in newton and he told me loads of stories of big porgies not to far off the shore, and with the big cod that were regularly caught, i think i was born 20 years to late

 

my grandfather, raymond newton used to be in the old boat club in newton and he told me loads of stories of big porgies not to far off the shore, and with the big cod that were regularly caught, i think i was born 20 years to late

They used to hold an annual shark comp out of Porthcawl (I think the Welsh Porgie record may still be held by a fish caught off Porthcawl weighing around 260lbs).
Unfortunately the fish were hammered as they were invariably killed & sold to the fish market. The numbers don"t really seem to have picked back up since in that area.

headlight

 

i also used to get out occasionally with ken parsons on his boat 'our sonia'. i had a conversation with someone on the, now sadly defunct, gower rockhoppers forum, who said he was now living in bettws. we went out after another now rare species 'monk fish'. i belive his boat held the welsh record for those too one of the days i went out we had about 5 or 6 to the boat maybe 45-50lbers and ken would come out with a lump hammer to dispatch them. my thoughts at the time besides the large powerfull snapping toothed jaws, was if he misses he's gonna go through the hull and we're all fish food! thankfully he didnt. we were targeting these not to far from a shore mark where with modern casting techniques it could be possible to get amongst them if they wer in any numbers but i havnt heard of one from the area in years. ps ticker i still have one of your bones bass rods too, still use it now but it doesnt seem to latch into quite as many fish these days
stu

 

Hi old esox,

It is quite surprising the number of "Bones" still in use after something like 30 plus years. It is a timeless rod, and is as appropriate today as when first produced. Am still using mine which was the first one off the "Production line" in my little factory unit. Pity you are not catching the fish, especially bass since this has been a reasonably good year for them and some excellent fish have been reported. Still time to air the "Bones" and you don't have to travel far from Bridgend to make contact with them.

Good to read your story,

Ticker (Derek Townsend)