How to set up a boat rig for tope
Issue 23 (Jul-Aug 2018) James Norton
Fishing for tope, as with most sharks, isn’t exactly technical or complicated. Gear needs to be strong – very strong! – and well thought-out but other than that you just need to focus on finding the fish or attracting them to the boat. In terms of bait choice, tope very much eat fish and, as with most sea fishing, mackerel rules the roost when tope fishing. The fresher the better! Small whiting & pollock are also useful.
1. Albright knot
This is the best and smallest knot for joining braid to mono shock/snag leaders. It’s small, doesn’t collect much weed or debris, easy enough to tie with a bit of practice and very, very strong.
2. 80lb mono leader
The use of a shock/snag leader at the end of your braid just adds a bit more security when playing fish, helping deal with snags better. Braid, even in 80lb, can snap like cotton on sharp objects like rocks or reef.
3. Zip slider & lead
Nothing complicated is needed for the lead arrangement. A simple slider with an 8-16oz lead (depending on the strength of the tide) is more than good enough.
4. Strong snap swivel
The use of a snap swivel allows you to change traces quickly, meaning more fishing time. It needs to be strong though, so I use 100lb roller bearing swivels.
5. Nylon-coated wire trace
You need a good 6-8ft of very strong wire for tope. I usually choose 200lb breaking strain and also opt for the coated version as this is much more friendly to the tope’s skin when the fish inevitably rolls on the trace during the fight and less likely to be snapped by a rolling fish. Obviously the strong wire also prevents the fish biting through your trace which they will do with weaker wires!
6. Flemish eye & crimps
I make my own traces and put my faith in crimps and a Flemish eye to “tie” on the hook. A Flemish eye is super strong, especially when double crimped (some anglers prefer to simply twist instead of crimping) and also allows for greater hook/bait movement.
7. Circle hooks
Circle hooks are now commonplace with many shark anglers – they’re brilliant! I typically choose an 8/0 for my toping. They are very fish friendly and almost self-hook the fish for you. As a fish moves away with the bait and the trace/line tightens, the shape of the hook encourages the point to turn and bed into the scissors of the mouth, ensuring a strong, reliable hook hold and easier unhooking when on the boat.
