Tywyn Tope fishing

After traveling the best part of an evening, myself and friend Paul arrived at Tywyn in Wales to find other friends already at the kebab shop. We then made our way to where we would be staying next to the launch site and settled down for the night.

The next morning, Friday we woke to a good fresh wind and light rain. There was going to be no fishing today, so we got ready and drove into town for a breakfast and tour of local attractions, there were two tackle shops to view and waves lashing up the prom. Returning to the launch point we decided to give ourselves a bit of shelter by tying a tarp between two of the vehicles and spent the day chatting.


The day seamed to go quickly and as night arrived the BBQ made it`s appearance, all fed and logs turned it into a camp fire.

We were all in our sacks by 9.30pm ready for an early start as the forcast for Saturday was more favourable.

 As Saturday dawned the wind had gone and conditions were right for a launch. We all got our kit ready and were on the way down the river by 7.30am.



The paddle down was very easy as the tide was on the way out so we were being gently drawn by the flow. At the end of the river there are some gentle rapids just before you hit the beach, the tide was just right to paddle staight out of the mouth and through the surf and breakers, the biggest being about 3ft. Once away from the river mouth the sea was pretty calm with a slight swell maybe about 18 inches to 2ft, we paddled out to where some of the others were anchored and picked ourselves a spot.

I dropped anchor with dubby bag attached and Paul teathered to my yak. We both got ready our rods with Mackerel flappers and cast different sides, game on we thought. After a couple of minutes the rods started nodding but not the signs we were there for, the doggies were in on the act. Their attack on our baits was constant but they weren`t big enough to get anywhere near the hook, Paul decided a second rod was going down to get into this pesky action.



I resisted the sight of Paul bringing one after the other to the surface for about an hour, then tackled my second rod for some of the same. The action was constant, the competition below must have been fierce, some of these fish weren`t even hooked and only let go of the bait once they felt the yak under them. A good hour and a half, right through the turn of the tide the doggies kept us entertained. The tope rods kept giving the odd ratchet click as we swung in the tide, making us both jump with anticipation, but the doggies kept coming. Paul was using squid for his dog slaughter I wasn`t wasting good bait, I just hooked the tail end from my flappers and they wanted it enough. All this time we kept focussed on what we were there for, with attention on our tope rods reeling in and re-baiting, now with full Mackerel so they would last a bit longer, I reeled in my tope rod and the baitfish had been gutted out by the dogs, I thought give it another ten minutes use so back in it went.
   The Dogfish were still performing so I carried on, by now we must have had 50 or 60 fish between us, Paul having the most as I took time out to have a lay down and catch some sun, so the day wasn`t wasted if we didn`t catch a tope, but things were to change. I`d just reeled another doggy in and my Tope rod gave a click, then a few more, I put the doggy rod to rest and picked up the tope rod ready for a run, but nothing. Paul`s eyes were wide and he said "it`s still there", I tightened up and struck into something that didn`t like what I`d done.

 The reel was now screaming and line was peeling off, I was into what we came for a Tope and a decent one, a little bit concerned by using a new reel, I slowly increased the drag lever but this fish was still going, the thumb went on the spool. I was starting to gain control and the fish surfaced on the far side of Pauls yak, luckily Paul had got both his rods in and out of the way and was now armed with his camera.

As the fish came along side it decided the time wasn`t right to be boated and made another run for the bottom but having seen it was firmly hooked in the bottom lip I had no concerns and let it burn some more energy.  Finally back to the side of the yak I grabbed the leader, put the rod down and lifted her on board. I thought yes, my biggest yet. Looking at the fish and holding it I estimated somewhere between 25-30lbs, Paul thought more but what ever it was, it`s a new personal best as I`ve never had one that big before.

We carried on with our quest for another hour or so, with a chance of further Tope but they weren`t there in numbers only the Dogfish which became less in numbers as the sea drained from beneath us.
We headed back to shore to find the river mouth was 3 flat swirling races of water spreading out from a very fast running set of rapids, we tied a length of cord to each yak and started to pull them up stream to more settled water where we paddled back to the launch site.

Not the couple of days Tope fishing we were after but still enjoyable and a break from the usual.