Third Time Lucky!!!!

Well now where do I start with this one?

Last year on two adventures to Donegal I aimed at targeting Tope!!!

The first attempt I did not feel confident anchoring up in very strong tidal flow, and the fact that I had a migraine headache did not help the situation so I retired just before the Tope came on the feed......Very disappointing as there was no shortage of fish caught that day.

 A month or so later I was back up there for my second attempt!!

"Up there being Graham Smiths back yard", accompanied by some of Ireland's finest kayak anglers we set off on our days fishing. There was a good variety of fish caught through out the day but the only Tope hooked and landed was by Mike Henry as far as I can remember.

   On Saturday night I received a message from Graham at around 11pm, the message was that he was heading out at 9am on Sunday morning with Mike Sherwood to target Tope and that I should take a run up!!!!! I hesitated for a minute or two, then the boss said if you want to go tear away.

PANIC stations as you can imagine I was running around like a mad man getting organised, last minute packing and preparing rigs, tackle and bait etc.

Home and into bed around 1am it felt like I just dosed off as my alarm sounded at 5.30 awaking me, dressed and into the van I was not long getting to Donegal, stopping along the way for a bit of breakfast. 

I arrived at the launch point to meet Mike preparing to head out and shortly after Graham and his son Craig arrived. A quick chat while getting organised and we where on the water on a pleasant paddle out to the mark. Anchors down, chum deployed and rigs baited the waiting game began.............................................................................................

It wasn't long before I had some interest a few bumps on the end of the rod so a struck........... nothing there........checked bait and sent it back down. A few minutes later I had a few more bumps then the clicker on my reel started screaming at me, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest lol. I struck...............again nothing there, this happened to us a few times as the Tope were being funny picking the bait up running then dropping it. Then all hell broke loose behind me I heard Graham shout something on the VHF so I looked over my shoulder to find Craig had a Tope on and it was going nuts beside his yak. Happy days I thought at least the fish where there, soon after that Craig had another tope landed!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I up anchored and changed location, I also put fresh baits on and sent them down.....

    

As soon as the bait hit the bottom I had a small, and I mean SMALL nibble on the rod. I lifted it and there was a second bump just before the excitement of a good solid run, we had hook up and what a run it was, after a cracking scrap I had the Tope at the side of the kayak, for a second I though about about throwing my rod at it and paddling for my life lol.

I grabbed the wire trace started lifting the fish onto my knee when the bloody thing went stone mental and jumped right across my lap landing it the water at the other side of my kayak and swam away.............I was so gutted I never noticed that the trace cut into my finger for some time afterwards as my other rods reel took off screaming that very second. This was a much better fish as it turned my kayak 180 degrees and towed me back up tide past my anchor buoy( quite a strange feeling) but shows you the power of these fish is overwhelming.

 First Tope FIRMLY landed on my knee this time :)

Unhooked quickly and returned to the water my mission was complete, the 230 mile and four hour round trip was all worth it. I also said third time lucky and it happened, the new Jackson kayak gave me a lot more confidence on the water as well which really helped me in the tricky tides plus not to mention the wind on the way in, but thats a story to tell in the pub some night!!!!!!

Until next time!!!!!

Tight lines.