Rigs for a shore tope

Hi all
i would like to do some tope fishing this year, but i've no idea what kind of rigs i can use for it.
Thanks for any advice
Marcin

Running paternoster.
Put a sliding swivel on to you shockleader then a buffer bead then tie on a big main swivel. Off the running swivel hang about two feet of mono about the same breaking strain as you main line then tie on a lead to the bottom of this. I use impact leads because you can then hang this lead off your wire trace and it casts like a pulley rig and all the people who say it is dangerous to cast a weak link should be happy with this.

Make up some crimped nylon coated wire traces at least eighteen inches long with big sharp hooks to suit your bait. I use Tronix pro bite wire and Varivas bigmouth extra hooks in 7/0 8/0 sizes.
You can then clip these traces on to the big swivel tied to your shockleader.

You can see the principal here,http://baitdigger.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/353/ you just need to substitute the hooklength for the wires that you have tied.

One of the benefits of the running paternoster tied in that fashion is that the 'tail' will act as a rotten bottom and also should the rig get snagged with a fish on when it snaps the fish will not be tethered to the sea bed as it would with other non-running rigs

Pulley rig is the one I would recommend for the job. Use fairly thick fluorocarbon for the snood or good quality wire (eg. 90lb AFW)

Pulley rig is the one I would recommend for the job. Use fairly thick fluorocarbon for the snood or good quality wire (eg. 90lb AFW)

Forget florocarbon the tope's skin alone would abraid through it before you got it in and the teeth would go through it like butter.. I was considering using mono instead of wire this year but I have seen huss rasp through 100lb mono and heard reports of tope sawing through 200lb mono.

baitdigger, flourocarbon is much more abrasion resistant and harder to bite through than mono.

Then you must be using a better quality floro than I have used I the past. When I have used it for leader on braid the rocks shred it very quickly and if it gets a wind knot in it it becomes very weak very quickly. The stiffness would not be an issue though. Tope test you tackle to the limit with their blistering runs, why take the risk??
I think I will stick to the wire

baitdigger, flourocarbon is much more abrasion resistant and harder to bite through than mono.

Very true , I use it for pike traces . Would do fine for rubbing trace so I'm told but 100lbs bs.

I have done a bit of reading today and it seems that manufacturers say that modern flourocarbon is indeed more abrasion resistant than mono but it also has less stretch which I am not sure is a benefit when shore tope fishing? It's primary claim was being near invisible when in water and so gave greater finesse when presenting small baits.
I concede the strength and abrasion resistant qualities of flourocarbon over mono but would I use it as hooklength for tope- not a chance

Thanx very much for all replies lads, anyway i'll stay with nylon coated wire and running paternoster rig, is looking quiet easy and cheap. I gonna try this out tomorrow night. Tight lines !

Sorry i missed one question. What is the best bait to deal with tope?

Mackerel. Or so I've heard

Sorry i missed one question. What is the best bait to deal with tope?

where you are fresh mackerel, the fresher the better. Fillet of flounder is also said to be good but I havent had any luck with it.

I have seen tope take a whole small dab, albeit from a boat. Would be very interested if you actually contact any from the shore and at what distance.... Best of luck.

Sixstring.

We were getting dab bitten in two off the flats at ballyvaughan but once we put wires on there were no takers.

3olb mainline braid shockleader of at least 80lb wire trace on a pulley rig with a snake launce and thats it nothin fancy good luck

pulley rig with 150lb wire trace, hook size depends on bait. i use 6/0