Animalscaretips
- Can tope be eaten?
- What is the best bait for tope?
- How do you catch a tope?
- Is Tope a dogfish?
- Do Tope sharks bite?
- What size hooks for tope?
- How big do tope sharks get?
- How do you deal with a tope?
- What sharks live in schools?
- Do Topes eat bass?
- Are there sharks in the Thames Estuary?
- What sharks are in the River Thames?
- Are spurdog poisonous?
Can tope be eaten?
In big demand and hunted around the world for their fins, Tope, also known as soupfin sharks, are becoming increasingly threatened. In European waters they are now protected and cannot be targeted but are occasionally legally caught as by-catch. ... Avoid eating this species and never eat shark fin soup.
What is the best bait for tope?
The best bait to catch tope are whole live or freshly killed fish, with mackerel, dab, herring, pouting, whiting, sprat and squid being the best options. Fish strips and sandeels can also be used.
How do you catch a tope?
Tope have big mouths so don't be afraid to use big baits. Half mackerel and mackerel fillets also work well too, especially if the fish are being finicky with larger baits. Big squid baits will also catch tope along with small flatfish, such as dabs or flounders, which are favoured by some anglers at some locations.
Is Tope a dogfish?
While dogfish are abundant, and bull huss, tope and smooth-hound well known by anglers many people are surprised that large shark species such as porbeagle, shortfin mako and blue shark are found in British waters but they are present, although not in great numbers. ...
Do Tope sharks bite?
There has never been any record of an unprovoked Tope attack on humans, so no need to fear this elegant elasmobranch.
What size hooks for tope?
Size 6/0 is recommended, either barbless or with the barb crushed. Lip-hooking significantly reduces the likelihood of a hook being left in the fish so the use of circle hooks should also be considered. Tope are a large, strong fish with sharp teeth and rough skin.
How big do tope sharks get?
The maximum reported size for this shark species is 6.3 feet (193 cm) total length for a male specimen and 6.4 feet (195 cm) total length for a female. The maximum published weight of the tope shark is 98.5 pounds (44.7 kg). It is believed that the tope shark has a life span of up to 55 years.
How do you deal with a tope?
Hold the fish by the tail and pectoral or dorsal fin in the case of tope, smoothhounds and the like, or with the open palm supporting the belly with round fish, and just lower it into the water and hold it until it voluntarily swims away of it's own free will.
What sharks live in schools?
Hammerheads have disproportionately small mouths compared to other shark species. They are also known to form schools during the day, sometimes in groups over 100. In the evening, like other sharks, they become solitary hunters.
Do Topes eat bass?
Tope eat a variety of small fish and like to hunt around sand banks, trying to disturb hidden flatfish, as well as taking whiting, codling, pout, bass and pollack. Highly regarded for their sporting quality, it has become good practice by sea anglers to return tope to the sea after capture.
Are there sharks in the Thames Estuary?
"Aggressive" sharks that can grow up to six-feet long are now said to be living in the River Thames. In shallow bays and estuaries along the Thames, Tope sharks, long and slender with a grey upper body and white belly, have started breeding.
What sharks are in the River Thames?
In 1957, some parts of the river were declared “biologically dead", however it is now home to three kinds of sharks- the tope, starry smooth-hound and spurdog. The river has also become home to 115 species of fish and wildlife from seahorses to seals.
Are spurdog poisonous?
Evidence exists that spurdog move around in shoals, and may cover large distances when searching for food. They are one of the few venomous fish in UK waters (along with the stingray and weever fish), with the spines in front of the two dorsal fins secreting a venom which can cause swelling and discomfort in humans.
