"Skipper" wrote in message
...
With some good weather finally reaching South East Ireland, I managed to
get
afloat twice so far this week out of Kilmore Quay aboard Eamonn Hayes'
Autumn Dream. On these trips I was fortunate enough to catch two specimen
sized Tope of 48lb and 59lb respectively. (The Irish record weight for a
Tope currently stands at 66lb with 40lb the minimum qualifying weight for
a
specimen).

Details of the larger fish have been submitted (along with photos) to the
Ireland's Eastern Region Fisheries Board for classification as a specimen.
However, even though the ERFB have said they will include the catch on
their
website and promotional material, they may choose not to register the fish
as a specimen as both the skipper and I agreed that it was wrong to kill a
female tope in pup for the benefit of a non-record claim. The fish was
weighed, measured and tagged and returned to the water otherwise unharmed
by
the experience.

In Ireland, Tope are a protected species and may not be killed except in
claim for a record or specimen catch. I think the ERFB should feel ashamed
that they demand a fish of this status be destroyed just to recognize the
validity of a relatively minor claim. Perhaps there is some merit to
verifying the weight of a record catch to prevent false claims by glory
seekers, but for an accolade as minor as having your catch recognized as a
specimen there can be no justification. Surely, the image of our sport
would
be enhanced by not demanding the death of a specimen fish?

Anyhow, just my $0.02. Out again this evening for the 59lb Tope's daddy!
Wish me luck.

Tight lines.

I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago when I caught a tope well into
the sixties and it took us a long time to get it on board. One of the guys
with us is a regular competition man and rather than claim glory I am being
even a little generous when I say 60Lb because it was the largest specimen
he had ever seen. Like yourself, rather than kill it we released it again
to fight another day. I used a full mackarel after bleeding it and then
drawing the knife along its two upper sides allowing a littlle scent to
escape! We had seven in all.