A CRACKING 32lb male tope was the icing on the cake for Basildon angler Mick Toomer when he fished out from the River Crouch.

Toomer and two friends made an early start to take the private boat to an offshore mark, arriving in time to catch the early flood.

Peeler crab, hermit crab, lugworm and squid baits produced immediate action with a selection of smoothhounds, bass and dogfish coming aboard.

A set of Sabiki’s produced a few mackerel and it was one of these which tempted Toomer’s tope.

Later in the day the trio of anglers changed tactics, constantly moving around following flocks of gulls working over shoals of bass and mackerel.

Casting lures and surface poppers at the fish produced dozens of bass to four pounds and plenty of mackerel.

Toomer’s tope was the first big specimen reported locally this season, with more males and some big females expected any time now.