conger fishing

hey to all lads.weather permitting i hope to fish a mark on friday into the nite.apperently theres conger in here too so for me to add a new species to my 2010 list i wud like to have a go at catching 1.i have never caught one before.first of all i have conger traces which i bought in the shops.i have an idea that a large mackerel bait is suitable(mackerel head or mackerel fillet whipped on with thread).wat i need to know is as follows;

1 = will i need a multiplier or will a good decent fixed spool do

2=wat lb line shud be on the reel.(currently i have 20lb)

3= shud the rod be left on the tripod with the drag on or off or is it important to be at the rod at all times as we know the conger have a habbit of goin back into their hole in the rock

4=once the fish is a shore is there any tips u can give me on how to handle it safely if it is a large fish

Brian

hi brian. the first thing i would do would be to put the fixed spool away and stick with the multi . by the time you tighten down the drag he'll have spat the bait out and buggered off, or retreated to his hidey hole and be wedged solid . if you are fishing off the end of a peir or harbour just set the rod on the ground with the top 5 inches of the rod sticking over the edge with the wratchet off so you will hear that tell tale click,,,, click,,,, click of a run. our conger reels are loaded with 30 or 50lb braid but a good 30 feet of minimum 50lb mono leader will save your braid from all the jagged rocks that will pluck the hell outta it and weaken it for later sessions. everyone will have their own ideas for rigs so i can only tell you what we use that works. first thing is to keep it simple. 5 feet of 200lb mono with a big barrel swivel at one end and a 7/0 bronze o'shaunassy at the other with a sliding lead is the ticket . the bronze hook is essential in case mr conger breaks you off as they rust out quicker than any other hook. you can add things like muppets or whatever to dress it up a bit if you feel it's necessary. but that's a pretty simple rig we use all the time. as for bait we use mackeral fillets with a bit of squid mixed in just for something different. other lads use mackie heads or pouting can work really well at some marks too. mackeral flappers can do the buisness too, but like everything just give them all a go until you find what works for you . as for handling them, you will get a bit slimey, but they're not a fearce as some make out unless you get a really decent eel, in which case you're better to get your pics before removing the hook as it will give you a lot more controll over him i mean jordan is only 10 and has no bother with handling them up to about 8lb. once they get a bit too wriggley to hold a great trick is to wrap a tea towel round their necks for that added bit of purchase. just do'nt be tempted to hold the heavier eels up by the gills thow as i read in a book it can wreck the gills with all that weight being suspended from them thow, and apparently if they spin they stand a better chance of catching your hand in their chops . the only other thing i can think to tell you is just let the bite develop a bit. don't nail it for a strike at the first click as they will often lift the bait and sit with it before properly taking it. we've watched them doing this in the aquariums and on tv shows, so when you get those first few clicks lift the rod and wait for the next few before striking and then let the fun commense .
hope this helps and happy hunting man

I've only gone after congers a few times, so other lads will be able to give you more advice. Regarding bait fillets of mackeral and the head of mackeral i have all found to work well. You wont go wrong with the mackeral. Regarding the line on your reel i had 20 pound line on my line reel when i started to fish for conger but i decided to go up to 60 pound as i was fishing from rocks. So the 20 pound line keep breaking upon getting the fish to the surface. If you are fishing soley for congers then i would have the drag set lightly so that your rod doesnt take of if the fish runs with the bait, but it will also let the rod nod to give you the indication of a bite. Having a good strong rod and reel is needed to bully them out of their holes if they retreat. Ensure you have clothes that you dont mind getting slimmy. I've attached a photo of one of the first congers that i ever caught and the picture is of my dad holding it (for a quick guide he is 5ft 8"). All i have to say is best of luck and enjoy it.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

r with a sliding lead is the ticket

is the sliding lead on your main line or on the heavy mono?

hi Brian I found this site very good for information http://www.britishcongerclub.org.uk/

1 = will i need a multiplier or will a good decent fixed spool do

2=wat lb line shud be on the reel.(currently i have 20lb)

3= shud the rod be left on the tripod with the drag on or off or is it important to be at the rod at all times as we know the conger have a habbit of goin back into their hole in the rock

4=once the fish is a shore is there any tips u can give me on how to handle it safely if it is a large fish

Brian

1- a decent fixed spool will do the job, no problems, ive seen it done before and they stood up and conquered. a multiplier would be a tad handier, ratchets a benificial but not entirely essential

2- ive landed eels on 15lb line in the shannon no bother. consider what type of ground youl be fishing, uf its abrassive then bul the line up. 20lb should be fine as an all rounder, combine it with a shock of course, the bimini twist knot is my personal favourite for testing grounds. length of the leader will depend on weather or not you have to lift the fish up from a height, obvoiusly dead lifting a 30lb eel from a height on 20lb line might be disasterous.

3- depends on the mark, some marks will have eels out hunting away from hidy holes, in that case a bit of time allwing the bite to develop is usefull. some mark are gonna require an instant strike, any line lost will be in the congers favour. youl get to know your mark as you fish it a good bit.

4- congers are friendly oul creatures. be confident with them as with any fish, less harm will come to both you and the fish. their not evil blood thirsty monsters like some people make them out to be. they do not have big teeth, they wont inflict a life threatning wound unlsess your eel is massive. a t-bar is usefull from removing hooks, if their deep hook be kind and snip the line.

rig wise, totally venue dependent again. for fishing piers a running ledger of say a foot and half of 100lb line is perfect, 100lb is perfectly ample ive never seen an eel bite through it. ive had eels on 30lb snoods no bother. some venues may require a beefed up pully rig if theres a conger holding feature at distance. 6/0 to 8/0 hooks do the job fine for big baits. dont be afraid to down size if your finding the eels are only mouthing the baits. mackerel, pollock, squid, large sandeel etc... are all good baits

suppose my favourite piece of advice of advice would be to enjoy fishing for em sportingly. leave the boat rods and broomsticks at home. match the tackle to the ground not the expectancy of landing a great white. a conger diving for the ledge with a match rod is good craic

r with a sliding lead is the ticket

is the sliding lead on your main line or on the heavy mono?

on the mono fergal with a bead stopping it a good foot from the hook

I fish for congers using a 30lb main line and 80lb shock leader. Size 6/0 or 8/0 hook depending on size of bait. I find the best baits to be mack head with the guts still dangling out the back, mack fillet or mackerel and squid cocktail. I use a fixed spool reel and have never had a bother and i've landed a fair few eels since i started fishing for them. I use a beach caster and again have no problems with this. As the lads said above the conger don't have very large teeth but if they do get a hold of your fingers it will hurt. The only way i could describe a bite from a big eel is like getting your fingers caught in a vice grips. Running ledger rig with heavy mono. I use anything from 100 to 200lb line. Not really a need for the 200lb but if the congers are feeding hard you can save time and get the bait back in the water quicker after landing one as you can reuse the same snood. I usually leave my rod in the rest and wait for the few nods in the tip. I had my new rod nearly go for a swim recently when an eel took the bait and pulled over the rod and rest, so it's worth your while to keep a close eye on it. If the eels do manage to get into a hole, let out a bit of slack line, pop the rod in the rest and watch closely for a few nods in the tip, lift into the fish again and try to get him up. I've done this for 20 mins before i managed to gain any ground on the fish but i rarely loose fish using this method. Good luck.

not nice if you happen to get your fingers stuck in there and it decides to spin