best time for congers?

hi im hopeing to get some night fishing for congers in shortly,i know night time is best but what is the best part of the tide is it low to rising or high to low or does it make much difference,all fish will be returned alive for another day.is the pier walls better or will i try the boulders on the other side of the peir, i suppose fresh mack any preference in sections of the mack?thanks

hi im hopeing to get some night fishing for congers in shortly,i know night time is best but what is the best part of the tide is it low to rising or high to low or does it make much difference,all fish will be returned alive for another day.is the pier walls better or will i try the boulders on the other side of the peir, i suppose fresh mack any preference in sections of the mack?thanks

I fish two spots in cork for congers, one fishes best on a dropping tide down to low water and the other fishes best in the higher part of the tide up to high water so you might have to ask a few local anglers or fish it a few times to suss in out. If i'm using mackerel i use the head but if that doesn't work, try using smaller baits cut from the fillet. If there are very large congers in the area then try a mackerel flapper but the mack heads take big eels too. If i was you i'd try the pier wall first because it'll be a curse trying to get the fish out from amoung the boulders when you hook one. I'd suggest using ground bait aswell. Throw a hand full of mack chunks into the water every few mins. Also i'd bring a box of small calamari along. I use one small calamari whipped to a bit of mackerel fillet on a size 8/0 meat hook or use one of the larger whole calamari on their own. Either peel the calamari or puncture the skin with a knife a few times to let the scent out. I also make a habbit of puncturing the ink sack when hooking the calamari to release further scent from the bait. Good luck and mind your fingers.

I think the time of the tide will depend on the venue. I know venues that only fish well at low tide as at high tide it usually quite rough and other spots that only fish well at high tide as at low tide the water is very shallow (I assume). There’s one other spot I know where there is no real rush of water between high and low tide just a gentle fill and drop which will produce conger at any state of the tide. In my humble opinion I think they prefer slack water or water with little movement.

As for bait I’ve only ever use mackerel. Fresh or freshly frozen will work, don’t use the “fresh” stuff from the fish counter at the supermarket cos its crap. I did try Pollock, Colefish, whiting, pouting and other fish I caught at the mark when I didn’t have any conger bait with me quite a few times but not much luck, some but not much . Although I know some people do swear that using whatever fish is resident is the best bait. Always worth a chuck I guess. If you are in you cant win. As for which part of the fish I don’t think it matters as long as there is plenty of scent coming from it. I know I’ve caught them on whole uncut mackerel, heads, tails, flappers and just a fillet. Depending on the size of the mackerel I would either stick it on whole or cut it in half and either way slice the side a few times to let the smell out. Since conger are scavengers and eat anything there should be no reason why you cant catch them on any bait providing it smelly enough for them to find it.

Time of day. Depends on the spot really. Some marks with deep water at the edge can produce any anytime of the day, but then ive also caught them in 15 feet of crystal clear water in the middle of an August day when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Ijn think overall the most productive time of the day I usually have would be 1 hour before and 2 or 3 hours after it gets dark. Maybe its cos I mostly fish for them at that time but anytime I have fished through the night for them ive always found bites to trail off around 1 or 2 in the morning (depending when it gets dark of course)

i really dont think the state of tide shud bother u wen conger fishing.ive got them on low tide,mid tide and high tide.there scavangers like meself so will take any bait at any hour macks and squid seem to be the best.freshes mackeral full of blood u will not beat,but i also heard that liver or pork is good for them too.so if u have any pork chops in ur fridge rob 1 and give it ago.im sure the congers will be glad to taste a different feed

The best state of tide or part of the tide to fish for them all depends on the place/mark you are fishing from but I have personally found that low tide up to high is best but that's just my own opinion. If you get speaking to some locals who fish in the area where you are intending to go to if you can then they should be able to point you in the right direction to what tide they think or have found is best when fishing for them.
Hitting the right time of the tide is important and if you get this right then you will increase your chances of catching a conger, as with all types of fishing tides are vital. Night time is better when conger fishing (although you do and can still catch them during the day when it's bright) and the reason I say this is because they tend to come closer to the shore to feed at night when it is dark, they can be quite a shy fish despite their mean reputation.
Mackerel is very good bait to use, the top bait as far as I am concerned. I have found the fresher the mackerel the better because it is very smelly and this is what attracts them over. I use the whole fillet of a mackerel (a flapper) but the head of a mackerel is excellent for them too. I know that some people reckon that the bigger the bait the bigger the fish you will catch, I have found this to be true but everyone’s experiences is different.
Congers can be found in a few different places, they hide in holes where they can’t be seen and come out to feed mainly at night. Down the side of a pier/harbour wall is a good place to try for them as are rock ledges. If there are any boulders about, say on the back of the pier (a breakwater) then try dropping your bait down amongst them too close to the water’s edge and see if they are any hiding out or swimming around looking for some food. I have been told from friends who fish for them quite alot that squid is better when fishing for them in deeper water. Good luck.

hi im hopeing to get some night fishing for congers in shortly,i know night time is best but what is the best part of the tide is it low to rising or high to low or does it make much difference,all fish will be returned alive for another day.is the pier walls better or will i try the boulders on the other side of the peir, i suppose fresh mack any preference in sections of the mack?thanks

I fish two spots in cork for congers, one fishes best on a dropping tide down to low water and the other fishes best in the higher part of the tide up to high water so you might have to ask a few local anglers or fish it a few times to suss in out. If i'm using mackerel i use the head but if that doesn't work, try using smaller baits cut from the fillet. If there are very large congers in the area then try a mackerel flapper but the mack heads take big eels too. If i was you i'd try the pier wall first because it'll be a curse trying to get the fish out from amoung the boulders when you hook one. I'd suggest using ground bait aswell. Throw a hand full of mack chunks into the water every few mins. Also i'd bring a box of small calamari along. I use one small calamari whipped to a bit of mackerel fillet on a size 8/0 meat hook or use one of the larger whole calamari on their own. Either peel the calamari or puncture the skin with a knife a few times to let the scent out. I also make a habbit of puncturing the ink sack when hooking the calamari to release further scent from the bait. Good luck and mind your fingers.

thanks for the info

thanks for getting back to my question ill put up a report later when i fish