Congor fishing.

I'm dying to go congor fishing this weekend, but I've never done it before. I've never even seen anyone fishing for congor before.

From what I hear, I'm going to put a half of mackerel on a 5/0 hook (using a wire trace) on a running ledger, which I assume is a setup with no stops on the line, allowing the fish to take line.

I hear the best time to fish for them is a low time at night, literally dropping your line at the foot of an old, cracked pier. I was thinking of trying Culdaff in Donegal.

Doesn this sound about right?

Can anyone give me any additional tips?

Thanks.

Hi,
Kieran has some stuff on the site, and you can try this link:
http://www.fishingwarehouse.co.uk/defau ... tegoryid=6
Cheers
JK

That sounds about right though not every pier has monster conger unfortunately. Pick a pier with a strong tide run and/or has a comercial fishing as they live off the waste thrown overboard. Mackerel heads are good for getting the bigger conger or large chuncks of mackerel with backbone and guts (not filleted) and make sure the barb is well exposed. These large baits should be left down for a good 1/2 hour before changing for fresh bait. use a multiplier with 30lb line and rachet on. Slack tide low or high will produce good results but conger can go off and on feed for no apparent reason. Ground baiting is also worth a shot.

Donagh

Thanks Donagh, jfk.

How do you unhook 'em? I used to work on a trawler that fished out of Killybegs (I know, I'm sorry) so I know what they're like. We had metal mesh gloves for handling them! And for the monkfish too!

I don't really fancy poking around near their mouths!

The recommended way to unhook a conger is using a T-bar which has a hook on one end. Check out the british conger clubs web site on how to use it (Don't have the address). I must get one but I only have a long nose pliers and plenty of welly. You may need to use your foot to hold the conger down. I was told that a bloke at tarbert nearly lost his finger recently when a conger grabbed hold of it and started to spin.

As important is to work out how to get the conger up the pier wall. I use a drop net about a metre wide or bring them to steps. Be careful walking them to a pull up point as they can give one hell of a yank when their sideways.

Donagh

fished culdaff pier 3 yrs ago plenty of conger there biggest was 25lb ,straght of the end worked best with fresh mackrel head and loads of guts hanging out ,theres a set of steps to aid landing but you really need someone there to help ,its best if you lead the fish round edge of pier and get your mate to go down steps and grad the hold of your trace .
better to use heavy mono about three feet long and tie a scrap weight on a weak link to the top swivel ,8/0 bronzed o'shanessy is better because it's easier to get hold of when unhooking ,hold fish behind head with a damp towel to give you some grip and keep fingers clear .

Thanks folks.

Ronald, did you fish at night or at day? What kind of tide did you fish?

Here's a tip of calming congors - not sure if any of you are aware of it or not...

We used to catch quite a lot of congors on the boats at Killybegs. To calm them down, we would turn them on their backs and cover their eyes.

Once they were on their backs, we would get our thumb and forefinger and put then about an inch or two apart on the eels throat, apply a very slight bit of pressure and run straight down it's belly to it's tail.

For some reason it was just like putting them in a trance.

I wonder would that work on the spouses. You know, when they get agitated after learning you're heading off fishing. "Ah come on love, just put the cloth over your eyes and lie down on your back before I tell you where I'm going." :lol: :lol: :lol:

How long does the trance last? This is an important detail.

Two seasons back I cut the head off a 5 or 6 lb. conger. ( They are nice stewed ) Anyhow, when I picked up the head, the fecker bit my thumb. It took a pair of pliers to remove it. True !!
Perhaps I should have put in a trance first. :shock: :shock:

Peter

How long does the trance last? This is an important detail.

Not too sure to be honest - as soon as we got them lying still we gutted them.

What amazed me was that even with their throats slit and insides removed. you still had to put them in a fish box with a second box on top of them with something again on top of the fish box to hold it down. They could still produce an odd thrash or two even after half an hour of being gutted! :shock:

Jaysus they're hardy feckers.

Its good to know what to do if you catch one. I believe I lost one in Cobh earlier this year. I wasn't too disappointed though as I would be inclined to stay well clear of them once landed. I even heard a story of a guy in Monkstown cutting away his trace when he realised he had a conger on the end of it.

Its believed conger breed only once and then die, repond well to catch and release and are also territorial so they can be caught in the same place if released for another day so its better to keep few or none for the table.

Don't be too worried about unhooking conger just bring the right gear and you'll be ok. Releasing a fish with a hook its mouth is just bad angling. Though I have to admit I wouldn't fancy unhooking a sting ray.

Donagh