Conger

[Catfish Paul]

I have a gift card for a Conger trip, out of Brighton marina.

I've never fished for Conger before and itching to give it a whirl.

Anyone had much experience fishing for Conger, particularly out of Brighton

When is the best time to go? Ie best month, best conditions etc ??

Tackle is supplied but I do have a 30lb class boat rod but no multiplier reel.
I have some shimmy 4500b and 6500b reels which I could use with the boat rod??

It's always nice to catch on your own gear but am I better off using the supplied kit??

All help greatlyappreciated

[Nobby C]

I reckon you'll need more beef than the shimmy gear, don't even think about the 4500, the 6500 won't be any use either . A good strong 30lb class multi at least.

[Catfish Paul]

I thought that would be the case

Any particular model that you would recommend??

[Nobby C]

A Shimano TLD 25 is a reasonable choice, I've used one before, I left it in Australia though. As always, budget will dictate.

[Mike J]

I was a mad conger fisher in the 70's and 80's, Conger Club member, medal holder and comp fisher, the whole works.

Conger live on wrecks, bits off wrecks and reefs, and its rare to catch really big fish when your amongst the smaller stuff.
My 'crew' took 2tons fishing a double tide off Beachy Head and 9tons off Dartmouth over 5days and on both we never took a fish over 80lb.
Best conger I ever saw was the joint record 120 caught on Electric Blue off Plymouth, it was 7ft long and built like it had been on steriods (I will post a pic when I find it).

Congers are fished with mackerel flappers, head left intact the tail and spine removed, single hook through the head.
They bite by trying to draw the bait back into their lair, with a series of short tugs, when the feel safe they swallow and draw harder.
To connect you wind down hard and strike several times and keep winding until everything goes tight, then its a tug of war where the strongest wins!
If the fish gets into its lair you loose! If you can get it far enough away before the fight gets serious you stand a 50/50 chance of winning.
It not finesse fishing, its a 1 on 1 slug fest pure and simple, treat it as a back-ally punch up and you will enjoy it.
Congers dont suffer from coming up from depth so they fight the same on the surface as on the bottom eg; backwards, forwards and spinning all with the same brute force.
If boated hook lengths are cut and the fish dropped into a deep box to die.
If released they are spun off with a tapered pole or unhooker but this means hetting the fishes head clear of the water and many deckies are not strong/skilled enough.
If you want one to eat take a 25-30lb fish, top, tail, gut and section at sea and carry in a big poly bag.

Congers are fished at anchor and the best places will be across the stern.
If your on the side start your drop down as far towards the bow as possible.
Try and avoid tangles and change sides if you have a tangler near you (more fishing time is lost through tangles than anything else.

Gear;
A sharp fixed blade knife with a quality stiff blade.
50-80lb mono/100+ braid.
Short 2-3" booms,
Leads, 1.25 - 2.5lb depending in depth and tide, better to go heavy as too light and your in the wreck and loose everything on your first drop.
150-200lb swivels, good ones not chinese rubbish.
100-150lb mono 15" hook lengths, tied with 4-5 turn Uni knots with a 1" tag left on the hook end.
10/0 O'Shaughnessy hooks Bronze Mustads are best as they rust out of lost or cut-off fish.
50-80lb class rod, rollers are better than rings, 6-7ft max.
4/0 - 6/0 sized reel, Penn Senators are the best.
AND A ROD BELT! a damn good one. Dont be tempted to use a tennis ball or nothing unless you dont want to walk the next day (or worse).

Lastly our spring sea is cold 13-15C max. so dont wear shorts and tees or you'll freeze if there is a breeze, go with five layers and a big box to store the layers if it warms up and take plenty of food and drinks (and a sea sickness tablet if your not sure).
Wear wellies and ensure they are scrubbed clean before stepping aboard or you will upset the skipper and/or be made to clean the deck.

Its a brilliant summer sport, you'll love it if you like a scrap.


PS google the boat and skipper and see what his catches are like. Fishing out of Brighton is a great, a good marina but parking is astronomical £28/day in the multi.

[Kev Berry]

I was a mad conger fisher in the 70's and 80's, Conger Club member, medal holder and comp fisher, the whole works.

Conger live on wrecks, bits off wrecks and reefs, and its rare to catch really big fish when your amongst the smaller stuff.
My 'crew' took 2tons fishing a double tide off Beachy Head and 9tons off Dartmouth over 5days and on both we never took a fish over 80lb.
Best conger I ever saw was the joint record 120 caught on Electric Blue off Plymouth, it was 7ft long and built like it had been on steriods (I will post a pic when I find it).

Congers are fished with mackerel flappers, head left intact the tail and spine removed, single hook through the head.
They bite by trying to draw the bait back into their lair, with a series of short tugs, when the feel safe they swallow and draw harder.
To connect you wind down hard and strike several times and keep winding until everything goes tight, then its a tug of war where the strongest wins!
If the fish gets into its lair you loose! If you can get it far enough away before the fight gets serious you stand a 50/50 chance of winning.
It not finesse fishing, its a 1 on 1 slug fest pure and simple, treat it as a back-ally punch up and you will enjoy it.
Congers dont suffer from coming up from depth so they fight the same on the surface as on the bottom eg; backwards, forwards and spinning all with the same brute force.
If boated hook lengths are cut and the fish dropped into a deep box to die.
If released they are spun off with a tapered pole or unhooker but this means hetting the fishes head clear of the water and many deckies are not strong/skilled enough.
If you want one to eat take a 25-30lb fish, top, tail, gut and section at sea and carry in a big poly bag.

Congers are fished at anchor and the best places will be across the stern.
If your on the side start your drop down as far towards the bow as possible.
Try and avoid tangles and change sides if you have a tangler near you (more fishing time is lost through tangles than anything else.

Gear;
A sharp fixed blade knife with a quality stiff blade.
50-80lb mono/100+ braid.
Short 2-3" booms,
Leads, 1.25 - 2.5lb depending in depth and tide, better to go heavy as too light and your in the wreck and loose everything on your first drop.
150-200lb swivels, good ones not chinese rubbish.
100-150lb mono 15" hook lengths, tied with 4-5 turn Uni knots with a 1" tag left on the hook end.
10/0 O'Shaughnessy hooks Bronze Mustads are best as they rust out of lost or cut-off fish.
50-80lb class rod, rollers are better than rings, 6-7ft max.
4/0 - 6/0 sized reel, Penn Senators are the best.
AND A ROD BELT! a damn good one. Dont be tempted to use a tennis ball or nothing unless you dont want to walk the next day (or worse).

Lastly our spring sea is cold 13-15C max. so dont wear shorts and tees or you'll freeze if there is a breeze, go with five layers and a big box to store the layers if it warms up and take plenty of food and drinks (and a sea sickness tablet if your not sure).
Wear wellies and ensure they are scrubbed clean before stepping aboard or you will upset the skipper and/or be made to clean the deck.

Its a brilliant summer sport, you'll love it if you like a scrap.


PS google the boat and skipper and see what his catches are like. Fishing out of Brighton is a great, a good marina but parking is astronomical £28/day in the multi.

agree with all of that Mike, except the reel, 6/0's are strong reels and were the mainstay of wrecking for many years--but by gum they a bit heavy
shimano TLD25--- lovely reel more than capable of sorting conger and they weigh less than half what 6/0's do
a shoulder harness is also a good thing to have if you out for a full day congering---neap tides are the best ones to go after them.
We used to fish out of Brixham, skipper had the record conger at one time---he devised a conger rig made from a wire coat hanger. Straighten it out, bend it to make a boom at right angles and twist a ring in the bend, twist another ring on the short end to tie the line to,on the long end make a loop in the wire, put a 10/0 hook on and twist the wire. Tie a lead to the loop in the bend with 30lb mono, stick a flapper on the hook and off you go. Absolute crudeness but it worked very well and it never tangled going down.

when you catch them chuck em back---the preparation of them isn't easy ---and the snot and belly cavity fat is yucky and sticks like s**t to a blanket---- they sometimes always have a nasty temper on them when you fetch them out the fish box (cos they harder to kill than Dracula ) if you get bit with one its gonna hurt like hell and its easier to peel a pit bull off ya leg/foot than a conger.

have fun

[Catfish Paul]

Thanks guys for the advice
Great advice and very comprehensive

I will use the skippers kit first, as it's part of the voucher

Really looking forward to it

I will let you know how I get on

[spincityfan]

Only caught them once, I used the skippers tackle.

We used whole squid on a pennel rig.

Only tip I can give you is get ready to hang on to that rod!

[Mike J]

I was a mad conger fisher in the 70's and 80's, Conger Club member, medal holder and comp fisher, the whole works.

Conger live on wrecks, bits off wrecks and reefs, and its rare to catch really big fish when your amongst the smaller stuff.
My 'crew' took 2tons fishing a double tide off Beachy Head and 9tons off Dartmouth over 5days and on both we never took a fish over 80lb.
Best conger I ever saw was the joint record 120 caught on Electric Blue off Plymouth, it was 7ft long and built like it had been on steriods (I will post a pic when I find it).

Congers are fished with mackerel flappers, head left intact the tail and spine removed, single hook through the head.
They bite by trying to draw the bait back into their lair, with a series of short tugs, when the feel safe they swallow and draw harder.
To connect you wind down hard and strike several times and keep winding until everything goes tight, then its a tug of war where the strongest wins!
If the fish gets into its lair you loose! If you can get it far enough away before the fight gets serious you stand a 50/50 chance of winning.
It not finesse fishing, its a 1 on 1 slug fest pure and simple, treat it as a back-ally punch up and you will enjoy it.
Congers dont suffer from coming up from depth so they fight the same on the surface as on the bottom eg; backwards, forwards and spinning all with the same brute force.
If boated hook lengths are cut and the fish dropped into a deep box to die.
If released they are spun off with a tapered pole or unhooker but this means hetting the fishes head clear of the water and many deckies are not strong/skilled enough.
If you want one to eat take a 25-30lb fish, top, tail, gut and section at sea and carry in a big poly bag.

Congers are fished at anchor and the best places will be across the stern.
If your on the side start your drop down as far towards the bow as possible.
Try and avoid tangles and change sides if you have a tangler near you (more fishing time is lost through tangles than anything else.

Gear;
A sharp fixed blade knife with a quality stiff blade.
50-80lb mono/100+ braid.
Short 2-3" booms,
Leads, 1.25 - 2.5lb depending in depth and tide, better to go heavy as too light and your in the wreck and loose everything on your first drop.
150-200lb swivels, good ones not chinese rubbish.
100-150lb mono 15" hook lengths, tied with 4-5 turn Uni knots with a 1" tag left on the hook end.
10/0 O'Shaughnessy hooks Bronze Mustads are best as they rust out of lost or cut-off fish.
50-80lb class rod, rollers are better than rings, 6-7ft max.
4/0 - 6/0 sized reel, Penn Senators are the best.
AND A ROD BELT! a damn good one. Dont be tempted to use a tennis ball or nothing unless you dont want to walk the next day (or worse).

Lastly our spring sea is cold 13-15C max. so dont wear shorts and tees or you'll freeze if there is a breeze, go with five layers and a big box to store the layers if it warms up and take plenty of food and drinks (and a sea sickness tablet if your not sure).
Wear wellies and ensure they are scrubbed clean before stepping aboard or you will upset the skipper and/or be made to clean the deck.

Its a brilliant summer sport, you'll love it if you like a scrap.


PS google the boat and skipper and see what his catches are like. Fishing out of Brighton is a great, a good marina but parking is astronomical £28/day in the multi.

agree with all of that Mike, except the reel, 6/0's are strong reels and were the mainstay of wrecking for many years--but by gum they a bit heavy
shimano TLD25--- lovely reel more than capable of sorting conger and they weigh less than half what 6/0's do
a shoulder harness is also a good thing to have if you out for a full day congering---neap tides are the best ones to go after them.
We used to fish out of Brixham, skipper had the record conger at one time---he devised a conger rig made from a wire coat hanger. Straighten it out, bend it to make a boom at right angles and twist a ring in the bend, twist another ring on the short end to tie the line to,on the long end make a loop in the wire, put a 10/0 hook on and twist the wire. Tie a lead to the loop in the bend with 30lb mono, stick a flapper on the hook and off you go. Absolute crudeness but it worked very well and it never tangled going down.

when you catch them chuck em back---the preparation of them isn't easy ---and the snot and belly cavity fat is yucky and sticks like s**t to a blanket---- they sometimes always have a nasty temper on them when you fetch them out the fish box (cos they harder to kill than Dracula ) if you get bit with one its gonna hurt like hell and its easier to peel a pit bull off ya leg/foot than a conger.

have fun

Oh they were good times, eh Kev?
The 25s weren't around when I started and a got my 4/0 from Johnson's tackle shop somewhere in London because I wanted a lefthooker, but almost everyone else used the 6s. I started with a Playfair rotary gimbal belt, then a Braid when they first came out, Ive never used a shoulder harness for anything but have used a kidney protector.

That skipper who had the record (think his name was Evans) was using two mackerel and double hooks on his coathanger rig, he had let his crew clear out the straps and only dropped down at the very end (crafy bu99er) he had the fish on a wreck my crew had fished a few weeks previously out of Dartmouth with Lloyd Saunders. We were out with him and a fish grabbed the toe of his welly, strewth we had to go easy getting it off (if it had started spinning it could have dislocated his ankle, knee or whatever).
We had a newb out with us one day and he had a silver medal fish and wanted to take it home, when he came to load his car he didnt have a sack and before we could help he just dropped just dropped it off a gaff into his boot for the drive back to London his Mrs made him sell the car and wouldn't let him come again.

Our memories from those trips would make a damn good book.

[Kev Berry]

I was a mad conger fisher in the 70's and 80's, Conger Club member, medal holder and comp fisher, the whole works.

Conger live on wrecks, bits off wrecks and reefs, and its rare to catch really big fish when your amongst the smaller stuff.
My 'crew' took 2tons fishing a double tide off Beachy Head and 9tons off Dartmouth over 5days and on both we never took a fish over 80lb.
Best conger I ever saw was the joint record 120 caught on Electric Blue off Plymouth, it was 7ft long and built like it had been on steriods (I will post a pic when I find it).

Congers are fished with mackerel flappers, head left intact the tail and spine removed, single hook through the head.
They bite by trying to draw the bait back into their lair, with a series of short tugs, when the feel safe they swallow and draw harder.
To connect you wind down hard and strike several times and keep winding until everything goes tight, then its a tug of war where the strongest wins!
If the fish gets into its lair you loose! If you can get it far enough away before the fight gets serious you stand a 50/50 chance of winning.
It not finesse fishing, its a 1 on 1 slug fest pure and simple, treat it as a back-ally punch up and you will enjoy it.
Congers dont suffer from coming up from depth so they fight the same on the surface as on the bottom eg; backwards, forwards and spinning all with the same brute force.
If boated hook lengths are cut and the fish dropped into a deep box to die.
If released they are spun off with a tapered pole or unhooker but this means hetting the fishes head clear of the water and many deckies are not strong/skilled enough.
If you want one to eat take a 25-30lb fish, top, tail, gut and section at sea and carry in a big poly bag.

Congers are fished at anchor and the best places will be across the stern.
If your on the side start your drop down as far towards the bow as possible.
Try and avoid tangles and change sides if you have a tangler near you (more fishing time is lost through tangles than anything else.

Gear;
A sharp fixed blade knife with a quality stiff blade.
50-80lb mono/100+ braid.
Short 2-3" booms,
Leads, 1.25 - 2.5lb depending in depth and tide, better to go heavy as too light and your in the wreck and loose everything on your first drop.
150-200lb swivels, good ones not chinese rubbish.
100-150lb mono 15" hook lengths, tied with 4-5 turn Uni knots with a 1" tag left on the hook end.
10/0 O'Shaughnessy hooks Bronze Mustads are best as they rust out of lost or cut-off fish.
50-80lb class rod, rollers are better than rings, 6-7ft max.
4/0 - 6/0 sized reel, Penn Senators are the best.
AND A ROD BELT! a damn good one. Dont be tempted to use a tennis ball or nothing unless you dont want to walk the next day (or worse).

Lastly our spring sea is cold 13-15C max. so dont wear shorts and tees or you'll freeze if there is a breeze, go with five layers and a big box to store the layers if it warms up and take plenty of food and drinks (and a sea sickness tablet if your not sure).
Wear wellies and ensure they are scrubbed clean before stepping aboard or you will upset the skipper and/or be made to clean the deck.

Its a brilliant summer sport, you'll love it if you like a scrap.


PS google the boat and skipper and see what his catches are like. Fishing out of Brighton is a great, a good marina but parking is astronomical £28/day in the multi.

agree with all of that Mike, except the reel, 6/0's are strong reels and were the mainstay of wrecking for many years--but by gum they a bit heavy
shimano TLD25--- lovely reel more than capable of sorting conger and they weigh less than half what 6/0's do
a shoulder harness is also a good thing to have if you out for a full day congering---neap tides are the best ones to go after them.
We used to fish out of Brixham, skipper had the record conger at one time---he devised a conger rig made from a wire coat hanger. Straighten it out, bend it to make a boom at right angles and twist a ring in the bend, twist another ring on the short end to tie the line to,on the long end make a loop in the wire, put a 10/0 hook on and twist the wire. Tie a lead to the loop in the bend with 30lb mono, stick a flapper on the hook and off you go. Absolute crudeness but it worked very well and it never tangled going down.

when you catch them chuck em back---the preparation of them isn't easy ---and the snot and belly cavity fat is yucky and sticks like s**t to a blanket---- they sometimes always have a nasty temper on them when you fetch them out the fish box (cos they harder to kill than Dracula ) if you get bit with one its gonna hurt like hell and its easier to peel a pit bull off ya leg/foot than a conger.

have fun

Oh they were good times, eh Kev?
The 25s weren't around when I started and a got my 4/0 from Johnson's tackle shop somewhere in London because I wanted a lefthooker, but almost everyone else used the 6s. I started with a Playfair rotary gimbal belt, then a Braid when they first came out, Ive never used a shoulder harness for anything but have used a kidney protector.

That skipper who had the record (think his name was Evans) was using two mackerel and double hooks on his coathanger rig, he had let his crew clear out the straps and only dropped down at the very end (crafy bu99er) he had the fish on a wreck my crew had fished a few weeks previously out of Dartmouth with Lloyd Saunders. We were out with him and a fish grabbed the toe of his welly, strewth we had to go easy getting it off (if it had started spinning it could have dislocated his ankle, knee or whatever).
We had a newb out with us one day and he had a silver medal fish and wanted to take it home, when he came to load his car he didnt have a sack and before we could help he just dropped just dropped it off a gaff into his boot for the drive back to London his Mrs made him sell the car and wouldn't let him come again.

Our memories from those trips would make a damn good book.

there were always a lot of laughs when congering Mike--especially when the fish box got filled and they were dumped on the deck and everyone was doing the conga shuffle to keep them away from your feet (that means shoving them away from your feet down to your mates feet next to you ).
One of the lads in our club was very slightly Downes, he would always get sea sick and have a lie down.
We all wore yellow NCB waterproofs in those fays, He was a right fat t**t and short in the leg so his were cut down a bit. Anyway we were filling the deck with ling and a few conger --and Muppet was fast asleep on the deck (that was his nickname). One small conger slivered up his voluminous trouser leg---he did a fantastic horizontal lift off from the deck screeching like a banshee.

[Mike J]

Those were the days my friends, we wished they'd never end.

+80lb Conger - 230 eel catch off mid-channel wreck.

+80lb Conger Eel. SBW. jpg.jpg

British Record 112.5lb Conger Eel (equalled existing record)
Caught by D Mash 1992

112.5Lb British Record Conger Eel. Plymouth.jpg

[Happy Hayes]

Nice fish Mike
Are the big ones released
Regards
Tom

Judging by the photos I’d say the answer is no

[Kev Berry]

Nice fish Mike
Are the big ones released
Regards
Tom

Judging by the photos I’d say the answer is no

the frenchies love them---mind them feckers would eat a grilled turd

[Duncan Holmes]

Those were the days my friends, we wished they'd never end.

+80lb Conger - 230 eel catch off mid-channel wreck.
+80lb Conger Eel. SBW. jpg.jpg



British Record 112.5lb Conger Eel equalled existing record.
112.5Lb British Record Conger Eel. Plymouth.jpg

"we wished they'd never end"

230 eels dead on one trip..... No wonder it ended.

Thankfully we live in wiser times now.

[Happy Hayes]

Nice fish Mike
Are the big ones released
Regards
Tom

Judging by the photos I’d say the answer is no

the frenchies love them---mind them feckers would eat a grilled turd

[Happy Hayes]

Those were the days my friends, we wished they'd never end.

+80lb Conger - 230 eel catch off mid-channel wreck.
+80lb Conger Eel. SBW. jpg.jpg



British Record 112.5lb Conger Eel equalled existing record.
112.5Lb British Record Conger Eel. Plymouth.jpg

"we wished they'd never end"

230 eels dead on one trip..... No wonder it ended.

Thankfully we live in wiser times now.

Amen to that
Regards
Tom

[D10bore]

Mate of mine years ago ,was diving on a sunken World War Two ammo ship ,off Anglesey,he lifted a steel plate looking for brass shells,as he lifted the plate a huge conger eels head was under it,he dropped it fast,he said it was massive and was the biggest he’d ever seen,mike

[Kev Berry]

Mate of mine years ago ,was diving on a sunken World War Two ammo ship ,off Anglesey,he lifted a steel plate looking for brass shells,as he lifted the plate a huge conger eels head was under it,he dropped it fast,he said it was massive and was the biggest he’d ever seen,mike

there was a small wreck just off Mevagissey that the divers used to play on. They all said there was an enormous conger trapped inside that couldn't get out because of its size. The wreck got smashed open in a storm but no one ever caught or saw the giant conger. (probably a divers tall story to scare the newbie divers )

[Alex Fox]

Those were the days my friends, we wished they'd never end.

+80lb Conger - 230 eel catch off mid-channel wreck.
+80lb Conger Eel. SBW. jpg.jpg



British Record 112.5lb Conger Eel equalled existing record.
112.5Lb British Record Conger Eel. Plymouth.jpg

"we wished they'd never end"

230 eels dead on one trip..... No wonder it ended.

Thankfully we live in wiser times now.

They were awful times really ... to kill all those eels , thank goodness times have changed and virtually all are returned now

[Mike J]

Yes it was spectacular fishing those wrecks, drifting for cod, coalfish and pollack and anchoring for the conger and ling.
Those who lived through it will never forget the boats and their skippers, the comaraderie, the early starts and huge quayside breakfasts followed by the long runs out to the wrecks and back again with all the hurly burly of wrecking jammed into 3-4hrs between.

My first rod took so much punishment it developed a set similar to old cane rods, I replaced it with a Howald that was unsurpassed but the grip still retains my finger imprints sustained while battling the heavyweights.

Yes we did think it would never end, they certainly outlasted the majority of the wrecking crews, our skippers or their boats thats for sure.


The moving finger writes and having writ, moves on.


.

[Catfish Paul]

Reading all these replies and responses, has got me itching to go.

Conger fever,!!

Is there a particular month or conditions that I should be aiming for, to help improve my chances?

The gift voucher I have is for 12 months

[Mike J]

Reading all these replies and responses, has got me itching to go.

Conger fever,!!

Is there a particular month or conditions that I should be aiming for, to help improve my chances?

The gift voucher I have is for 12 months

Summer, June until September.
Id advise early-mid June as there might be a chance of a cod or two.
The routine is to stop enroute to catch the bait - 8 anglers will need to catch 150 mackerel in sort order, then its a run to the wrecks (loads in that area) and steam around to find one that isn't netted (strung with gill nets).
When you've found one the skipper will check the drift then steam uptide and drop the hook (anchor), and drift back to settle just uptide of the wreck - during this process you attach your lead (go heavy at first) and get the hook baited (small mackie at first), when the boat settles and the skipper knows the anchor is well set (holding firm) you will get the call to drop down, if you've got a stern place you go first, if on the rail wait a until until the stern guys are halfway down.
Dropping down involves feathering the (free) spool with your thumb so the decent is controlled, if you free fall baitand lead will spin and tangle and you will need to reel in and sort it - before you start all over again! Remember your only fishing when your bait is on the bottom!
When you touch down let out an extra yard, engage the reel and let everything settle, then disengage the reel and lift the lead, let it swing in the tide of 3-5secs and let it drop back to the bottom (walking the bait downtide to the edge of the wreck).
Bites;
Hold the rod horizontal, free spool, finger on the spool, feel for a knock, snatch or best of all a slow tuggy pull, give a lttle line, if the bite develops give a lttle more line, wait, engage the reel and point the rod down the line, when it tightens up lift into the fish and strike hard a couple of times then wind as hard as you can! To be successful you MUST get the fish above the wreck, it wont swim there on its own, its up to you haul it up!
If its a good fish the rod will buckle right over and nothing will seem to happen, but keep winding until everything goes solid or the clutch slips.
When fishing BIG sea fish your either winning or loosing, there isn't any time when its a draw, when the lines leaving the reel your loosing and with a Conger that means its backing into the wreck and you will soon be kissing goodbye to your end tackle.

Set the reel drag by attaching the line to a ground weight, rod at 45degrees, wind the line tight and and bend the rod into its full fighting curve, then adjust the drag until it only just gives line. Repeat a couple of times and your done.
Remember never lift the rod above 45degrees, any higher and the rod looses power.
With the rod in a fighting belt (at wedding tackle level) and your rod arm straight, back straight, bend your knees slightly, recover line by rocking forward, apply pressure on the fish by leaning back, repeat until the fish is boatside, then back-off the drag and step back to allow the deckhand to deal with the fish.

BE ADVISED - at all times you are responsible for your swinging lead, clout the deckie at your peril, clip the boat and you can expect a mouthful from the skipper, damage the boat and it will cost you!!!

Prepping a bait - Always use the bait board provided - bait on its side, insert knife right thru behind the head, slice backwards following the bone, turn and repeat, cut spine behind to remove (tail and spine).

Small fish will come first, the more fish caught the better the fishing - fish sh1t when fighting, more fish = more ground-bait and less competition = big fish caught near the end.

One thing is certain, if you get into a decent conger you will reconsider the fighting qualities of cats.



PM me if you want to loan you a rod, reel and belt.

[Kev Berry]

We used to ground bait them away from the wreck at slack tide.
Pass a lead through the bottom of a carrier bag then tie it round the bottom. Half full the carrier with choppy mackerel. Heads backbones the lot. Put reel in free spool and have someone lower the carrier bag over and let go. Dont stop it or slow it till it hits bottom. Water pressure will keep the bag closed on the way down. Hit bottom then jig rod up and down to invert the carrier and spill the bait. It dont half get em worked up and you dont lose no gear.

[Mike J]

We used to ground bait them away from the wreck at slack tide.
Pass a lead through the bottom of a carrier bag then tie it round the bottom. Half full the carrier with choppy mackerel. Heads backbones the lot. Put reel in free spool and have someone lower the carrier bag over and let go. Dont stop it or slow it till it hits bottom. Water pressure will keep the bag closed on the way down. Hit bottom then jig rod up and down to invert the carrier and spill the bait. It dont half get em worked up and you dont lose no gear.

Kev,
I first saw that method used in an artisan handline fishery in the mid '80's but I never thought of using it while wrecking.
At that time our skipper was a plank and any alternative ideas would have been similar to telling Geordie he'd missed the wreck

For those outside wrecking circles Geordie refers to G Dixon, an ex-gunnery instructor and Skipper of Artilleryman the UKs top wrecking boat for over a decade. He dealt with tangled leaders by snapping the 80lb mono in his hands and whoa betide anyone who questioned his decisions, but if you accepted his rather brusque manner you were guaranteed a boatload.
.

[Kev Berry]

We used to ground bait them away from the wreck at slack tide.
Pass a lead through the bottom of a carrier bag then tie it round the bottom. Half full the carrier with choppy mackerel. Heads backbones the lot. Put reel in free spool and have someone lower the carrier bag over and let go. Dont stop it or slow it till it hits bottom. Water pressure will keep the bag closed on the way down. Hit bottom then jig rod up and down to invert the carrier and spill the bait. It dont half get em worked up and you dont lose no gear.

Kev,
I first saw that method used in an artisan handline fishery in the mid '80's but I never thought of using it while wrecking.
At that time our skipper was a plank and any alternative ideas would have been similar to telling Geordie he'd missed the wreck

For those outside wrecking circles Geordie refers to G Dixon, an ex-gunnery instructor and Skipper of Artilleryman the UKs top wrecking boat for over a decade. He dealt with tangled leaders by snapping the 80lb mono in his hands and whoa betide anyone who questioned his decisions, but if you accepted his rather brusque manner you were guaranteed a boatload.
.

He was nowt but a crook Mike. Sank Artilliary Man one and 2 for the insurance. Almost sank no 3 when we were 65 miles out. Finally got his collar felt after being caught with a load of illegals in the fish hold on his way back from Guernsey (via france)
Good skipper mind....and we had a few good days out with him. Didn't like the last boat he had it was a b*****d when it was rough bouncing from corner to corner (catamaran)

[pikerholic2]

Done twenty years on channel wrecks , a good ugly stick 30 and a pen 4/0 the red one high speed ,40 lb mono , main line , 250 - 350 lb mono biting trace

[Emma Hamilton]

I was a mad conger fisher in the 70's and 80's, Conger Club member, medal holder and comp fisher, the whole works.

Conger live on wrecks, bits off wrecks and reefs, and its rare to catch really big fish when your amongst the smaller stuff.
My 'crew' took 2tons fishing a double tide off Beachy Head and 9tons off Dartmouth over 5days and on both we never took a fish over 80lb.
Best conger I ever saw was the joint record 120 caught on Electric Blue off Plymouth, it was 7ft long and built like it had been on steriods (I will post a pic when I find it).

Congers are fished with mackerel flappers, head left intact the tail and spine removed, single hook through the head.
They bite by trying to draw the bait back into their lair, with a series of short tugs, when the feel safe they swallow and draw harder.
To connect you wind down hard and strike several times and keep winding until everything goes tight, then its a tug of war where the strongest wins!
If the fish gets into its lair you loose! If you can get it far enough away before the fight gets serious you stand a 50/50 chance of winning.
It not finesse fishing, its a 1 on 1 slug fest pure and simple, treat it as a back-ally punch up and you will enjoy it.
Congers dont suffer from coming up from depth so they fight the same on the surface as on the bottom eg; backwards, forwards and spinning all with the same brute force.
If boated hook lengths are cut and the fish dropped into a deep box to die.
If released they are spun off with a tapered pole or unhooker but this means hetting the fishes head clear of the water and many deckies are not strong/skilled enough.
If you want one to eat take a 25-30lb fish, top, tail, gut and section at sea and carry in a big poly bag.

Congers are fished at anchor and the best places will be across the stern.
If your on the side start your drop down as far towards the bow as possible.
Try and avoid tangles and change sides if you have a tangler near you (more fishing time is lost through tangles than anything else.

Gear;
A sharp fixed blade knife with a quality stiff blade.
50-80lb mono/100+ braid.
Short 2-3" booms,
Leads, 1.25 - 2.5lb depending in depth and tide, better to go heavy as too light and your in the wreck and loose everything on your first drop.
150-200lb swivels, good ones not chinese rubbish.
100-150lb mono 15" hook lengths, tied with 4-5 turn Uni knots with a 1" tag left on the hook end.
10/0 O'Shaughnessy hooks Bronze Mustads are best as they rust out of lost or cut-off fish.
50-80lb class rod, rollers are better than rings, 6-7ft max.
4/0 - 6/0 sized reel, Penn Senators are the best.
AND A ROD BELT! a damn good one. Dont be tempted to use a tennis ball or nothing unless you dont want to walk the next day (or worse).

Lastly our spring sea is cold 13-15C max. so dont wear shorts and tees or you'll freeze if there is a breeze, go with five layers and a big box to store the layers if it warms up and take plenty of food and drinks (and a sea sickness tablet if your not sure).
Wear wellies and ensure they are scrubbed clean before stepping aboard or you will upset the skipper and/or be made to clean the deck.

Its a brilliant summer sport, you'll love it if you like a scrap.


PS google the boat and skipper and see what his catches are like. Fishing out of Brighton is a great, a good marina but parking is astronomical £28/day in the multi.

Great info.

rob

[Catfish Paul]

Thanks Mike again for such a comprehensive and informative advice

And thankyou for your kind offer of borrowing a rod, much appreciated. On.my first trip, I will use the skippers gear .
I would be mortified if I damaged your kit

I will target early June for my first trip

Definitely update you all on the trip
So looking forward to it

I

[piker al]

Some great posts in this thread, good luck Paul I’ve always fancied a day after the conger, u will have to put up a report

[Antony]

This has been a brilliant read lads,I never fished off Geordies boat but used to go out on Anglo Dawn with Ted Cooke,had some great trips and got some good memories to look back on.
If you’re only going conger fishing the once mate it might be better if you use the slippers tackle,otherwise it will end up costing you a lot of money for the one trip.Looking foreword to seeing how you get on mate.