big fish

[glennk]

It would suprise me if they were there in any great numbers. One lad who really knows his fishing is Rupert Drury who posts on our forum. The lad travels to the south coast for his conger fishing. Im pretty sure if he felt you could get conger here the he would be after them. Rupert researches his fishing thoroughly and is a very respected angler on our coastline (he was the first to specifically target porbeagles here and is currently on with trying to get a halibut by targeting them as opposedto getting one by accident). I arent saying I am right and I always love to be proved wrong in terms of whats available on the north east coast (Im on record saing there was no bass here, yet I now know its knee deep).

[wildcard]

I think conger eels are susceptible to temperature change Barry, they are not particularly hardy. The waters are warmer further South (than here) and also warmer in parts of Scotland (than here) where they are at a constant temperature fed by the Gulf stream.

 

Other things can affect temperatures. A big influx of rain water for example. The river Tyne North of us and the river Humber to the South contribute enormous amounts of water as well as the smaller rivers in between. It is the differing day to day temperatures conger eels dont like.

 

Alan

[barry luxton]

I think conger eels are susceptible to temperature change Barry, they are not particularly hardy. The waters are warmer further South (than here) and also warmer in parts of Scotland (than here) where they are at a constant temperature fed by the Gulf stream.

 

Other things can affect temperatures. A big influx of rain water for example. The river Tyne North of us and the river Humber to the South contribute enormous amounts of water as well as the smaller rivers in between. It is the differing day to day temperatures conger eels dont like.

 

Alan

 

I can catch them in january in shallow water after it's been snowing etc that happend last winter and the one previous? and i can catch them in the spring, summer and autumn, am i missing something? Can a river have a great influence on water that is say 50m deep and is the same colour year round?

 

Are you saying that you have such a differing range of tempreature, is that the reason you don't have conger? Again what about the deep water wrecks. Why do you have most of the other specis yet there is a vacume when it comes to the eel?

 

If as John has stated there was a lot of eel washed up one year, why hasn't there been any landings in recent years , they have had forty years to recover since, there isn't eel washed up after every winter spell has there. It don't make sence.

[big_cod]

I can catch them in january in shallow water after it's been snowing etc that happend last winter and the one previous? and i can catch them in the spring, summer and autumn, am i missing something? Can a river have a great influence on water that is say 50m deep and is the same colour year round?

 

If you get snow water down in winter it has a big affect in depths of 50mtrs ask any commercial fisherman who works crab potts it kills the crab and lobster fishing dead they they hole up and dont move what you dont understand is whitby has deep water very close in and has a ploom of cold water around this part of east coast compaired to other areas once you got more towards scotland on the east coast you start to get the gulf stream influnence this last winter was very cold and saw many thousands of rays bream washed up alive on our beaches this winter an unbelievable sight to see they accidently come into the north sea around the round the top of scotland on the gulf stream and when the water gets to cold they actually just commite scuicide and swim ashore the water here is to cold for conger to see in any numbers catching conger here its a bit like fishing for haddock out of lymington the lads who work potts say they get a very odd one now and again i had one uptiding 2 winters back i know one lad out of filey who anchors wrecks all the time and he hasnt had one conger he does well in murcky water for cod when drifting you cant take a fish its something i may do this winter for cod after a big blow when the water is coloured and like him i dought i would see a conger.

 

paul.

Edited July 9, 2010 by big_cod

[barry luxton]

Again, What about the summer and autumn fishing, if you say there is an influence during your very cold winters it doesn't carry on during the summer. As if you say the fish go to sleep if it's too cold and i can understand your crab and lobster argument, you can't tell me that there isn't an eel fishery in the summer because of that.

 

As for the fish suicide, get that on the south coast as well, it has been said that the trigger fish for example that move into the uk waters do not go back to warmer climbs, they prefer to up and die. That is why it has been said that they are only caught upto a certain size as they do not over winter, in particular if it is a very cold one. So a new lot move in in the spring. There is no reason to suggest conger do not do the same if you wish to use the winter cold argument.

 

This guy who anchors the wrecks all the time, why and what is he targetting. Any reports from him. For example there must be wreck turbot and brill in the scours?

Larger ling to be caught. As they do feed in all of the tide, hugging bottom, that is why we fish for them at anchor. There are rather large one's up your part of the north sea. So again there is no reason why the conger are not there.

 

Top end of the channel, very shallow water, often very coloured, no one fishies for conger, yet i know they are there in the summer and autumn. For example some one pulled up a 50lbder off the peir no less. Definatly better sport than a 10lb cod as far as i'm concerned.

 

Footnote, forgot, i fully understand that the deeper areas can the most productive, 4 mile off portland for example we can use upto 3 lb lead to fish 300' in tide, during the summer this spot is stuffed with conger, also holds big bream, tope, bull huss and porbeagle come to visit. Are you saying that you do not have any areas off your coast that are worth a try?

Edited July 9, 2010 by barry luxton

[wildcard]

I was talking to one of the old boys who remembers the congers being washed up in the 60's. He said the newspaper reports at the time stated it was the massive influx of very cold water in the rivers which killed the congers. Either melting snow or very cold rain (or both) poured millions of gallons of ice cold fresh water into the rivers Humber, Wear and Tyne and lesser tributaries in between.

 

As Paul said, this part of the world has deep water very close in and as the cold water sank it is the most likely thing that killed the congers.

 

Divers have told me conger eels exist on the wrecks, but they can't be relied upon as they are not anglers. They may mistake big ling for conger eels.

 

The jury is out whether they are there or not, but certainly no one is targetting them.

 

Alan

Edited July 9, 2010 by wildcard

[tommy123]

It’s quite simple Barry. Anchoring up on wrecks from Whitby has never been perfected. Why, well because there has never been a need for it.

I spoke to the late JB on fishing trips I had with him on this very subject. He said that there will be big ling and conger in the wrecks but Whitby skippers had certainly perfected fishing wrecks on the drift, but not at anchor. JB was (in my book) the most experienced charter boat skipper out of Whitby and one of the best small boat commercial fishermen. He Said to me that he had a lot to learn in regards to anchoring on wrecks and fishing them. So if he said the knowledge of that particular method of fishing wasn’t there (including himself) then I certainly took his word for it. Sadly JB never got the chance to perfect his hopes. Lets hope that some other charter skipper one day does.

[barry luxton]

I was talking to one of the old boys who remembers the congers being washed up in the 60's. He said the newspaper reports at the time stated it was the massive influx of very cold water in the rivers which killed the congers. Either melting snow or very cold rain (or both) poured millions of gallons of ice cold fresh water into the rivers Humber, Wear and Tyne and lesser tributaries in between.

 

As Paul said, this part of the world has deep water very close in and as the cold water sank it is the most likely thing that killed the congers.

 

Divers have told me conger eels exist on the wrecks, but they can't be relied upon as they are not anglers. They may mistake big ling for conger eels.

 

The jury is out whether they are there or not, but certainly no one if targetting them.

 

Alan

 

 

They have had forty years to recover, has there been any other winters where there has been mass washup's. Are you also talking about a local incident a long time ago or was this widespread over all the north sea. Even down south we have heard of conger being washed up, yet not for many years, It was when the local medway froze over, never happend since. So again what is so different with your area that you concider it more probable that they don't exist instead of giving it a go? Anyone tried off shore for them then. You lot don't half sound defeatist.

[wildcard]

They have had forty years to recover, has there been any other winters where there has been mass washup's. Are you also talking about a local incident a long time ago or was this widespread over all the north sea. Even down south we have heard of conger being washed up, yet not for many years, It was when the local medway froze over, never happend since. So again what is so different with your area that you concider it more probable that they don't exist instead of giving it a go? Anyone tried off shore for them then. You lot don't half sound defeatist.

 

In a nutshell, I wouldnt say the water is too cold for them here, I would say the water here is too changeable temperature wise for them to thrive, but they do exist.

 

Alan

Edited July 9, 2010 by wildcard

[barry luxton]

In a nutshell, I wouldnt say the water is too cold for them here, I would say the water here is too changeable temperature wise for them to thrive, but they do exist.

 

Alan

 

They must have thrived off your coast for many thousands to have been washed up during a cold spell that has not happend since, are you convinced that there has been no re-population then and or your climate has changed for the worse.