big fish

[mr motorola]

Just a very short question and slightly off topic but i'm a little naive.

Why do you catch and release conger , is it because they are endangered or simply too big and dangerous to lift over the guard rail? I really don't have a clue but i have heard some of the older end in our club say that conger is lovely to eat so i would guess that it would be catch and keep , so to speak or is there something else?

 

Right , back on track and sorry for the brief intervention.

 

Carl

[Sharkbyte]

Jesus wept!

 

With our fishing 'apparently' decimated, whether North, South ,East, or West, shouldn't we be arguing over who catches the smallest and the least?

 

The fishing if phooked, and the charter industry only operates at weekends, can't you get it through your thick heads!

 

Edited July 14, 2010 by Sharkbyte

[barry luxton]

Just a very short question and slightly off topic but i'm a little naive.

Why do you catch and release conger , is it because they are endangered or simply too big and dangerous to lift over the guard rail? I really don't have a clue but i have heard some of the older end in our club say that conger is lovely to eat so i would guess that it would be catch and keep , so to speak or is there something else?

 

Your not naive, just that you have never been given the chance. Conger are very good at making fishcakes for example, chuck in a few herbs, sorted, but as far as i'm concerned there is only soooo many you can eat at anyone time. Yummy grub. So yes i would take a strap home now and again. If it's fish steaks that you want the middle cut is the best, less boney. Errrrrrrrrrrr no conger are certainly not dangerous, especially if it's got a 10/0 stuck in it's gob, ling have just as sharp teeth. It's better for the eel, knowing it's gonna be released to 't' bar it before you bring it aboard causing injury to it, just a way of offering up some conservation. Let defra and the a t know as they might suggest a bag limit. It's the sport of fishing for them thats the fun, think about half a dozen coming up at any one time, the skipper has got his hands full, just releasing them at the rail, let alone assisting some poor knackered angler or six to drag it aboard for a foto, with 2lb weights flying around, preservation of the knackered skipper is what the 't' bar is about.

 

 

 

regards sad barry

[wildcard]

Hi Barry. I showed an 'experienced boat angler' how to correctly use a T bar recently. Later he belied his fresh water origins by asking where the 'disgorger' was

 

Sad Alan

[barry luxton]

Hi Barry. I showed an 'experienced boat angler' how to correctly use a T bar recently. Later he belied his fresh water origins by asking where the 'disgorger' was

 

Sad Alan

 

Yes i have heard that one aboard a few times.

 

See an 'experianced' angler use a 't' bar on a pennel rig, to try and get a dog fish off his hook, tis true. He ended up with a 10/0 right through his thumb, the skippers rusty pliers wasn't enough to get it out, so we had to curtail our trip, and go back to port, skipper lost his wages that day, we lost our fishing, just because the man was a plonker.

 

Just knew he was experianced as he had loads of fishy bages sewn on his camo hat and jacket.

 

really sad that day.

Edited July 14, 2010 by barry luxton

[mr motorola]

Your not naive, just that you have never been given the chance. Conger are very good at making fishcakes for example, chuck in a few herbs, sorted, but as far as i'm concerned there is only soooo many you can eat at anyone time. Yummy grub. So yes i would take a strap home now and again. If it's fish steaks that you want the middle cut is the best, less boney. Errrrrrrrrrrr no conger are certainly not dangerous, especially if it's got a 10/0 stuck in it's gob, ling have just as sharp teeth. It's better for the eel, knowing it's gonna be released to 't' bar it before you bring it aboard causing injury to it, just a way of offering up some conservation. Let defra and the a t know as they might suggest a bag limit. It's the sport of fishing for them thats the fun, think about half a dozen coming up at any one time, the skipper has got his hands full, just releasing them at the rail, let alone assisting some poor knackered angler or six to drag it aboard for a foto, with 2lb weights flying around, preservation of the knackered skipper is what the 't' bar is about.

 

 

 

regards sad barry

 

Cheers for that insight Barry , it has shed some light on the fish and fishing of them for me.

 

Carl

[Bob Shotter]

One little suggestion from a numpty but if you are going Conger fishing treat you’re self to some of the round hooks 8/0 or larger. With them you will get a better catch rate and almost always lip hook the fish which makes release that much easier and it’s less damaging to the fish. Also if the fish has swallowed the bait the fight will normally allow the bait to be pulled back out and catch the lip as apposed to an open hook digging into the throat causing an untimely end to the fish you think has dived back safely. I also always de barb the hooks with pliers before use again causing even less damage to the fish when released.

West Cornwall Conger Casserole

2lb Conger eel filets

Fresh Chopped Parsley

1 Small Onion (finely chopped)

A pint of milk

2lb of Potatoes (pealed and sliced)

1 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice

A pint of Fish stock

Salt and Pepper

 

Remove the ell skin wash and dry then cut into finger size strips. Place in to a casserole dish along with the chopped onion then cover with the potato slices, add salt and pepper and sprinkle a tablespoon full of the chopped parsley over the top. Add the milk , lemon juice and fish stock.

Bring to the boil and simmer for twenty minutes making sure the eel is tender and that the potato is cooked

Serve with a garnish of the remaining chopped parsley

[Norm B]

Yes i have heard that one aboard a few times.

 

See an 'experianced' angler use a 't' bar on a pennel rig, to try and get a dog fish off his hook, tis true. He ended up with a 10/0 right through his thumb, the skippers rusty pliers wasn't enough to get it out, so we had to curtail our trip, and go back to port, skipper lost his wages that day, we lost our fishing, just because the man was a plonker.

 

Just knew he was experianced as he had loads of fishy bages sewn on his camo hat and jacket.

 

really sad that day.

I got a 6/0 in my finger once, right to the bone, cut the eye off, taped the shank to my finger, carried on fishing and had the hook removed in hospiial 8 hours later, the alternative was a 14 stone skipper kneeling on my chest with a pair of rusty pliers, not even offered a tot of rum.

[wildcard]

I got a 6/0 in my finger once, right to the bone, cut the eye off, taped the shank to my finger, carried on fishing and had the hook removed in hospiial 8 hours later, the alternative was a 14 stone skipper kneeling on my chest with a pair of rusty pliers, not even offered a tot of rum.

 

Guess who's finger this is:

 

 

Alan

[Bob Shotter]

I got a 6/0 in my finger once, right to the bone, cut the eye off, taped the shank to my finger, carried on fishing and had the hook removed in hospiial 8 hours later, the alternative was a 14 stone skipper kneeling on my chest with a pair of rusty pliers, not even offered a tot of rum.

 

Bet that hurt Norm yet another good reason to use circle hooks me thinks.

 

By the way many thanks for sorting the picture out Barry old mate, nice one.

You’ll be pleased to know that my mates have just got back from Whitby. They had loads of Cod all fewer than ten, but they did stay close to shore.

Julian reckons that so few boats up there have an anchor, so he is not surprised if some don’t know how to use them and he aggress that there must be Congers as the wrecks further out were producing better size Cod Ling and Pollack.

He also said do you fancy a run up next year to have a crack at there festival and we go spend a day checking out the Congers. Need a good skipper though, one what can anchor up?