Lets all do the conger.............Report

[Scotty T]

edit note: the displayed pics are smaller versions but you can see the larger ones by clicking on 'original' just above each picture. Newt

 

We arrived at Poole Quay at 7.30am for our pick up. Our skipper was Trevor Small who owns Sheila Ann, a 38ft Bullet, Trevor is an excellant skipper, knows his onions and a nicer bloke you will not meet. We steamed out to a wreck 11miles from Poole which is known to hold eels as Trevor put some divers down on her 2 weeks ago. Things didn't go exactly to plan as we really struggled to get enough mackeral, I was surprised how scarce they were with just one or two coming up every 5 or so minutes.

 

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We arrived at the wreck with the tide still flooding, quite hard as well considering we were fishing neaps. The fishing was quite hard for the first hour, with the only fish being a pollock caught on mackeral feathers and a tope caught on mackeral fillet.

 

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Once the tide slacked off the there was alot more activity, the fish were being to bite!!! I was fishing a flapper when my rodtip had a series of knocks, picked up the rod and the fish was on, once out of the wreck the fish came up quite easily but had a burst of life midwater, once she was in view I was very pleased with what a saw, a conger coming to the side of the boat, not massive by any means but my first ever one!!! Trevor gaffed her in the bottom jaw and in she came, Trevor estimated 30-40lb we didn't weigh her but I would appreciate your guesstimations (bigger the better). Photos taken we slipped her back and down she went. I caught the eel using an Abu pacific rod (6'9'') and my Abu 7000 loaded with 40lb mono, she took to the job very well my main concern was if it could hold enough line, I got about 170mtrs on the spool the wreck we fished was in 40mtrs of water, any deeper and I would have struggled.

 

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As you can see from the pictures the conditions were superb, and as I booked the trip several months back it made it all the sweeter.

Another hour goes by when I get the mother of all bites on my Abu, totally differenty bite from last time so I hit into the fish and off it went, Trevor was stood behind me and said straight away TOPE, and looks like a good fish, this thing had troughed a whole flapper!!! What followed was the highlight so far of my short 15 years of sea angling, i'd gain line and again the fish would run, the clutch on my 7000 was working hard. Then the blurry image appeared about 5 mtrs down, she wasn't huge but it was a lovly fish, Trevor got the net and was about to net her when she got her headdown once more, I frantically eased of the clutch and she took more line, now I was **** myself, I'd seen the hook in the corner of its mouth and it didn't look to secure, up she came again and this time Trevor got the net under her and she was in the boat, WOHOOOOO!!! The hook came out a piece of cake, quick photo and back she went, excellant. Again she wasn't weighed so guesstimations gents???

 

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Wer also had Pout, doggies and a nice Thornback of about 10lb. All in all a cracking day and roll on next time.

 

Cheers all amd may your lines be tight ones. Appologies for the photo sizes, but it took me ages to attach them in the first place.

 

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edit note: shrunk the pictures and inserted links to the originals.

 

You can pretty easily make the pics smaller before posting them. Any decent picture editor will do the job. I like Irfanview for this sort of editing - free, quick, easy, effective.

 

Not only here but any internet place will usually do better with a picture that fits the screen so 800x600 is about the largest you want to use. I made these 640x480 because folks aren't just seeing the picture but some of the writing and other stuff around them. The originals are untouched.

 

Newt

[Grant]

Looks like a cracking day out. Not too sure that the symbol you have at the start of the post is entirely the right one, but welcome aboard all the same.

 

No ideas on weights, but happy to throw random numbers if it helps with other halves etc.

[gonefishing]

just out of interest...why was it gaffed? wasnt there a net on board?

[Alan Taylor]

Scotty, nice report and pics, thanks for making the effort

I see that Newt is resizing it for you, that should make it more enjoyable

 

Not being funny here but if you need any help with makiing pics a decent size (some folk are on dial up)just ask.

 

Thanks again and nice one Newt.

 

Alan

[Newt]

Scotty - welcome to the forum and nice couple of first posts.

 

gonefishing - just out of interest ... why was it gaffed? wasnt there a net on board? sounds like one of those "Have you stopped beating your wife and kids yet?", sort of questions. Why not give him a few days on the forum before you start beating him up?

[Yakity - Yak - u.k.]

Hi Scotty,

 

What a great day!! you all had some nice fish.

Oh.....re the Conger wieght.... 28lb

Thanks for shareing the day and pics.

 

Cheers.

 

Yakity

[Alan Taylor]

Thanks Newt and thanks to Scotty (again) and I agree 28 to 30lbs of conger that I would not try to net, dirty, slimy, spinning, stinking, net biting things. Never seen a Conger netted yet, thats what the Gaff is for.

 

Alan

[gonefishing]

sorry all, didn't mean to start a ruckus...i was just curious...when i meant wasnt there a net on board i meant one big enough...

 

fwiw i've seen 50lb+ conger happily netted and wieghed...it didnt seem to be a problem even on a small boat and to date i've never seen one gaffed (but then i've only been boat fishing for 2 years on a handful of boats)

 

Anyway nice fish

 

[ 06. September 2004, 10:46 PM: Message edited by: gonefishing ]

[Scotty T]

Many thanks for all your comments. I'm not sure why the fish wasn't netted, different skippers have different preferences I suppose, I can assure everyone the eel was none the worst for her experience with trevors gaff! All other fish were of coarse netted.

Cheers again and thanks for making me feel so welcome.