Not so 'orrible eel??? - Budleigh 10/10/10

[BaggieRich]

In my family, Sunday afternoons are normally all about a (not so) swift pint at lunch time, followed by a roast dinner at the in-laws and a quick snooze on the sofa trying to avoid the inevitable arguments and rampaiging kids that family days like this so often bring. This Sunday however, was different. You see, the majority of my family has managed to contract a really quite nasty cold this week, so the Sunday afternoon just gone was erriely quiet. No pub, no roast, no screaming kids and the Brother-in-law and myself found our selves on full domestic duties.

Afternoon turned to evening and by 20:30 everyone in my house was in bed I found myself at a loose end. What to do then? A quick text to the BIL confirmed he was in the same situation and we'd decided to have a token fish before catching up on that missed pint. I had a few lug to use up and half a pack of squid, so ten mins later and we found ourselves on the beach looking into the face of a large swell and strong easterly. It clearly wasn't going to take long before we were in the pub.

Actually, we managed to stick it out for an hour and a half and in that time caught 2 doggies, 3 pout and this eel, for which I'm going to ask the forum for an ID.

Big silver or small conger, you decide.


Whole squid bait.

I had it on a 3/0 pulley with whole squid and it weighed just under a pound, but I've got to be honest and say, I don't really know, so I've done some digging (Everyday's a school day eh? ).

The UK Aquarium Project has this to say about common eels.

Originally Posted by UK Aquarium Project Website

(Common eels are) Similar to the Conger Eel but they can be told apart by two methods; Congers have under slung mouths, and a dorsal fin which starts just behind the head and in front of the pectoral fins, whereas Common Eels have protruding lower jaws and a dorsal fin that starts well behind the pectoral fins.

Well, the fish I had certainly didn't have a protruding lower jaw, and I'm not convinced about the dorsal fin bit. Most of the conger photo's I've seen this evening have the dorsal starting way behind the pectoral fins, but not quite as far as in the common eel. So who knows???

I reckon small conger, but either way, it's a PB common eel or another point and a half for the hunt, so help please forumites, what do you reckon???

We did make the pub in the end and damned good time was had too. If only I hadn't dropped one of my rods and broke the tip ring it would've been a near perfect evening! Ah well.

[scottish_and_mental]

easy one mate.. thats a strap .. theres no continuous fin on the back of a snotty

[cuckoo]

Nice one rich and deffo a strap

[pingu]

well done partner thats a strap

hope that was the 6 and baits not the tt lds you did a ring


dave

[scottish_and_mental]

its amazing how all your fish seem to have a packet of fags on them

[BaggieRich]

Thanks guys, I was leaning towards conger, but Budleigh is clean as a whistle and I've never heard of one from here before. Plenty of 'orrible eels though.

Originally Posted by pingu

well done partner thats a strap

hope that was the 6 and baits not the tt lds you did a ring


dave

Yeah 6&baits Dave. After Saturday night's swell I knew I wasn't gonna get away with the LD's. Funny though, it was the same rod I smashed up on Budleigh not long after I got them. I've got one rod with all the original rings and one that's had them all replaced! Ah well, back down Rob's today then!

Oh and Steve, we have a better class of fish down here mate. Our fish come out pre-smoked!

[scottish_and_mental]

no extra points for catching a smoked eel mate