Blue Anchor Friday the 13th !!

Lazarus · #1 10-13-2006, 03:06 PM

Arternoon All. I've just got back from a short session a couple of hours each side of high tide. I fished my usual spot at the top of the steps about half way along the front. There were three other anglers about 40 yards to my left.

An uneventful first couple of hours saw a small Whiting fall to Mackerel bait on a standard two hook rig. I was fishing a 3/0 pennel on a pully rig on the other rod.

Shortly after the tide turned I decided to try a home made feeder between the pulley rig and the weight. The feeder consists of a 35mm film cannister with a small hole drilled in the centre of the removable lid and the base. The body of the cannister is full of 6mm holes. I've mounted the feeder on about 8 inches of 60lb line with beads and swivels. It sits "in line" if you know what I mean. I filled the feeder with chopped mackerel and baited up with a sizeable fillet on the pennel.

Probably less than 10 minutes after casting my new contraption into the sea the rod top nodded a couple of times. I wound down to it and all that happened was that the rod continued to bend. I was about to slacken off and start pulling for a break when the rod bounced and for the first time ever something snatched a few feet of braid off the clutch. I've never experienced that before in the sea! It wasn't a run, more of a short snatch.

After a few minutes of tug and war and a couple more line snatches the biggest conger's head I've ever seen was glaring at me from between the posts in the sea about 20 yards out. Fortunately my sphincter went into spasm rather than the alternative! At this point I should explain I've not seen many conger's heads.

There was no chance of my lifting it out so I had to try and get it to the foot of the steps. Sod's law naturally dictated that it was on the left hand rod and the steps were to my right. I fed the rod under my other rod knocking it over in the process. In the meantime the conger had somehow swum backwards between the post and back out to sea.

By now the other anglers had arrived to see what all the fuss was about.

More tugging and and use of the waves eventually had the damn thing at my feet. I'm not sure who was more afraid the conger or me. I think it was me because the damn thing started coming out of the surf towards me! It must have been really cross!

One of the other anglers held the leader and I used some long nose pliers to get the hook out. it was on the bottom hook only.

I coaxed it back into the sea eventually but I'm certain it would have been happier taking one of my fingers or toes with it!

The more experience anglers who witnessed the sorry spectacle estimated it to be "well into double figures". For my part it might just as well have been 50lb, it couldn't have terrified me more.

I packed that rod up after that and gave the feeder to the chap that helped me. Unlike me he seemed to think that catching something that wanted to bite back would be fun.

Well my biggest ever sea fish amidst fear and trembling. I think I'll stick to size 2's and worms in future.

Hope you all have a good weekend. I'm going for a lie down now.

Rich

fishypaul · #2 10-13-2006, 03:30 PM

very well done rich,shame you didn't get a pic or two.

Charter Skipper · #3 10-13-2006, 03:31 PM

Great read,most congers have a bad attitude!!!

baitmaster · #4 10-13-2006, 03:40 PM

great read lazarus i enjoyed that well done on your big eel

tightlines
kevin

tommy a · #5 10-13-2006, 03:56 PM

Hey mate what a great story - one of my favourites fishing for big conger - they give you a right good scrap and just so you know they can swim backwards just as powerfully as forwards !!

Bad attitude as Mike says - but bloody good fun !!