what traces for conger

[plugger]

hi chaps,

having been bitten off last couple trips was wondering if anyone could advise on best trace material for conger ie heavy mono or wire traces, any advice on latter how to make them with wire and crimps.

plugger



peter

[Charter Skipper]

50-60lb mono is ideal,never get any bite offs using it.The trace needs to be around 3 ft long with a good quality crane swivel on the end,and a good quality 6/0 hook (mustad Viking or o`shaugnessy),you can use an additional swivel in the middle of the trace if you like,this help when the conger starts spinning on the surface.Another good little trick is if the eel is on the surface and spining like mad,lower the rod tip and allow the eel to sink down,it will stop spinning !.....Good hunting

[plugger]

cheers mike,
good imfo and tip


plugger




peter

[Greenheart]

Originally Posted by Charter Skipper

50-60lb mono is ideal,never get any bite offs using it.The trace needs to be around 3 ft long with a good quality crane swivel on the end,and a good quality 6/0 hook (mustad Viking or o`shaugnessy),you can use an additional swivel in the middle of the trace if you like,this help when the conger starts spinning on the surface.Another good little trick is if the eel is on the surface and spining like mad,lower the rod tip and allow the eel to sink down,it will stop spinning !.....Good hunting

Good tip Mike, I always thought wire was a must. Will that rig work for Tope too?

[big guy]

there was a load of ready mades on ebay, going cheap. i think i paid 3.50 including postage for 5, bargain.

[Charter Skipper]

Originally Posted by Greenheart

Good tip Mike, I always thought wire was a must. Will that rig work for Tope too?

You could use wire,to be honest the reef conger we get are in the 30lb -40 lb region ,so heavy mono is ideal and much easier to cast uptide with,far less tangles.

Tope need slightly heavier mono,say around 100lb,and the trace needs to be around 5 foot long,as they get a bit lively when they come to the surface.Its a good idea to have a strong leader too when targeting tope as they can roll over the line on the surface,and if you are on lightish line its goodnight !,tope have really abrasive skin.......

A trader called Pendine Dave sells pre made Tope traces on E Bay,thay are good quality with Mustad hooks,have seen some of the cheap one`s off E bay and you can straighten the hooks (8/0) with your hands........

[Charter Skipper]

Originally Posted by big guy

there was a load of ready mades on ebay, going cheap. i think i paid 3.50 including postage for 5, bargain.

Were they from Pendine Dave,he does some cracking pre made stuff.....

[John Marshall]

Originally Posted by Charter Skipper

50-60lb mono is ideal,never get any bite offs using it.The trace needs to be around 3 ft long with a good quality crane swivel on the end,and a good quality 6/0 hook (mustad Viking or o`shaugnessy),you can use an additional swivel in the middle of the trace if you like,this help when the conger starts spinning on the surface.Another good little trick is if the eel is on the surface and spining like mad,lower the rod tip and allow the eel to sink down,it will stop spinning !.....Good hunting

Good advice Mike,
here in Portsmouth we tend to use heavier mono 150 to 250lb, crimped on swivel and hook as you can connect with any between 10lb to 100lb when fishing for them off the IOW.

Anyone downtiding for conger try this, fresh macci cut straight across the body (kebab style) pushed over the hook and up the trace load the hook with
squid. Conger love macci but with squid find the hook quicker, so you get the best of both

[big guy]

Originally Posted by Charter Skipper

Were they from Pendine Dave,he does some cracking pre made stuff.....

i think they were, look bloody well made. i only brought them to have a go at a conger of the back of a friends boat in the harbour, so didn't want to spend too much.

[Dace]

The last couple of times I've popped out on the boats from Cardiff the skipper has recommended double knotting 40lb mono to help prevent bite offs.

Seems to work quite well (no bite-offs yet!), just a little more time-consuming to tie them.