congering, well neary!

Friday evening and with light winds and calm seas it was time to try for a conger. Dean and I climbed down the cliffs at the back of the Island and were set up by 8pm. Slosh30's with 100lb braid as its very snaggy, rotten bottom rigs and 100lb wire trace, twinned with large Sakuma circle hooks. Bait was large mackerel, whole Squid or cuttle.
Things were quiet, though the pout were stripping the squid quickly.
Just gone 10.30pm I finally started to get a good run, it looked a typical conger bite, Picked the rod up and it stopped, then slack lined me. I engaged the clutch and tightened the line and it slack lined me again, so I struck. Felt a good weight, but didn't feel like an eel, or a Bass so wasn't sure what was attached, then out of the surf came a big Ray, of all things caught on A head and guts of a mackerel.

It was my 2nd Undulate of the year and a new Pb of 15lb 3oz.



Things went quiet after that with only the odd pout rattle, so about 1am I changed a rig and put a scratching rig on and strips of squid and within 5 minutes had landed 3 Pout, enough for bait. Changed the rig back to the conger rig with a big pout head on.
Within 10 minutes of casting this out I had another run and after striking the fish shot off down tide, was certain this was a good Bass, but out of the surf came another Ray, this time a painted (small eyed). Weighed it went 5lb 7oz.



Again things went quiet so we decided to call it a night at 3am. With 15 minutes to go Dean finally had a good run and was into a good fish, it was taking line and was putting up a hell of a fight, finally it surfaced 5 feet out and was a big eel proberly around 25lb+, but the surf had got up and we just couldn't get it in the last few feet and then it was gone.
We were gutted but at least we know the eels are there and we'll be back soon. We stayed to 5am in the end but no more bites.