Andy135 Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 On Sunday, @Tarlach. and I headed west from Pompey Harbour to chase the mythical unicorns of the Solent. We'd heard and seen reports that they were present, and we wanted to try our luck. As we headed out of Pompey Harbour I caught Neil doing his best catalogue model pose... #dontgiveupthedayjob Before long we anchored up and had lines down. Then Neil's rod gave a good rattle... And the first of many congers graced our hooks. Then Neil has a good bite that puts a proper bend into his rod - all indications are that it's a cod, so he gets overexcited and bumps it off in his haste to see what it was... His face was a picture of broken dreams 😭. Of course I did what any good mate would do and took the mickey for the rest of the afternoon 🤣 The fishing was steady, with some plate-sized whiting coming to baited feathers and some decent sized conger tugging our strings. As a light fog descended the Calshot fog horn started up, which gets old pretty quickly when you're not that far away from it... 🙉 Final species tally of whiting, pout, conger and of course, my favourite, the dogfish! Sadly no cod, but then there's always next time! As we ran back to Portsmouth we were enveloped in much thicker fog. Most unsporting but luckily no drama 👍 jerry.shutter, Stuie, Steve S and 7 others 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 A good day out then Gents. Shame about that Cod though Neil. Andy135 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted November 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 3 minutes ago, Tiddler said: A good day out then Gents. Shame about that Cod though Neil. Don't encourage him. The fish wasn't seen, and we've only got his word that it "definitely feels like a cod". It was probably a goldfish... Jim and niggle 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 Great report guys. Does anyone know why we are graced with so many congers in this area? They are becoming a right nuisance and play havoc with the Whiting rigs !! I am still repairing rigs from last Wednesday’s trip out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarlach. Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 A good day out then Gents. Shame about that Cod though Neil. Thanks Jim. It was a shame and defo a big cod. We had had plenty of conger and this was a completely different bite. A big pull down, then slack line. As I reeled into it the line went heavy with a couple of shakes mixed in. Then , bugger, it’s gone. Andy has never caught a cod so just wouldn’t know how it feels. A great day out though with ok company. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Jim, niggle, iansimpson63 and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarlach. Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 Great report guys. Does anyone know why we are graced with so many congers in this area? They are becoming a right nuisance and play havoc with the Whiting rigs !! I am still repairing rigs from last Wednesday’s trip out. I’d guess that the lack of cod has left way for the conger to come in and clean up . There’s probably a more scientific reason, but I don’t know it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Greg and Jim 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted November 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 21 minutes ago, Tarlach. said: Andy has never caught a cod so just wouldn’t know how it feels. A great day out though with ok company. Jog on boy! 🤣 Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Martin Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 Great report (except for the model photos) thanks for posting Andy135 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted November 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 3 minutes ago, Maverick said: Great report (except for the model photos) thanks for posting Yeah, sorry about that. Desperate times and all that. Maverick Martin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted November 10, 2020 Report Share Posted November 10, 2020 Great reports Thanks Andy hard luck on whatever you lost neal Tarlach. and Andy135 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc lemoignan Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 Hi I my experience soon as you use any type of fish bait ie mackerel,pout,blueys you seem to encourage congers some smaller than the common eels?????? cuttle baits ditto we are catching small codling up to 6lbs mainly uptiding with squid with added black lug,another point we are using 1 lb uptide leads,all fish coming from an area West Lepe to Solent Bank buoys try to find depth of 45ft - 60ft good luck stay safe Malc Mike Fox, Tarlach., Maverick Martin and 5 others 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 Nice report and session - thanks for sharing.. Andy135 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted November 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 18 minutes ago, malc lemoignan said: Hi I my experience soon as you use any type of fish bait ie mackerel,pout,blueys you seem to encourage congers some smaller than the common eels?????? cuttle baits ditto we are catching small codling up to 6lbs mainly uptiding with squid with added black lug,another point we are using 1 lb uptide leads,all fish coming from an area West Lepe to Solent Bank buoys try to find depth of 45ft - 60ft good luck stay safe Malc Thanks Malc, we'll give that a try next time out. We were using squid and lug with a strip of bluey. Also mackerel, pout and live baited whiting (which took a conger instead of the cod it was intended for... 🙄). Conger do seem to be everywhere this season. Tarlach. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death Trap II Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 i went out on a charter in the bristol channel a few years ago. First fish up was a monster conger, the captain went "wow, they are really rare now, lets release it without landing in the boat to ensure it survives". Well that was the worst kiss of death i have ever heard because we ended up catching 20 more, and nothing for the table. Jim, Greg, boyscott and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 5 hours ago, Death Trap II said: i went out on a charter in the bristol channel a few years ago. First fish up was a monster conger, the captain went "wow, they are really rare now, lets release it without landing in the boat to ensure it survives". Well that was the worst kiss of death i have ever heard because we ended up catching 20 more, and nothing for the table. I come from Weston Super Mare on the Bristol Channel In the muddy waters up there congers were always a rare catch A friend landed a 50 lb fish that broke the channel record and made all of the papers , when 100lb fish were getting common in the Plymouth area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death Trap II Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 i was out from Ilfracombe. normally it is a battle to keep the dogfish of your line long enough to catch something else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 We eat the good stuff and put the Not so good stuff back to produce more " not so good stuff " So there's lots of baby " not so good stuff " for the good stuff to eat! Far to complicated for Me! I just feed them up for you lot to catch ! Tarlach., fisherman1055 and Colin-58 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarlach. Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 We eat the good stuff and put the Not so good stuff back to produce more " not so good stuff " So there's lots of baby " not so good stuff " for the good stuff to eat! Far to complicated for Me! I just feed them up for you lot to catch ! You are a generous chap indeed Jimand your efforts are noted and appreciated. Keep it up! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Jim and Colin-58 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin-58 Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 Stick to the science not the stories please guys, that was a conger you lost, Conger, Oversized, determined, we had some of them last wed, well alright C, O, D., For short, 😉 sparky, Jim and Andy135 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newboy Posted November 11, 2020 Report Share Posted November 11, 2020 5 hours ago, Tiddler said: We eat the good stuff and put the Not so good stuff back to produce more " not so good stuff " So there's lots of baby " not so good stuff " for the good stuff to eat! Far to complicated for Me! I just feed them up for you lot to catch ! Just eat more of the "not to good to eat" stuffs😁 Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted November 12, 2020 Report Share Posted November 12, 2020 Dogfish gujons - yummy Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted November 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2020 9 minutes ago, Stuie said: Dogfish gujons - yummy I tried them once but found them a bit gelatinous, a bit mushy. Is there a way to improve their texture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death Trap II Posted November 12, 2020 Report Share Posted November 12, 2020 i think dogs, huss and wrays are great eating. i just prefer it when someone else does the preparation! All members of the shark family need to sit for at least a couple of days in the fridge on a plate to let the ammonia drop out. you need to rinse it off periodically for the best results. (for flavour and texture) but dogs are better suited to deep frying. For such hardy little buggers, they do mush up if you mess with them while cooking. Colin-58, Andy135 and Jim 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted November 12, 2020 Report Share Posted November 12, 2020 I keep the gujons in the freezer before breadcrumbing or battering them.... Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newboy Posted November 12, 2020 Report Share Posted November 12, 2020 The go to recipe, chilli and salt. No matter how bland something is, it adds lots of favours to it. Just use small chunks, coat with flour and fried. Jim, Andy135, Death Trap II and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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