TomBettle Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) One of the best day's fishing I've had in a very long time. My fishing pass for this weekend was initially revoked in lieue of "family time", but after whimpering like a baby and promising to wash up for the next 6 months a last minute invite from the Chapman boys to join them and Paul Dore for a day offshore on their stunning Procharter 30, "Alfresco", saw me at Parkstone Yacht Club at 06:00 the following morning. Alfresco was lovingly built by the Chapman family a couple of years ago. Looking every bit the charter boat, but fitted out and shining like a gin palace she is any boaters dream to spend a day on. And at about 06:10 I was aboard her and a short while after we cruising across beautiful seas at a very smooth 20 knots. Charlie Chapman smiling like a Cheshire Cat at the helm of Alfresco This was the second day of the Poole Bay 48 hour competition. The day before had seen the guys offshore trying for a big eel and whilst they had a few, none would see them in the prizes. Today was to be a repeat of the first in terms of the plan, but the action was to prove interesting to say the least. Out of nowhere we were enveloped by a bank of thick fog, which eerily stayed with us until late morning, but with radar on and a sharp lookout we arrived at our mid channel wreck in a little over an hour and with a handful of mackerel quickly feathered up the big Conger baits were soon down near the tangled metal, enticing the snakes from their lares. Within just a few minutes we all began to get bites and moments later the first of a succession of medium sized eels were being T barred off at the side of the boat. Paul Dore into a good eel in thick fog Paul hooked into a slightly better fish... Being a specimen comp, this one was worth putting on the scales. She ran to a fair 37lb, but fell short of the 100% Wessex regional specimen weight of 40lb. Back she went and we carried on with plenty more in the 20lb to 35lb bracket when suddenly I hooked something that pulled a little harder. On the surface she was clearly a slightly better stamp of fish and so she was slipped into the net, unhooked and then carefully weighed showing her at 43lb. Yes! About 108% specimen size! Could be a prize winning fish. Back she went, soaking me with a big slap of the tail as she headed back down into the depths. Soon the tide began to slacken and as it did the Conger bites slowed down, but steam trains arrived instead. Steam trains in the form of torpedo like Tope. Hitting the baits at a hundred miles an hour you needed to hold on tight. Charlie into a nice Tope And the end result These weren't huge fish by Tope standards, but they were good fish around the 30lb mark. Tope don't do as they are told and started to lead us round the boat, knitting each others lines as they went. Awesome fun for half an hour. Smile!!!! Soon the tide died away to nothing and so we hauled the anchor and motored to the other side. Charlie knows his stuff and carefully dropped the hook precisley in line for the start of the tide, but with it a knowing and slightly dissapointing comment that this wreck doesn't fish well on the flood. ...BANG! Eel on! and another and another. So much for the not fishing on the flood theory. Meanwhile I'd decided to try some baited feathers. A couple of big google eyed Pout came up which Dan eagerly started dispatching for bait. I remarked I'd never been successful with Pout for Conger. Dan hacked off the head and stuck it on a hook. Charlie commented that the "chunk" across the middle was also rather good. I eyed it with a little suspicion and as we were still low on bait I carried on feathering. A sharp rattle signified another dinner enquiry and after reeling the 180 feet back up the most beautifully coloured Cuckoo Wrasse was swung over the gunnels. On the scales it was exactly 1lb 4oz. Exactly 100% specimen sized. Sadly it had blown it's stomach out of it's gills and was not going back, but it certainly was to make an interesting bait. __________________ Edited June 15, 2009 by TomBettle Quote
TomBettle Posted June 15, 2009 Author Report Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) Part 2 The tide was rattling through now. Eels of around 30lb were really hard work and 1.5lb of lead was needed against the 30lb braid and 20/30 rods we were using. Bait was low and so with an air of doubt I cut a 3 inch wide steak of Pout and hooked it were the dorsal was. It was only minutes before I got that first, pussey cat, tug on the rod. Big eels are always gentle when they first bite. Soon the bite became a little more positive and then the rod started to heel over as the big girl below decided it was done eating out. Lifting into the fish nothing felt too unusual to start with, but soon she was using the tide to her advantage. After about ten minutes I could just see a long, snaking shape, some fifeteen yards behind the boat and about five yards down. A startled sea gull took flight, screaching at the beast that was slipping around his feet and with that the snake sounded. This was no ordinary run. A 40lb eel may dive ten yards or even 15, but this girl went from the surface, all 180 feet to the bottom. How do I know?.... I felt the lead hit the bottom when it reached it! Another five minutes and she was back on the surface. Bleeding hell, she was a very good fish! She dived one more time, but this time she got about halfway down. Rolling by the portside of the boat, Dan went to slip the net over her, but she literally barked and dived another time. She went deep, but after this run her fight was all but gone and she was soon in the net. Fatter than a man's thigh About seven feet long and fatter than a man's thigh she was a monster in the net.... "63lb" I shouted "Better not be", Charlie replied. At this juncture I should point out that Charlie has held the Poole Bay Conger record since 2000 with a nice eel of 61lb! "You'll be walking back if she is". At 60lb the scales didn't stop, they bounced from 70lb and then settled back at 66lb where they held steady. 66lb Of Poole Bay Conger record! Was I walking home? A very firm hand shake from both the Chapman's showed that Charlie was honourable at losing the record and Dan was a gent at not being the one to claim it. Gent for now, anyway.... I didn't rub it in at all. As many of you will know, I am quiet and understated and never open my mouth out of turn. "Wouldn't it be funny if we got another bigger one and broke it twice in one day". "Don't be stupid, that record has stood for 9 years and we ahve tried to break it almost every week since then". By now the tide was absolutely hacking through and so we lifted the hook and went to a secret Cod mark for a few drifts. It was still foggy, but we could hear the odd rumble of engines in whiteout nearby. As our drift started we quickly started hooking a couple here and a couple there and about 20 minutes in, the fog lifted. 20 minutes! 20 bloody boats. So much for the mark being a secret. From centre console Boston Whalers to charter boats crammed to the gunnels, there were boats everywhere. We fished the secret mark for about an hour through the peak run and managed quite a few fish with one or two returned. Best went 12lb with the average being the typical Summer fish of 6lb we have seen a lot of. All to soon the tide slackened to below 2.5 knots and it was time to go and set the hook on another nearby wreck. A quick drift over the top for "bait" saw a flurry of Summer Pollack to about 8lb coming on Mackerel feathers and then we set the hook and dropped down. Charlie was full of stories of how the biggest Conger he'd seen caught had come from this wreck and he was full of hope that he or Dan could reclaim the title. I leant into a gentle bite and the unseen beast below commenced those thrashing head shakes so familiar with an angree strap. A couple of reasonable runs and I was guessing this girl was around the 30lb mark, but she came to the surface easily and thrashed like a "little'un" all the way up. Wallowing on the surface I realised I'd badly misjudged. "Get the net Dan,this ones a good 55" As I pulled her the last ten feet towards the port quarter she realised something big was amiss and banged her tail hard on the surface. Down she went, down, down, down. The run was absolutely unstoppable, but very slow. Quite literally she ran very slowly, vertically down for about three minutes. It was, genuinely enough time for Dan to set the hook on, reel in and T bar off a 15lb fish from start to finish. After this long run, she came to the surface, pretty easily. Dived one more time, before she was well netted by Charlie. She was long, very long. Maybe not as thick as the last big fish, but she was big. How big? In disbelief, Dan and Charlie held the fish up on the scales and read off. "You've only gone and done it" "Bloody hell, 67lb!" I was more or less done in by this point. It was all I could do to heave her back over the side after a brief photo call. Rather pleased with myself, I sat back and enjoyed watching the other guys catch a few fish. As the tide slackened, the Tope came on again and then one final species to add to our tally of ten for the day, Dan hooked in to something. Maybe not big by Huss standards, but lovely to round things off and clearly he was happy with his catch. A beautiful little Bull Huss. Pretty as a picture Ten species: Poor Cod Pout Mackerel Cuckoo Wrasse Red Gurnard Bull Huss Pollack Cod Tope Conger 4 Fish of 100% or more of the Wessex specimen size Cuckoo Wrasse (specimen 1lb 4oz) 1lb 4oz Conger (specimen 40lb) 43lb Conger (specimen 40lb) 66lb Conger (specimen 40lb) 67lb I'll leave others to discuss appropriate attire for Conger fishing and why tailored shorts and flip flops are not a good idea.... Aching all over Tom Edited June 15, 2009 by TomBettle Quote
Gnasher Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 wow! i love stories like that! It looks like you all had an awsome time, and well done Tom on a brace of dream fish! Well i wish i was out there, steering now sorted on mine so with tales like these, i just have to get out and wet a line soon. Well done all. Dan Quote
Newboy Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Well done and congrat Tom, a (2) wonderful fish and beautiful day fishing. Quote
alun j. Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Well done to all on Alfresco...... time and hard work paying off !! Congrats Tom !! Super fish, well angled............a plan that came together !! That'll keep you talking for quite a while ?? !! Alun. Quote
Paul J Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Well Done Tom and team Alfreco, great report and stunning photo's PJ Quote
great white Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Great report Tom Been to tired to do one yet. 4 very good fish and a bloody good day. Dan and I now have a reason to try harder. Still not sure about the footwear, but you moved quick when they got near to the tope or eels Well done on the New Club record, thats the second time we have broken one twice in a day, last year it was turbot. Charlie Quote
TomBettle Posted June 15, 2009 Author Report Posted June 15, 2009 Great report Tom Been to tired to do one yet. 4 very good fish and a bloody good day. Dan and I now have a reason to try harder. Still not sure about the footwear, but you moved quick when they got near to the tope or eels Well done on the New Club record, thats the second time we have broken one twice in a day, last year it was turbot. Charlie Charlie I shall leave you, Dan or Paul to discuss the merits of heavy boots when Congering. How to cuddle a really pissed off Conger? How to dance "the Conger"? You may want to upload the video too.... on the camera, it looked hilarious. The footage of Paul would be good too! Tom Quote
djredrupp Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 wow! What can i say! Looks like you had an amazing day!!! Im not sure if im more jealous of the Cod, Conger or Pollack! well done guys! Dan (and Nice flipflops Tom ) Quote
Ferret Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 well done tom two great eels, congrats on the new eel record. hope u thanked the skipper for letting u catch some of his pets well done to all on alfresco bill Quote
TomBettle Posted June 15, 2009 Author Report Posted June 15, 2009 well done tom two great eels, congrats on the new eel record. hope u thanked the skipper for letting u catch some of his pets well done to all on alfresco bill What can I say apart from the most enormous thank you to Charlie and Dan! To gents, two very good anglers (who I am proud to have beaten! ) and two great friends. I was sorry (for about 2 seconds) that I beat Charlie's record of so long. I was sorry (for about half a second) that I then did again. Laughs aside, I genuinely hope that Dan goes out there and beats it himself, very soon. Thanks guys, and thanks Paul for the great company and your own rather good "funny" moments too. The lessons in tackle maintenance were appreciated and the memories will stay with me for some time. I've never heard an Abu ratchet sound quite like that..... It's not the ratchet!? Tom Quote
niggle Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 What an absolute cracker of a day lads well done to all,very envious Tom cheers Nigel Quote
lady jane Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 congratulations on some amazing fishing. all the best, andy Quote
Jim Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Well done on a great report Tom. It made fantastic reading. Jim Quote
Oli Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Haha brilliant report - made me chuckle! Great pics Quote
Rob Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Well done guys! We'll never shut him up now! Rob Quote
gaffa Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Congrats Tom Some great fish, a great report and pics and as you say it'll give Dan (The Eel King)the incentive (if ever he needed it)to get back out there and catch even bigger . Reckon you're going to be seeing a lot of that wreck Charlie Peteg Quote
TomBettle Posted June 16, 2009 Author Report Posted June 16, 2009 Well done guys! We'll never shut him up now! Rob What on earth do you mean Rob? If you want, I can bring my photo's in at the next club meeting. If I get Charlie to bring in the video too, perhaps I could talk you through every last second of the fight? No? Quote
Neal Posted June 17, 2009 Report Posted June 17, 2009 and all this from someone who declares not to be competitive! not to bother weighing fish - just guess them at the side of the boat! and can't usually be bothered with the club competitions! however, just the merest whiff of a cash prize................................. Tom, now we know your true colours!!!! Could be an expensive round at the next meeting. oh and congratulations on a couple of cracking fish. Neal Quote
duncan Posted June 17, 2009 Report Posted June 17, 2009 I struggle with all this fuss over what are really just a couple of meadiocre eels in the wider scheme of things Quote
great white Posted June 17, 2009 Report Posted June 17, 2009 I struggle with all this fuss over what are really just a couple of meadiocre eels in the wider scheme of things I have heard that said many times by a few Members, and no doubt its a friendly tongue in cheek comment. But I put the record list together a few years ago, using information from the catch recording book that was started when the Club was first formed in I believe 1992. and those two meadiocre eels are the two best in all that time. Tom caught them on balanced kit using a lot of angling skill and competitive or not has IMHO earned the right to talk about it. Charlie Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.