Featured image source:Ishiguro fishing report
Characteristics and ecology of conger eel
Conger eel is a saltwater fish that belongs to the order Anniformes and the family Congeridae, and when it comes to fishing for conger eel, one generally targets conger eel. Conger eels have elongated eel-like bodies and large mouths lined with sharp teeth. They are nocturnal, hiding in the sand during the day, but at night they swim around in search of food.
It is also a voracious carnivorous fish, preying on a variety of animals such as small fish, crustaceans, polychaetes, squids and octopuses. Conger eel inhabit the coasts of various parts of Japan south of southern Hokkaido, so you can enjoy conger eel fishing almost all over Japan.
/Conger fishing season/time zone
Conger eel is a fish that can be caught all year round, but the best time to catch it is during the high water temperature period from June to October. Conger eels are nocturnal, so it is most efficient to catch them at night, but when the water is cloudy, it is possible to catch them during the day as well.
We highly recommend fishing for conger eel on a midsummer night while enjoying the cool atmosphere.
Points of conger fishing
Conger eels tend to live in inner bays, and they tend to be easier to catch inside ports than in the open sea where tetrapods are lined up. The best spots in the fishing port are where the bottom is sandy, but places where there are rubble stones beneath your feet are also good spots.
One of the charms of conger fishing is that you don't need to cast long distances, and you can easily catch fish with just a few casts. In addition, the area where industrial heated wastewater flows is a strong point, so there are many fish in areas such as Tokyo Bay and Osaka Bay, which are lined with industrial areas.
/How to catch conger eel and what to do with it
When fishing for conger eel, it is best to aim for fishing methods that allow you to catch the bottom firmly, such as casting or hook fishing.
throwing fishing
Although it is not necessary to cast long distances for conger eel fishing, cast fishing is also effective as it allows you to search a wide area. A rod around 3m with a load of size 10 to 20 is suitable.
A reel of about 3000 grit and capable of winding about 150m of No. 3 nylon is sufficient. A good tackle is a single balance or jet balance with a commercially available conger fishing tackle tied to it.
Shimano Holiday Short Spin (Drawing)
Goture spinning reel 3000
Duel carbon nylon line CN500 No. 3
Fuji Kogyo Jet Balance 2JO No. 15
Takamiya SmileShip Short Throw
bukkomi fishing
The easiest way to fish for conger eel is by using a bukkake. You can use the same tackle as for cast fishing, but it is easier to use a simple device with a weight passed through a Harris. Let's take out multiple rods and attack various points.
When conger eel fishing, stingrays are often caught on the outer roads, so we recommend making the rod drag-free or tying it with a string to prevent it from being carried away.
Daiichi Seiko Rubber tubed Buccomi Omori
Kawasemi needle U-1 eel/conger eel device No. 13-4
offshore fishing
Conger eels can be caught in deep bays such as Tokyo Bay, even if you go offshore to some extent. The rod is about 1.5m long, which is easy to handle, and the reel is a small double-axis reel with around No. 1 PE line and Fluoro No. 5 as the tip thread. The device uses a bukkake and a hollow weight that is passed through a Harris. Our strength is that we can take advantage of the ship's maneuverability to explore points efficiently.
Alpha Tackle PF Conger 120
Denemonmaru Katen SP 81RH
Shimano PE Line Power Pro Z 200m 1.0
Yamato Yotegus Fluoro Shock Leader 20m No. 5
Gamakatsu eel/conger eel device luminous specification
Conger fishing bait
source:Fishing gear tips blog
For conger eel fishing, fillets of fish and squid bought at the supermarket are sufficient. In particular, mackerel and saury that have a strong odor are highly effective at attracting fish. It is recommended because it holds food well. When using fillets as bait, thread the needle through the skin and sew.
You can also catch conger eel, which is an all-purpose bait for casting and head fishing, but fillets are the best choice if you're targeting conger eel, as they're also more likely to catch conger eel.
3 tips for conger fishing
I would like to introduce three things you should be careful about when fishing for conger eel.
Arriving early is prohibited!
Even when a conger eel finds food, it does not bite it right away, but has a tendency to nibble at the food several times. Therefore, when fishing for conger eel, it is better not to hit the bait right away, but when the conger has the bait firmly in its mouth and the rod tip is pulled in tightly.
Conger eels have a hard time biting into the bait, and sometimes the bite continues for more than a minute after the first bite. It is important to wait patiently and not rush.
Make effective use of Chemilite!
Since conger eel fishing is mainly done at night, it is naturally pitch black under the sea. Even though the food has a smell, it would be quite inefficient to search for food without relying on sight in the vast ocean.
Therefore, attaching a Chemilite to the device to appeal to the conger eels will make it easier for them to notice the presence of the bait. Also, by attaching the Chemilite to the tip of the rod, you can easily see the conger eel's hit even in the dark.
Lumica Chemihotaru 75
A twist on Harris!
When hooked, the conger eel will twist violently in an attempt to remove the hook, making it easy for the bait to become tangled. If you have to fix a tangled device every time you catch a fish, you will end up having to deal with the problem, and if you mess up, you may have to reassemble the device. These problems can be alleviated by shortening the wire or passing a vinyl pipe through. It can be stressful to get tangled up every time, so we recommend these tips to make fishing more comfortable.
Morigen Vinyl Pipe Luminous Green
Catch a conger eel and eat it deliciously!
One of the charms of conger fishing is its delicious taste. Like eel, the moderately fatty yet smooth white meat is effective against summer fatigue, and is very delicious when grilled.
With the price of eel soaring these days, there is no reason not to eat conger eel, which is easy to procure yourself and tastes great. Let's catch some conger eel, eat it, and survive the hot summer!
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