Conger Eel fishing in the Bristol Channel

Conger Eels are very common off the coast of South and West Wales. The Conger is a veracious eater, they feed on just about anything that moves on the sea bed, and they are renowned for their fighting power when hooked on rod and line. Beware the fearsome teeth and ferocious bite of the conger eel!

During the day congers hide in crevices, rocks, reefs and especially submerged wrecks.

The conger has a smooth, apparently scales skin and no pelvic fins. It differs in having a slightly protruding lower jaw, a dorsal fin that starts near the head, and larger gill slits. The dorsal fin of a conger begins quite near to the head, and its lower jaw protrudes; these two features help distinguish small conger eels from common eels.

Congers are slow in maturing, usually taking about 15 years before they are ready to breed, then congers migrate great distances before spawning in very deep waters, typically over 9,000 feet, they then die after spawning. The eggs then hatch and drift near the the surface carried by the currents to inshore waters, here they grow and take on the shape of the parents until their turn to spawn.

Boat 60-14-00 NOV 1995 Milford Haven J Booth
133 04 00 V Evans off Brixham, Devon 1995
February to November but can be caught all year round