The Conger Eel one of the most sought after captures by a sea angler mainly due to its hard fighting qualities. Orkney has some excellent Conger fishing, mostly over wreck marks all around Orkney and inside Scapa Flow. Shore fishing will produce some Conger although most will be small up to around 20lbs (9kg). Fishing reefs from the boat will also produce Conger up to 20lbs (9kg) but most of the larger fish up to 50 or 60lbs (22kg to 27kg) or more will be found on the wreck marks. Congers are also an all year round fish, maximising the time you can fish for them.

Easily recognisable with its larger size compared to the Common Eel. Sand dwelling Congers tend to be dull matt brown with a pale white or creamy belly, with reef conger a steely grey with occasional pale patches. Deeper water rock dwelling Conger are grey to green with some almost black in colour. Wreck Congers are much darker grey to light black with very pale grey bellies.

Shore Fishing
Shore fishing is best during neap tides and Conger may feed throughout the tidal run if the neap is small. Slower tides are best for Conger as they feed mainly on prey fish such as pout, poor cod and whiting. It is always best to fish for Conger at night from the shore when the sea is calm.

Most Conger are caught at range from the beaches, its best to use a tough bait such as squid or mackerel bound up with elastic thread which will not only cast better but stand up to constant attention from smaller species. Conger bites are mostly shy and gentle and you may need to retrieve line to tease the conger in order to get a hook up.

On the other hand if you are fishing a pier, it’s best NOT to cast but to drop the bait near to the wall of the pier. The Conger will be laying in wait in the holes of the rocks and the harbour wall itself. Bites will usually be a gentle “tick” as they take line off the spool. Allow the eel to take a few feet but no more and then strike hard. You need to try and get the fish clear of the seabed and away from its lair to avoid the eel snagging you in the rough seabed.

From the rocky marks its best try both long and short range casts. It’s also more productive to fish with fresh fish baits of Pout and Rockling, Conger tend to feed better on local species than on something that is alien to them in their territory.

Unfortunately when landing a big Conger it may be necessary to use a gaff. This needn’t be brutal however and using the gaff in the correct way will mean minimum harm to a tough fish so that it can be quickly landed, unhooked and release. To gaff a Conger, the angler needs to draw the eel along the surface to within reach of the gaff man. The gaff man waits until the eel is facing you and slides the gaff into the underside of the jaw of the eel and in one motion lifts the eel to shore. Only us a gaff when necessary and in the correct way and the eel suffers no permanent harm and can be returned safely to the water.

Fishing for Conger will require a 5 to 6 oz beachcaster, this will need to be stiff and powerful in order to hold the Conger and stop it backing into cracks and snags. The rod is best coupled with a high capacity, heavy geared multiplier loaded with 20 to 25lb (9.027kg to 11.34kg) line

Rig wise you can’t beat the pulley rig that helps to keep snagging to a minimum. Hook traces should be 80lb (36.288kg) mono minimum although some rock marks will dictate you go heavier up to 100lb (45.36kg) trace line. This needs to be a short foot long trace, although for fishing close to walls increase this to 2-feet (61cm) and use 100lb (45.36kg) mono. Choose O’Shaughnessy pattern hooks up to 8/0 size for normal shore situations.

Frozen mackerel, fresh fillets of pout, whiting and rockling are all excellent baits for Conger. Try fishing with small whole fish baits too.

Boat Fishing
For general Conger fishing, the reefs or rough jagged rock formations in deeper water hold decent fish and can produce some occasional monsters. For the real record breakers, wreck fishing is the answer. Both the inshore and offshore wrecks offer excellent Conger fishing and with a bit of perseverance, Orkney could well yield the next Scottish Record Conger Eel. The current record stands at just over 48lbs (22kg) but evidence suggests much larger fish are present around Orcadian wrecks.

Tackle for the reef Congers should be 20lb or 30lb class or even an uptider will be capable of landing one of the smaller congers that reside on this terrain. It is quite reasonable with a bit of expert handling to land a Conger of 50lbs (22kg) on this light gear. Fish a hook length between 2 and 3-feet (61cm to 91cm) made from 100lb (45.36kg) mono with a Mustad O’Shaughnessy 3406 hook between 6/0 and 10/0.

For the wreck fishing, you need to get tough and only the best tackle is required. For standard wreck fishing go for a stiff action 50lb class rod matched with a Penn Senator 4/0 or 6/0 or alternative loaded with 50lb line (22.68kg), though 60lb (27.216kg) could be used to help minimise abrasion through contact with potential wreck debris. When targeting some seriously big Conger, those that could reach upwards of 80 or even 100lbs (36kg – 46kg) it’s best to go for the safe option and arm yourself with a stiff 50/80lb class stand up rod matched with a Penn 6/0 or similar sized reel.

When wreck fishing its best to use a rig compromising of 24-inches (61cm) of 250lb (113.4kg) commercial monofilament with a strong 4/0 rolling swivel, this will help combat the Congers tendency to spin when held hard. Crimping the line is more reliable than tying knots in heavy mono. As before its best to use the Mustad O’Shaughnessy 3406 hook, between 6/0 and 10/0 sizes. These offer great strength yet will rust out if a fish inadvertently breaks free.

The best bait for catching Orcadian Conger is Mackerel, either fresh or blast frozen. Its best presented with the backbone cut free which leaves the fillet flapping on the head, this gives a bait oozing scent which is irresistible to a Conger. Live baited Mackerel is also effective at luring out a Conger. Also try fresh pouting, cod fillets or whole whiting.

Scottish Shore Record – 64lbs 8ozs 0drm (29.26kg approx)
Scottish Boat Record – 48lbs 1ozs 0drm (22.05kg approx)