Cornwall Spearfishing 2006

[Huw]

Didint fancy popping yourself a conger then Pav?

I think would have been out of the water!!!!

Huw

 

[Mr. X]

Didint fancy popping yourself a conger then Pav?

I think would have been out of the water!!!!
...

rofl, I would have moved on too! (There is a good thread on spearing congers for the brave or foolhardy, Spaghetti & I think some of the Gibralter spearos talking about their techniques. Seems like you have a fair chance of loosing your spear, unless you spear it in such a way as to stop it going back in its hole (e.g. through the head from above).

 

[Old Man Dave]

I've shot a lot of congers in the past, especially in the days of competitions, but also used to eat them and give them away to friends etc. It's been a long time since I last shot one and although I might do so again, chances are I'll look but won't touch.

Some people do enjoy eating them and they are fair game it's just that after a while age mellows your attitude to hunting some fish. If you have never caught one and you have a use for it (ie eating it) then I think most spearo's should catch a conger - at least one. Small band gun and thin spear are not really the right gear although an experienced hunter could make do.

I saw 2 eels this weekend although I wasn't looking for them, both were in the 20/30lb range. If you look for lobsters you'll find eels, but they won't bother you if you don't bother them. They are a fine sight as they look soooooo mean :martial . I like to see them and sometimes I think " this would be a challenge" as the hunter in me makes my trigger finger itch but I leave them to terrorise the wrasse in peace.

Pete (Beetroute)was with me and took some pics. He said he'd post them. If he does I'll post a link here.

Dave

 

[Huw]

Great post Dave,

i really do fancy attempting a conger one day. The thread that i started on conger and moray hunting really was sucsessful, and took off. We got a lot of experienced eel hunters sharing really valuable info.If you havent visited it then it is well worth a read. You can find it here...

[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=62243"]Congers!![/ame]

Happy hunting guys,
Huw.

 

[stuckinsurrey]

on the conger theme i was in at the weekend off north devon coast hunting lobsters to try out new techniques. Looked in one hole and saw a light grey line, kinda straight and mouth shaped, almost looked like a smile (albeit a sinister one). Came back up for air and when i went back down it was gone, not sure whether it was a trick of the light or a conger that had retreated further into its hole. Some of the holes were huge, like a big letter box at the front but cavernous. Gun could go right in and you can wave it about. Do congers tend to sit in the mouths of their lairs or do they tend to hang near the back?
Was a good trip though, saw more lobsters then i had ever seen before and thanks to OMD, Dave and Robbo for the ideas on removal. Managed to get two to dart out, one i grabbed by the tail and the other went off like a rocket and disappeared down another hole - seems like he had an escape plan. Had the lobster on the BBQ in the evening with garlic butter (gormet camping) - lovely, all friends were impressed even if it ended up feeding 6 (two mouthfuls each!).

Jim

 

[Old Man Dave]

Jim, well done on the lobby. You usually know when you see a conger. They are normally near the front of their hole but do move back inside sometimes. They do have a wonderful "smile". Colour wise they can be from almost black through electric blue to very light grey. Occasionally you find a tail or a mid section with no sign of the head but 9 times out of 10 its the cheery grin that greets you as you look in a hole.

Over on the Guernsey thread some of the guys are suggesting a thread on fish identification. Some of us are getting more interested in u/water cameras so could be a go-er. Maybe a gallery of pic's of different species with a little bit of info. Glowworm took some pics when he visited and pete has taken some stills and video. Watch this space.

Dave

 

[Marc_W]

Hey guys, I went down to Cornwall on the last bank holiday, vis was about 5 - 6 meters, got a few Pollock, not bad, good just to get wet.

 

[Huw]

Marc W, great to hear that you had a few pollack.

I have still yet to bag myself a lobby. What is the usuall process for lookign for them?
Whilst diving which areas do you look for to lobby search? Is it a case of lookign for big rocks, diving down and checking them out?

A response would be great, as after a personal best season for bass, it would be great to finish with a first lobster!

Thanks guys
Huw.

 

[gutshot]

i usually look in the area i am in when hiding in the kelp. keep an eye out for them under a ledge. sometimes you can see holes in the reef, hidden by the kelp which you would not see unless you pull yourself under the kelp.

The funniest one i saw was walking in the open, on the sand while i was hunting flatties. shame he was too small

 

[foxfish]

Hi Gutshot, hope you dont get to many of them! Good advice though.
Huw the base of a reef covered in kelp is a good place to look, dive down & part the kelp, once you find a crab or lobster dont forget where the hole is. A good hole will always be a good hole! Even if you take the crab another will very often take its place.

 

[Huw]

Thnaks alot guys, really good suggestions. will put them into practice whilst hunting next. How much lead do you guys wear? i have been adviced on 6kg, any further thoughts on this?

Also i take it that below the low tide line is the only place to find decent lobbys?

Thanks,
Huw

 

[foxfish]

Huw weight is not a easy question to ansaw however I use 22lb to be neutral at about 7mts. Lobsters can be found anywhere below the low water mark but you will have more success in 5 - 10mts at low tide (& deeper)

 

[Huw]

Huw weight is not a easy question to ansaw however I use 22lb to be neutral at about 7mts. Lobsters can be found anywhere below the low water mark but you will have more success in 5 - 10mts at low tide (& deeper)

Just what i needed to know. Thanks alot foxfish! I really am determined to have a go at some lobsters now. When lobstering do you take your usual gun, or do you take a small rock and cave gun? i have a feeling that taking my 75 or 50cm would be a bit better for poking around the reefs and kelp beds than my 90cm stick.

Has anyone ever tried throwing a brick down to the edge of a reef with frest mackrell flappers on it? I am sure that that would entice some thing to come and have a nosey!

Cheers guys, and thanks again Foxfish.

Happy hunting,
Huw.

 

[Marc_W]

How much weight you wear depends on you, your natural body weight, and the wetsuit you’re wearing and how deep you’re diving? You really need to just experiment, take in more than you need to start, then start stripping the weight back, securing the remaining weight to your float. When in shallow water, you'll need more weight to remain hidden in the kelp, but in the deeper waters (10 meters +) you'll want less. Your wettie will play a part too, the thicker it is, and the more weight you'll need. The rest comes down to personal preference, for myself, I weight up heavy, having no effort going down, then using more to come back up... That maybe considered more dangerous in light of S.W.B tho, safety should always be a priority (have a buddy). I'm neutral at 5 meters, thereafter I sink like a stone.

 

[gutshot]

When lobstering do you take your usual gun, or do you take a small rock and cave gun? i have a feeling that taking my 75 or 50cm would be a bit better for poking around the reefs and kelp beds than my 90cm stick.

Has anyone ever tried throwing a brick down to the edge of a reef with frest mackrell flappers on it? I am sure that that would entice some thing to come and have a nosey!

Don't shoot your speargun at any shelfish or you will find yourself on the wrong side of the law!!

When i use to scuba dive i always used a modified crab hook to keep my fingers away from the claws. Get a paint roller and remove the roller. straighten out the 90 degree where the roller went and then bend the end around in a u bend to make a hook. that way you an ease it over the top of a crab or lobster and pull it out. I still sometimes keep it attached to my buoy if i want a lobster but i mostly hunt for bass.

Oh and as for baiting for lobster, a fisherman here told me lobsters love the smell of rotten fish. fresh fish pulls the congers and other fish into his pots to get at the bait.

 

[Marc_W]

Or... you can use your spear / shaft flopper. Remove the shaft from the gun, open up the flopper, place behind the crays tail and move it forward into the open :t

 

[Spaniard]

Thnaks alot guys, really good suggestions. will put them into practice whilst hunting next. How much lead do you guys wear? i have been adviced on 6kg, any further thoughts on this?

Also i take it that below the low tide line is the only place to find decent lobbys?

Thanks,
Huw

A rough rule of thumb I was taught back in the day is to take the thickness of wetsuit in mm and add 2.5 to give kilo weight. For example if you wear a 5mm wetsuit then add 2.5 to get 7.5, so start your weightbelt at 7.5 kg. It nearly always works for me.

 

[SurfnSpear]

I really am determined to have a go at some lobsters now. When lobstering do you take your usual gun, or do you take a small rock and cave gun? i have a feeling that taking my 75 or 50cm would be a bit better for poking around the reefs and kelp beds than my 90cm stick.

Huw, get comfortable with one gun and try sticking with it. You will find that it's just experience and yes sometimes you might have wanted a short cave gun, but then you may also get some great bass make runs past you and you end up needing the longer 'usual' gun even when you are having a good lobster session. Try not to think to much about the smaller technicalities.
Lobsters are my good reason for 'GUN>LINE>FLOAT' I see a likely area, drop the gun into the kelp and work the whole patch around it. I quite often will be in and out of caves and crevices even with my 90cm. Though I have had to pick my shots carefully.
By the way, on lead, I am seriously thinking about getting some bullet weights as my lower back is starting to take a beating and I hear they are an improvement.

Cheers

 

[Huw]

Don't shoot your speargun at any shelfish or you will find yourself on the wrong side of the law!!

When i use to scuba dive i always used a modified crab hook to keep my fingers away from the claws. Get a paint roller and remove the roller. straighten out the 90 degree where the roller went and then bend the end around in a u bend to make a hook. that way you an ease it over the top of a crab or lobster and pull it out. I still sometimes keep it attached to my buoy if i want a lobster but i mostly hunt for bass.

Oh and as for baiting for lobster, a fisherman here told me lobsters love the smell of rotten fish. fresh fish pulls the congers and other fish into his pots to get at the bait.

Thanks Gutshot,
When refering to what length gun you carry with you , it was not for the use of shooting shellfish, but rather caved fish, or possibly a small conger (sorry to cause confusion).

Thnaks alot for the info on how to make a crab hook, sounds like a great idea. As i hunt from a boat, i may make one and keep it aboard, and then exchange my gun for the hook towards the end of my dives, and have a small lobby and crab hunt!

When i go trapping lobsters, we do use rotting fish, but i dont really want that smell all over my wetsuit... it lingers for a LONG LONG LONG time!!!

Spaniard - A rough rule of thumb I was taught back in the day is to take the thickness of wetsuit in mm and add 2.5 to give kilo weight. For example if you wear a 5mm wetsuit then add 2.5 to get 7.5, so start your weightbelt at 7.5 kg. It nearly always works for me.

Sounds like a sraightforward and simple rule spaniard, so thanks alot. It seems like an important issue to discuss with you guys that have experience, since jumping off a boat with weights attatched to my waist seems like something that shouldnt be done without good advice.

SurfnSpear - Huw, get comfortable with one gun and try sticking with it. You will find that it's just experience and yes sometimes you might have wanted a short cave gun, but then you may also get some great bass make runs past you and you end up needing the longer 'usual' gun even when you are having a good lobster session. Try not to think to much about the smaller technicalities.
Lobsters are my good reason for 'GUN>LINE>FLOAT' I see a likely area, drop the gun into the kelp and work the whole patch around it. I quite often will be in and out of caves and crevices even with my 90cm. Though I have had to pick my shots carefully.

Thanks to you also! As it happens, i do use my 90cm for almost every dive, as i hate seeing decent bass passing me by! However if i was exclusvely searching the kelp base, and reef, i think that i may feel more comfortable with a 75cm. I have picked one up recently and have managed a really good bass with it... i took it out for a testing session (looking for flatties) but became surrounded by bass, so i made a few throat noises like on some of the videos that i had been watching, and one very curious bass came right in, and i managed to pick him off. I know that this was probably a rare occasion, but i just feel that if i eventually get round to sticking a 3 or 4 tip pronger on to the 75, it would pay off, if i came across a conger :friday while hunting lobbys, since the spear on my 90 is quite thin, and very flexible compared to that of my 75.

Thanks again guys for all of your help.
Huw

 

[Huw]

Got in yesterday evening.

Viz was average, but managed to pull off a shot on a 6lb mullet. It was a really nice fish, but as soon as i returned to the beach, i was confronted by a nice lady with an aussie or n. zeland accent who was down on holiday. She explained that it was her last night and that she loved fish... and i ended up giving it away rofl.

Huw