Monster Eel Caught by UK Fishermen

[B] Above average sized conger eel caught by UK fisherman.[/B]

There, fixed it.

I wonder how many more of those are still out there... and how much bigger !

a reply to: theantediluvian

Egads! Another reason not to swim in the ocean, indeed!!! That sucker is HUGE!

The thing is, there is always one bigger than the ones they catch, swimming around out there. And, food for thought (pun not intended), what eats this eel???

a reply to: theantediluvian

otherwise known as nessie? or the Loc Ness monster?

I know some species of eels migrate from fresh water to salt water.

originally posted by: chelsealad
a reply to: randyvs

I assure you this is not an optical illusion. I have seen many of these eels and had to prepare many of them, as I am a fishmonger. These eels do grow to be big and it did not surprise me to see one this big.

That may or may not be true, but in this case, the reason the eel looks much bigger than it is in reality, is because it's closer to the camera than the people who our brain use as a reference point.

The people are actually 6 to 8 feet behind the eel, though they appear to be standing next to the head. The eel is hanging straight down and the tail is over the edge of the dock. The people are standing on the bulkhead which is set back from the edge of the dock.

Don't worry about swimming in the ocean. These critters live at the bottom of the sea-bed in gaps in the rocks and chomp at anything that floats by. The only danger of getting bitten is if you put a hand or foot close to their front door.

I used to catch 2 ft long eels all the time in my youth. STRONG and very hard to handle. I can only imagine how much of a battle this one would be on a line!

originally posted by: swanne

originally posted by: alienjuggalo
Just another reason not to swim in the ocean..

Are you kidding? With the size of that thing... Just hold on to it and you get a free ride for you and your gang.

If that thing came anywhere near close enough for me to grab it I would probably s@#t myself then have a stroke..

a reply to: VoidHawk

I'm confused. You can throw the fish back after catching, or eat them. Either way it's not killing for sport. You eat meat right? Somebody killed something for you to ingest. The only difference is when you do it, you appreciate the life you too, and hopefully did it respectfully.

a reply to: theantediluvian

It looks more like a catfish.

a reply to: chelsealad

as I am a fishmonger.

Had to read that twice as I thought you said fearmonger...time for a trip to the eye doctor I see.

Reminds me of why I'm horrified of the oceans, they are just too many creatures that lurk underneath.
Poor thing, it was probably old!

I caught a 6 foot one of those once. Weighed about 20lbs. Can remove your fingers with frightening ease.

Not very nice to eat, either. I'd much rather catch a couple of mackerel than another conger.

originally posted by: alienjuggalo
Just another reason not to swim in the ocean..

This made me laugh. I second that notion!

That is a monster! Wow. I did not know they could get that big!

CdT

Nessie ver.600

The picture seems to oversize it.

when i was in england, my host family cooked up smoked eel. Its like the best meat ever. lucky man, he could make a fortune off a plate dinner for 20 with that one.

originally posted by: lambs to lions
a reply to: VoidHawk

I'm confused. You can throw the fish back after catching, or eat them. Either way it's not killing for sport. You eat meat right? Somebody killed something for you to ingest. The only difference is when you do it, you appreciate the life you too, and hopefully did it respectfully.

Hi lambs to lions
As I said in my post "I couldn't justify it for sport"
I fished for many years, mostly fresh water, but just didn't like what I saw. Fish that are caught and thrown back can often be found a few hours later floating dead on the surface. Sometimes the hook gets swallowed and pierces vital organs. Sometimes those that get away only do so because the hook ripped their mouth off.
And then there's the trauma of being hooked and dragged out of its environment, an environment it needs so that it can breath.
For sport? Sorry its not for me.

Also, I didn't say what we saw in the op was wrong, I said it was a shame

Although an encounter with an eel that size, on my routine spear-gun dives would scare me to death, I'd still prefer the eel than the bloody smerna fish which brutally bites you no matter what....

Great catch, he could make a dinner for 20 people with that eel.

Great.
Now I won't swim anything this summer.