Monster Eel Caught by UK Fishermen

While not a cryptid strictly speaking, at 20 feet in length and with a weight of 155-160 lb prior to gutting, this Conger eel is certainly a sea monster and it's not hard to imagine it being mistaken for any of the numerous mythical sea serpents.



Caught by the trawler 'Hope' off the coast of Devon, this catch should easily break the previous record set in 1995 (133 lbs, before gutting).



The pictures are from Metro UK.

Look at the eye. Not very fresh. I wouldn't eat it.

Just another reason not to swim in the ocean..

Unagi Don. It's what's for dinner.

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.

Look, a rare giant eel, let's kill it. Just kidding, I would have to hang it up and take pictures also. Very interesting catch. As an avid fisherman myself I would freak to tie into something like this.

Holy slippery hell!
That is a monster.
Interesting pics, thanks OP Sn'F.
Having caught and wrestled with eels before (bloody nuisance) I can tell you that they are very strong creatures who will put up a serious fight if caught, will attack you and are amazing survivors and I cant imagine how powerful this creature must have been in its full health. Be interesting to see what/who is has been eating too!

Shame that such a magnificent anomaly had to die.
But I would never bet against there being far bigger specimens out there in the deepest dark places.

Who knows, maybe the current changes that are taking place in our oceans will bring to light even stranger creatures never seen.

a reply to: HumansEh

C'thulu .Godzilal..KRAKEN,you are only reinforcing my choice to avoid coastal areas...

The thing is, this is just the larval stage in this eel's development.

I stopped fishing years ago because I couldn't justify to myself the death of a living creature for sport.
Yeh I know this wasn't sport, but look at it, such a shame.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Eels up inside ya, finding an entrance where they can!
Boring through your mind, through your body through your anus, EELS!

a reply to: VoidHawk

Same thing here. I can fish, but I rarely do so for the exact same reasons.

Just look at it - a thing of beauty.

Sorry to disappoint, but it only appears that long because of an optical illusion.

Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated a length of 20-feet and did not note that it was an optical illusion. As noted in the BBC, “the photos were deceptive and the fish was actually about 7ft (2.1m) long.

Source

See what Fukushima has done to our oceans.

Someone had to say it.

originally posted by: cmdrkeenkid
Sorry to disappoint, but it only appears that long because of an optical illusion.

Hey, it seems you are right!

Everyone look at this picture once again - but this time everyone look closer:



Look at the size of the eel's tail, and compare to the size of the buckets each sides of the tail.

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid

Thanks for finding that and point it out. It did have the look of forced perspective. Still a record breaker weight wise but yes, 7 (or possibly 10 feet as estimated by the fisherman) is certainly less fearsome than 20 feet.

Damn you and your deceptions Interwebs!

originally posted by: theantediluvian

Damn you and your deceptions Interwebs!

Blame 2-D imagery... So much confusion when one dimension is stolen from our perception!

a reply to: Restricted

These are just day trawlers and the Conger would of only been out of the water for few hours. They are extremely tasty. Oh, its the gills you really should be looking at. If they are bright and red that be a tasty fish, if they are a greyish looking colour then stay clear.
NOTE...I have spelt "colour" correctly lol

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid

Sorry to disappoint, but it only appears that long because of an optical illusion.

I wonder how this makes OP FEEEEEL?

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.