CBBT Sat 10-19-13

[JohnE]

I was amazed that the wind died down completely by the time I got to ft monroe yesterday evening. It was almost glassy. I talked to a few other people and nobody seemed to be catching anything. I only caught small croaker.

Also...I got to talk to the 'angling addict' for a minute when I was at rudee. I wasn't sure it was him at first, but I realized it definitely was him after reading his latest blog entry. I love reading his blog. Told me he caught a trout trolling a small white grub. Turns out I was trolling the exact same thing he caught the trout on, but unfortunately I didn't have the luck he had. I should have tried for some spot over there. Heading back down this weekend if weather is good. Hope to try the cbbt and/or kiptopeke this time if it is relatively calm.

[ComeOnFish]

Here is the video log

[tufnik]

I memorized the stain pattern on that piling so I can fish that same piling next time....

[KenY]

That water laid down nicely..... Too bad it was so bad earlier.

[ComeOnFish]

That water laid down nicely..... Too bad it was so bad earlier.

Yes it got better after 8 hours into it, and after two pit-stop

Joe

[Shady]

For a moment I thought about Unagi rolls but then those are fresh water kind. I'm not sure how salt tasted since I don't know what they eat but he loved my blue crabs. Besides, it was big. 36" was a conservative eyeball. So I evicted him from the hole and let him go a couple pilings down.

I'm pretty sure they are the same kind of eel, just spend some time in fresh and some time in salt.

[Shady]

nice vid, what is the third fish in the video?

[RockFlag&Eagle37]

That's actually a Conger Eel, not the American Eel that I think most folks are talking about. Congers get very big (~80 lbs) in some circumstances. I've caught juveniles in the back bays on the Maryland Coast. Congers range all the way up and down the Atlantic Coast in my experience. I have no idea whether they're decent table fare.

The American Eels spawn in saltwater (Sargasso Sea), then the juveniles make their way back up into tributaries and freshwater.

Great Catch!

[tufnik]

How can you tell the difference? There's also an American conger eel.....go figure.

Anyway, don't get your face too close to it.

[RockFlag&Eagle37]

I am referring to the American Conger Eel, I apologize.

The American Eel doesn't grow nearly as large (~4 ft and ~15 lbs on the upper end). The head shape is different; more dorsally flattened on a Conger Eel, the gap between the Dorsal and Anal fins on the Conger Eel is more pronounced as well, the lower Jaw on the American Eel protrudes more as well. Here's a decent comparison picture:eels_compared.jpg


The face/mouth/head region looks much smaller in person on an American Eel in my opinion. american-eel.jpg

*both images pulled from the web, I don't have great personal pictures of either species*

[tufnik]

I've caught many small ones, and thought they were American eels because that's what's shown on DNR fish regs. Now I know better. Thanks. Maybe I'll make sashimi one day...lol....

[Shady]

Wow, I didn't know we had Conger's in our waters!

Well, if its good enough for Gordon Ramsay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbbn6xBR1Ks

[HokieDJ]

I don't remember it looking like that. The bite was different from what the guy on the boat said too. I felt no bites. Just the line getting tight as I lifted. It didn't have head shakes either. Just pure straight down force. It sure felt like a big tog at first but then when you begin to reel it in, i knew it wasn't a tog.

I'll give it to Tufnik next time for his wife to cook it and let us know if it tastes good

[tufnik]

..ha...ha.....I would like it more if it came to me already cleaned of all slime, skinned and filleted.