Saltwater Boat Angling — December 2017

conger. He battled it to the surface

and it weighed in at 9lb. This was the

sh to beat and everyone switched to

conger gear sporting large mackerel

or squid baits. The Kiddy-Rod Boat

Comp was now a Conger Comp!

Most anglers chose short snoods

using heavy mono and large hooks.

Some used the new modular Hook-

Ups system - with a large inline

powder-coated lead connected

directly to a hook or short snood. As

well as attracting conger, the large

baits proved eective in hooking

cuttlesh and a few monster

cephalopods were landed. However, it

was now Brian Moss’ turn to move

into rst place. He hooked into a

decent conger and spent several

minutes gently ghting it to the

surface. Brian chose not to rely solely

on the clutch but also switched o

the anti-reverse to enable him to

better play the sh. It weighed in at

14lb. These little rods were tougher

than we thought!

CONGER ANYONE?

Most of the anglers sighed in despair.

What were the chances of landing

anything bigger than 14lb? Some

anglers gave up on trying to beat

Brian’s eel and switched to bream

gear and some nice bream were

landed to 2.5lb. Strap congers and

small huss were also landed but

The Kiddy-Rod

boat Comp

20 Saltwater Boat Angling

nothing to challenge Brian’s conger

until John Hansford hooked into a

decent sh. The anglers aboard the

boat had to move out of the way as

John’s sh pulled him to the rear of

the boat with the tide. After a lengthy

battle, he managed to move into rst

place by bagging a 17lb conger. John

was all smiles and high-ves. Surely it

was game over for the rest of the

anglers? That was until Josh Chestney

announced, ‘I’m in!’. It was clear from

the bend in his rod that Josh was into

a decent conger. It dragged him from

one side of the boat to the other and

after a fteen-minute battle he

produced a 19lb sh, which was

testament to both the gear and Josh’s

ANGLING SKILLS

More doubles, even bigger congers!

No congers were hooked over the

next couple of hours but both John

Hansford and Josh Chestney landed

undulate rays, the biggest weighing

in at just over 10lb. The other anglers

continued to bag bream and large

mackerel, then it was Josh who

hooked-up again and, this time, it was

the big one. Josh moved to the back

of the boat and could hardly gain on

the sh. The two seemed locked in a

stalemate then, very slowly, Josh

managed to gain some line. The pink

rod was bent double and the little

clutch on the reel was hanging on for

dear life. The battle lasted for a full

twenty minutes and three times Josh

had the eel to the surface before it

stripped line and plunged back to the

bottom. Finally, the skipper, Lewis

Hodder, managed to snag a net

around the beast and Josh landed the

biggest conger of the day at 22lb - a

cracking eel. As with the other large

sh, the conger was quickly weighed,

photographed and safely returned.

NINE SPECIES BOATED

As the tide eased o, the shing

slowed and most anglers, realising

they had little chance of beating

Josh’s 22lb monster switched to

species shing. John Hansford

managed to bag nine dierent

species, and some nice bream and

mackerel were kept for the table.

PINK AND PROUD

The Kiddy-Rod Boat Competition was

a huge success, lots of fun and good

shing. The pink rod-and-reel combos

proved their worth and it just goes to

show what an experienced angler can

catch on light gear. In fact, the tackle

manufacturer was so impressed with

both the turnout and sh caught, that

they are thinking of sponsoring next

year’s event with a prize for the

heaviest sh that beats Josh’s 22lb

conger. There was some consensus

amongst the anglers that the gear

could handle a sh up to 30lb and we

nished with a quiet admiration for

our little pink combos. Now my

luminous 6ft spinning rod-and-reel is

safely stowed away in the shed

however, I think it might be donated

to a child this Christmas as I will be

getting a new one with my entry fee

next year. I’m pink and I’m proud and,

besides, there is a 30lb conger out

there with my name on it.

Tight lines!

Here’s me with a 2lb bream

Brian Moss with a 14lb conger

John Hansford - small undulate

THE FINAL RESULTS WERE

John Hansford - nine species

3rd Place -

Brian Moss - 14lb Conger

2nd Place -

John Hansford - 17lb Conger

1st Place -

Josh Chestney - 22lb Conger

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