Half-century of pride for Conger Club | This is South Devon UK Fishing

Formed half a century ago, the Conger Club retains its status as Europe's biggest single species organisation.

In keeping with other major sea angling bodies, its membership has fallen since its heyday when the wreck-fishing revolution was at its height, but still stands at close to 1,000, of which the majority have joined for life.

On formation, its first president was Hetty Eathorne, who although of small stature overcame many big fish including conger to 70lb.

The club's first 100lb fish was caught by Wally Ellis of Dorset in 1978 and weighed 101½lb. In 1991 Hans Clausen established a UK Record with an eel of 110lb 11oz and it was a year later that Jim Calvert made the unprecedented catch of two fish over 100lb and another of 75lb on the same day.

With the exception of the club's annual championship, the next most coveted award is the Solitaire, presented for the heaviest fish caught and gaffed aboard without any assistance. Its greatest challenge was met by Graham Tibbs in 1996 when, fishing alone from his own 24ft boat, he overcame the power of a 107 lb specimen – following his success the previous year when he had an eel of 92lb 14oz.

Charter skippers who became synonymous with amazing conger catches included John Trust and Ernie Passmore, who operated Our Unity from Brixham, Lloyd Saunders of Saltwind, based at Dartmouth, and Plymouth's Steve Barrett, of Boa Pescador, and Bill Warner's The Mistress.

Now the BCC is embarking on its second 50 years. Catches are hardly likely to equal in number what has already been achieved, but somewhere down the line will be a member who catches an eel that sets a British, European or world record.

The club's latest results have just been published, among them a conger of 83lb (Crusader) caught by one of its junior members, Matthew Watson, 15. The heaviest qualifier weighed 96lb 4oz (Size Matters) for Plymouth's Robert Easton and the biggest by a life member of 71lb 7oz (Becca Marie) fell to blind Cornishman Steve Holyer, who was runner-up in the club's Championship fished out of Brixham. The award for the best eel by a lady angler was won by the club's Fish Recorder Kath Lavis, who had a reef eel of 33lb 4oz registered in the own boat category.

The club is planning a 50th celebration in association with its Boat Championship over the weekend of June 16-17 at Plymouth.

North Devon clubs are reporting heavy conger in the shore category. Julian Stainer of the Barnstaple Rod & Reelers took a 38lb specimen in a heat of the North Devon League's monthly competition, and Bideford & District AC member Phil Vanstone registered a fish of 36lb 2oz.

The quality of these catches can be measured against the Conger Club's specimen shore weight, which is 25lb.

The Bideford club's Monthly Rover had very good fish in the frame, notably a ballan wrasse of 6lb 1½oz, an unusual size for January, taken by Martin Short. The runner-up position's went to Nathan Clements and Phil Vanstone, both having pollack of 4lb 1¼oz and 3lb 14 ¼oz.

Cleo and Chelsea Babb filled first and second places in the junior section with a whiting and a lesser spotted dogfish.

via thisissouthdevon.co.uk

THE DAILY CATCH http://fishingnews.posterous.com/half-century-of-pride-for-conger-club-this-is Formed half a century ago, the Conger Club retains its status as Europe's biggest single species organisation. In keeping with other major sea angling bodies, its membership has fallen since its heyday when the wreck-fishing revolution was at its height, but still stands at close to 1,000, of which ...