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Fish guide

Conger eel

Conger conger · Everything else

Also called conger, strap conger, strap

Conger eel
Photo: Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What fish is this?Identify a fish from a photo

A big, scaleless, snake-like predator that hides in rocky crevices and wrecks, caught mainly around the south-west coasts.[1]

How to recognise it

  • No scales and a snake-like body, with a rounded snout, large eyes and sharp teeth.[1]
  • Dark grey, bluish or green on top with a pale belly; deepwater fish can be light brown.[1]
  • Grows to about 2 m.[1]

When and where

Found over
rocky ground, wrecks, sand, deep water[1]
Baits
herring, squid, sardine, crab, worms[1]
Light
Mostly a night feeder, hunting from dark holes and crevices.[1]

Sources

  1. Angling Direct: Conger eel species guide

These notes are a draft: we gathered them from the sources above and are still checking them. We don't work out best times for this fish yet. The size rules come from the same checked byelaws as every other fish.

Size and bag limit

Minimum size
Sizes vary along the coast. Pick your spot to see the rule there.
Bag limit
None set for the whole UK.
Minimum sizes around the UK
AreaMinimum size
Kent & Essex IFCANone
Sussex IFCA100 cm
Southern IFCA58 cm
Devon & Severn IFCANone
Cornwall IFCA58 cm
Isles of Scilly IFCANot checked yet
North Western IFCA58 cm
North Eastern IFCANot checked yet
Northumberland IFCANot checked yet
Eastern IFCANone
Welsh GovernmentNot checked yet
Scottish GovernmentNot checked yet
DAERA (Northern Ireland)Not checked yet