CT State Record Conger Eel Confirmed - The Fisherman

CT State Record Conger Eel Confirmed

CONGER

Steve Bender thought he’d hooked the blackfish of a lifetime while tog fishing off of Niantic last fall. Aboard his buddy Dave Dziob’s boat, Steve’s first inclination was to cut the line at first sight of the writhing snake-like beast. But after taking in the sheer size of the nearly 52-inch eel, the duo made the choice to haul it aboard. Predictably, the monstrous eel, took off slithering across the deck and wrapped itself up in the fuel hose and chomped down on the fuel line! After some wrestling and snake charming, Bender and Dziob were able to “wrassle” the giant eel into a cooler so they could have it weighed in; the official line of their surprise catch was 13 pounds and 51-3/4 inches!

The massive conger easily obliterated the previous Connecticut state record of 7.4 pounds landed in 1987. After submitting the necessary documentation to DEEP, Bender’s catch was listed on the state’s most recent list of ‘Marine Trophy Fish’ making the record official and one that will likely stand for a long time. The original plan was to release the eel after weighing it, but the fish didn’t survive the ordeal and now Bender is considering having it mounted. Conger eels can reach lengths in excess of 6 feet and can weigh more than 150 pounds!

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