Advice required on digging for sandeels

[Snatcher]

Can anyone help out a sandeel virgin? May be digging for sandeels at the Mull of Galloway in two weeks time. I am going to be directed to the right location to dig but am after a few pointers from the experts out there. Things like -

Tools for the job,a normal spade?

Best state of the tide?

Keep them alive in a bucket till ready for freezing?

Best way to pack them in freezer box?

 

Thanks in advance

Lets have a bit of fun and make it a sort of competition. The best/most helpful answer gets 10 flies/lures tied to there own specification by Snatcher.

Competion closes 7 days from now. Best of luck chaps and chapesses

 

[ 12. April 2005, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: Snatcher ]

[Huge_Vitae]

Snatch,

 

Use a blunt knife to gently move across the sand when it has a very small covering of water like an inch or so. When the blunt knife touches them they will dart off, be quick and you will catch them (dependant on reactions and amount of Millers in blood stream )

 

Low tide and calm conditions.

 

Yup, pop them in a bucket of sea water from where you have caught them.

 

Lay them out individually on a tray so they arn't touching and freeze them. When frozen then pop them in a box or bag.

 

Although I have to say that frozen eels are not a patch on fresh/live.

 

Better to catch a few at a time as your freezer is not as good as the blast freezer the bait commercials use.

[Scotty T]

Check your e-mail snatcher.

 

Scotty

[Toerag]

Huge_Vitae:

Snatch,

Use a blunt knife to gently move across the sand when it has a very small covering of water like an inch or so. When the blunt knife touches them they will dart off,

Talk about making life difficult for yourself!! it's MUCH easier to catch them on wet/damp sand that ISN'T covered with water.

I just drag a garden fork or rake across the sand, more prongs are more efficient. I would suggest the fork, that way you can dig for any razorfish that you come across or white rag if there's no sandeels. Low spring tides in the night are best, in the day the sandeels will mostly be swimming around. To be honest with you, ammo are a much better frozen bait than anything you could freeze yourself. By all means freeze 'leftovers' as recommended above, but live eels are best used live. It is good fun collecting them though.

 

[ 12. April 2005, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: Toerag ]

[Huge_Vitae]

Don't do it like that myself anymore Toerag as I can't bend down!!!

 

Like you say, blast frozen baits from ammo work better, but nothing beats the real live thing.

 

Not making life difficult for myself matey, you can have endless fun chasing the little buggers and it's good sport!

 

I used to spend hours with an old fork tied to a stick chassing flatties around Newport Harbour, never ever caught one but the fun was in the chase.

[tack4]

get little tack4 and miss tack4 to catch/run around chasing them for you and generally laugh you socks off while we glug some miller

 

[ 12. April 2005, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: tack4 ]

[chris parker]

Make yourself a Vingler. Get the longest old carving knife you can find and grind the blade away to about 1/2 inch but leave an L shaped hook on the end. Round off the edge you have ground so it is smooth. Put a heavy pair of gloves on and use the vingler to cut the sand towards your free hand. Any eels you contact will be trapped between your vingler and hand. Drop them into a bucket of sea water. The gloves are in case you flip out a weaver, they live in the same areas as eels.

 

You will only keep 20 to 30 in a bucket alive so don't crowd them. They need 15% dissolved oxygen in the water, other fish can get by on 5%. If you are intending to freeze your catch transport them in a cool box. Put a couple of freeer packs in the bottom. Get some old tea towels and wring out in sea water so they are damp, put a single layer of eels on top of the towel and add another towel and another layer of eels. Kept cool and damp like this and in the dark they will not be active and will still be alive when you get back to the freezer.

 

Presuming you have the usual type of freezer with 2 large baskets and a small one at the bottom, remove the 2 large ones. Get hold of 2 metal plates about the size of the shelves and sit them on top of the freezer shelves. Have the freezer set up before you go out for your eels so the metal is at the freezer temp. Put the freezer on rapid if it has that facility.

 

When you get the eels back they will be pretty docile, lay them out on the trays quickly, they will freeze really fast, bag them up and store in the small bottom tray.

Freeze the next lot from the cool box ....... Takes about 15 to 20 min per tray.

 

Good Luck

[Snatcher]

Some informative replies. Yes I can see why the gloves are a must. Can recall back in my youth my sister standing on a weever fish while paddling on Whitley Bay beach. She finished up in hospital,that incident has never left me.

A Vingler- hmm - looks like I will be making one then!

[Guest STAN]

Hi snatcher

the easy way is to use a prawn net with the metal rubbing guard on it, just bend the guard 90degrees upward.

when you use it drag the bar through the sand quite quickly(as to catch the disturbed eels in the net) same as a scallop trawl does really.

doing it this way (no weaver stings,backpain,or fumbling super fast sand eels)you also cover much more ground

[Snatcher]

Never sen a prawn net before! metal rubbing guard?

Getting a bit technical now.Well I did raise the question and the competition has a week to run after all.I will keep up my end of the bargain.