Eels

[Wag]

quote:

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"..you need a damp unhooking mate"

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If only................

 

['eelfisher']

Dear Tigger.....

 

Everyone has to learn somewhere...so no problems there, OK.

 

Yes I agree, the smaller eels of around 6oz to 1.5lb's do tend to be afflicted with a suicidal tendency to wrap themselves up so tight around the line that they almost seek to damage themselves......I'm pleased you took the time to seek to unwrap the whole slimey mess and return the eel back whence it came.

 

Dear Severn Wolf.....

 

The mysteries of the freshwater eel, Anguilla anguilla......

 

Dear Wag.....

 

 

Yours With Respect.....

Steve.

[Severn Wolf]

Steve

 

Any links for rigs etc? We`ve decided to end the years night fishing with a go for some eels (biggest one to come out is 7.08 fully verified!!!)

Never fished `properly` for them before and have heard conflicting opinions as to whether resistance makes any difference.

['eelfisher']

Dear Severn Wolf.....

 

Any type of free running rig will work.....from straight legers to patenoster set ups.

 

Resistance.....this is quite simple really.....so long as the resistance doesn't change as the run develops, you'll be fine.

 

So, don't use monkey climber set ups or heavy bobbins between the but and first ring.

 

A standard pike dropback indicator will suffice so long as the bobbin is clipped tight and is already at the maximum height before unclipping.

 

I have fished rivers with the line running through a foam butt ring plug to prevent the line being pulled off the spool by the river current and the runs were still blistering takes due to the resistance not changing.

 

Here's a trick to help the initial run to come off the spool in an easy motion.....cast the bait out and then tighten up to the leger....then open up the bail arm and peel off a few yards of line and then carefully wind it back on loosely before clipping up......this will ensure that the first few yards of line just drops off the spool without the potential problem of the line snagging on the spool due to a tightline lay on the spool.

 

I'd employ three rods......one with a legered roach/rudd head section, one with an off bottom lobworm rig set up and one with a small livebait on a running Vic Bellars patenoster/Dyson rig. (These rigs are in any good pike book)...fish the livebait about a foot off bottom...margins are a good spot if you have a shelf dropping to about three feet.

 

If you have some idea of the type of eels that are in your targetted water, either fish feeders or worm feeders, then this'll already be a great help to you. I would still use three rods, if I could, two with the known bait source and the other with the opposite bait source, just incase the monster in there was different to the majority.

 

You can PM me if you need any other advice.

 

Yours With Respect.....

Steve.

 

[ 25. August 2005, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: 'eelfisher' ]

[Severn Wolf]

Cheers for that Steve, love the constant resistance idea, well worth foaming with light indicators.

 

Not sure what the eels are in our place, not many fish for them and the ones that do keep results pretty hush hush.

 

Its a two rod water with no livies allowed so a roach head plus worms will be the line of attack.

 

If we get a run on, say, worms, would that indicate that all the eels are worm eaters or is it worth keeping out the deaddie rods just in case it was a one off?

['eelfisher']

Dear Severn Wolf....

 

Read and understood.......correct approach with the two rod attack.

 

No on the 'if worm' scenario and likewise the other way round.......keep using both baits......keep the deads small....4oz baits in half being about right......use tails and heads....for some strange reason, some lakes have eels that prefer one to the other...don't ask me why.....you could also try a 2-3oz whole deadbait as well....fish the deads with a feeder filled with cotton wool and inject some fish oil into it to act as an attractor.....eels have awesome smell senses....hook the baits either in the tail root or from eye to eye (not lips) and whole deads by the tail root, OK.

 

Good luck in your fishing.......let me know how things go.....I hope you have a biggie....remember, 10 years for every pound and so anything over 5lb's is going to be a very old fish.

 

Yours With Respect.....

Steve.

 

[ 26. August 2005, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: 'eelfisher' ]

[Severn Wolf]

Cheers Steve, I`m dying to give it a go.

 

Don`t worry about the safety aspect, I have the utmost respect for big eels, they`re ancient creatures

[Wag]

'eelfisher'- I found these old reports while searching for something else - you might find them interesting - especially the weights mentioned, which give an idea of how the eel population has declined over the years.

 

stealing eels

 

[ 26. August 2005, 02:17 PM: Message edited by: Wag ]

['eelfisher']

Dear Wag......

 

Thanks for that info....I have saved it for my records. Very interesting reading.

 

Dear Severn Wolf......

 

I have no worries, you sound as though you are a thinking kind of guy.....here's to your good fortune with those big eels.

 

Yours With Resepct.....

Steve.

[Severn Wolf]

Steve, if you PM me I`ll give you details of the water. Its underfished and theres only two guys I know of that have ever really bothered with the eels. Well worth the attentions of someone who loves and appreciates the majesty of eels. Monster eels are pretty thin on the ground these days....