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Eels eeuck!


Guest danzante

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Guest danzante

Eelfisher, Tony Jolley and some other forumites love catching these fish, why?

some minus points are,they're slimey,wriggly, not the prettiest of fish and to me a bit of a handful.

 

Whats the draw lads?

Danny.

 

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Guest fish slime

Cant say ive ever caught one but i wouldnt mind pullin a couple out.

Ive heard they fight really hard,if that is any help to you.

 

fish slime

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Guest danzante

Hiya Slimey, i've had loads myself but i just hate catching them even in the sea too much trouble,

you'll be soooorry smile.gif

Danny.

 

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Guest Howard 13

I love catching them as long as I'm targeting them and they're over a pound.Pretty much guaranteed action at night and as you say fight like hell.

My P.B is only 3lb 10oz but that was caught on light gear fishing for bream.

I lost one last season from the river which I reckon was 5lb plus easily.

This season I'm going for them properly and hope to have a 4lb fish.

As for being ugly I would say not - Catfish however,can't see the appeal at all.

Howard.

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Guest tony jolley

Hi Danzante.

I knew this was coming.

The reason I fish for EELS is not to easy to explain, but I will try,

As you are obviously aware most anglers either deteste eels, are frightened by there appearance, and the slime element, this is enough to put about 99% of anglers off, this is why the eel is so misunderstood for its fighting power, also they are not often seen by anglers so they are a very mysterious fish, they dont very often swim on the surface like carp so you dont know on many waters even if they are there.

ALL the eelanglers I have ever met have been very nice poeple , very open with information, there is no back biteing that I have come across, and no rush by other eelers to fish the " in water" theres the upmost respct for each others fishing.

These are afew of the "people" things,

The eel is a very special fish with the most amazing life cycle of any fish after spawning in the sargasso sea the are swept by the gulf stream for about 12> 18 months until they reach our shores were they spend upto 18 years to reach matureity and then return to spawn at around 1.5>2lb in weight,

I t is the big female eels that we are after

these are the ones that have not returned to the sargasso to spawn.

If you caught an eel of say 3lb that fish is likely to be about 30 years old (about 10 years / lb ) is a good guide to age. 7 lb 70 years???.

The best thing about eels is there could be a monster in the tiniest pond waiting to be caught, there was a 10 lb eel caught from a farm pond which most other "speci anglers would`nt look twice at.

I hope this has given you some insight in to why I fish for eels.

I can understand you having the view that you and so many others have, I only wish that the eel was given the respect that they deserve,

Small eels are hard to handle but a big eel (2lb+) are somthing else.

 

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Tony B.T Jolley

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Guest scoobs11

eels are the only fish i catch that i eat.

nothing better for breakfast than an eel fried in butter,just make sure you skin em first.

 

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if you can't be good

be careful

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Guest trent.barbeler

Daisy,

 

Unfortunately, most anglers generally have a dislike for catching eels. Mostly, I beleive this to be down to a gross lack of understanding about the species and not knowing how to handle them properly after their capture.

 

Although I do not fish for eels myself, there is no doubting that the eel is a truly remarkable species.

 

Just as remarkable are the eel specialists that fish for them. In my opinion, the National Anguilla Club, Eel Study Group and the Eel Conservation Society are at the very pinnacle of specialist angling. The work that has been done by these guys over the years with regards to eel conservation is amazing.

 

I was first introduced to the eels life cycle by ex NAC member Dave Goodrun from Grantham. To a none eel fisherman, one could easily assume that "talking eels" would be uninteresting. Nothing from an angling point of view could be further from the truth. Dave first "educated" me about fifteen years ago. To this day he still holds me spellbound with his eel fishing stories.

 

Within the Specialist Anglers Code Of Conduct there is a section concerning the handling of eels. To assist those who have little knowledge of how to handle eels, a quote from the Code would be helpful.

 

"Eels are particularly vulnerable if deep hooked, as all their vital organs are close to the throat. If the fish is anything but lip hooked do not attempt removal of the hook; simply cut the line close to the mouth.

 

Do not hold eels tightly around the throat. For easy handling of eels turn the fish onto its back, cover its head and hold still for 30 or 40 seconds. This will leave it lying completely still, ready for unhooking".

 

Yes, catching eels is not every anglers intention. Most are caught unintentionally and when they are they are often cursed.

 

Perhaps though, if anglers knew how to handle eels properly whilst fully understanding the eels fascinating life cycle, a greater respect could be given to this marvelous creature.

 

As is mostly the case, educaton is the key.

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Guest OregonDave

Tony -

 

Huh...I think they have eels on the East Coast of the US, but I'm not sure of the West Coast. What I do know for sure, is that I've learned something of value from your post.

 

Thank you!

 

OregonDave

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Guest Vagabond

Hi Scoob 11 and any other eel-noshers out there.

 

Have you tried smoked eel? I a hot-smoking kit, which I use mainly for rainbow and brown trout, having found that sending trout for cold smoking is an expensive hobby. The kit is also used for pollack as I go "wrecking" once a month, and any other fish that I think is worth eating.

 

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Vagabond

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Guest Fatboy
Originally posted by Vagabond:

Hi Scoob 11 and any other eel-noshers out there.

 

I  a hot-smoking kit, which I use mainly for rainbow and brown trout, having found that sending trout for cold smoking is an expensive hobby.  The kit is also used for pollack as I go "wrecking" once a month, and any other fish that I think is worth eating.  

 

Have you tried smoked eel?

 

 

I hope this doesn't come across as too poncey....

 

I had smoked eel and artichoke hearts at a restaurant called The Glass Boat in Bristol Docks.

 

I haven't been to Bristol since, but it has to be worth a return visit for that meal alone!

 

The flavour is a bit strong, but it is far superior to jellied eels, for which I wouldn't give you a thank you.

 

Come to think of it, any smoked fish is

fine by me.

Alan

 

 

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