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My first eel


Guest RobStubbs

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Guest Wordbender

Blimey! Having just caught my first 'real-deal eel' and having been fascinated by the experience, I was just about to do a post asking for info, when I saw that Rob had beaten me to it. Must've been an eel-type week-end, ay?

 

Anyway, unlike Rob, I can't claim much cred for mine, because I was carping at the time, but at 4lbs.8oz, I knew that it was a tidy old fish and the fight it gave was like nothing I've experienced before.

 

After a screaming take, there was no kiting, it came in straight as an arrow, with a strange grating sensation punctuating its frequent plunges for the lake-bottom. The grating was almost like a slow vibration, throughout the fight.

 

I was set up for snag (not snig!) fishing, and the heavy gear gave the eel no chance, but it put up three times the fight of a 9lb. bream I landed last week (also un-fished for rolleyes.gif ).

 

I was on my own, it was raining, my efforts to handle the eel were slightly less than pathetic, and I'm ashamed to admit it, but until I spoke to an accomplished eelsman later this morning, I didn't realise that it was worth making the effort to do proper pics.

 

I've a feeling that the 'gratings' I felt was the eel sawing away at my braid hooklink, which was shredded by the time I landed the fish. Nothing compared to the state, and aroma, of my landing net, though. Bream? They're positively dry and fragrant in comparison.

 

Anyway, I did some photos of the fish in the landing net and I also carried out a rough measurement. It was just under three feet long, with a depth - spine-to-belly - of 4.5 inches at its widest point. Oh, and it had big, rubbery lips!

 

On appropriate tackle, this fish would have been a real landmark in my angling, and I'm seriously thinking of finding out more about the species now that I know they inhabit my syndicate - another member had a 4.6 out two weeks ago on a sprat deadbait.

 

Congrats to Ron on his fish and full cred to those who target these amazing creatures - I can certainly see the attraction.

 

Jellied eels will never be the same again, though. smile.gif

 

Take It Easy,

 

Terry

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Guest Spac-e-man aka eelangler

Congrats to both Terry and Rob on the eels you have caught. You will make a few eelanglers jeolous by catching an eel over 4lb.

 

Just to pick up on the comment about it must be an "eel type weekend".

 

By My calculations the wekend of 9th 10th and 11th june along with the weekend of 1st 2nd 3rd june were THE weekends to go eel fishing this month. Unfortunately I didn't get out fishing on either of them.

 

TTFN Spac-e-man.

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Guest Grubby_Fisherman

If eel fishing is your thing then well done mate. I go carp fishing at a local lake and get pestered by the damn things. It's not unusual to catch an eel in the 3 to 4lb bracket. They love boilies. I usually unhook them in the water. God forbid letting one slime up my landing net. Luckily they are never deep hooked when using hair rigged baits. Mostly we get several tugs in the night and reel in, in the morning and find no bait left.

 

The worst thing to do is put out a big bed of hemp coz that attracts them for sure. Has anyone else experienced that I wonder?

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Guest Andy Thatcher
Originally posted by Spac-e-man aka eelangler:

Congrats to both Terry and Rob on the eels you have caught. You will make a few eelanglers jeolous by catching an eel over 4lb.

 

Just to pick up on the comment about it must be an "eel type weekend".

 

By My calculations the wekend of 9th 10th and 11th june along with the weekend of 1st 2nd 3rd june were THE weekends to go eel fishing this month. Unfortunately I didn't get out fishing on either of them.

 

Why are those weekends the weeksends to have gone ? Is it to do with the phase of the moon ? I have been reading about it but have problems believing it. Can you persuade me otherwise ?

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by Andy Thatcher (edited 11 June 2001).]

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Guest paul mc

hi all

just read all the threads on this post well done to those who caught the eels. Having not caught that many myself (certainly not the sizes mentoined here)you say you should not keep the eel on its back for to long but no one has actually give a time. I say this because i fish waters where eels are present and i would hate to do any harm to them due to lack off knowledge.

Regards Paul Mc

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Guest Spac-e-man aka eelangler

Andy,

 

you got it in one.

 

It's all to do with the moon phase. I have been studying the captures of eels over the last three years and tallying them up with the moon phase. I have gone one step further than that and tallyied up eel captures with each day of the moon cycle.

 

The moon goes through 4 phases over a 29 day period, and I think that I have managed to pin down nine days within that cycle that are more productive that the other 20.

 

On one of my lakes I have had 78% of my runs come within that nine day period and 100% of the eels I have caught from the lake have come within this nine day period. Someone wrote an article on barbel captures and their relation to the moon phase and moonset and moonrise times. Strange thing is my findings for eels and the moon are not too dissimilar to the findings about barbel and the moon.

 

At the moment all this is theory but with a little more study I might be able to come up with some more conclusive evidence, but I am becoming more convinced that the moon has an effect on the feeding behavior of eels.

 

TTFN Spac-e-man

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Guest tony jolley

Hi all!

Spaceman,

I know were your going on the moon theory,

as the moon moves the oceans and seas around I believe that a fish with possibly the most sensative lateral line of all, would feel the differance between a new moon and a full moon, as dosent the atmospheric pressure change between the two?,

My only concerns on the moon theory is (and this is down to a lack of knowledge on the subject) is if you get a low pressure (which I believe affects feeding eels and a full moon (which am I right in thinking usually brings high pressure )would they not cancel each other out? and give the type of pressure you would have in a say 2nd quater?

I have noticed that when the moon is "waxing I get more takes then any other time but I could be wrong!

I am therefore unsure as to whether it is just the moon as I think the high and low pressures, could make a differance!

It is good to know that there are "thinking anglers" Theorys do become fact stuart! stick at it and I look forward to the article as and when!

 

------------------

Tony B.T Jolley

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Guest Andy Thatcher

I have read about it there is a website moonstrike.co.uk, could be wrong about the address. I first came across it in Suffolk talking to an old boy who used to add to the pot with a little poaching and fishing. He said that bass were easier on certain moons. Never thought much of it until a few years ago. If you want I'll help with the evidence collection as I have a spell of barbelling and catfishing coming up over the next 2 weeks.

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Guest pikelines editor

Fellow slimers,

 

Full moon when skys are clear, I use livebaits near the surface for obvious reasons!

 

Like Tony I find the best times for most methods is during the second week of a falling moon down to no moon. The next week as from Thursday will be a good time for me.

 

Eels must rely on moon triggers a lot as they are great travellers and are born thousands of miles away. Obviously they need to choose the right times to leave the spawning grounds on the right timescale to coincide with the high beach tides, such as the Severn bore.

 

Tides are governed by, yes you guessed it, the moon. This reliance on the moon phase may well stay with them? I wonder if the second half of the falling moon is when they up and leave their birthplace in the Sargasso?

 

Eel handling, I find that the best method is to lay the eel on it's back for 5 minutes at a time, then turn the eel over for 5 minutes and continue the process untill the fish is fully relaxed (anything up to half an hour!)

 

That way the eel is not on it's back for too long. I always try and keep the eel wet and lying in a shallow trough of water too. It also preserves the slime on the eel and you don't get as much on you. My unhooking mat allows me to do this, too much water will make it lively though!

 

It's amazing that you can get an eel fully relaxed, almost comatose, soon as it's snout touches the water on release they really wake up!

 

Hemp eh, we'll be giving that a go, it could be that the hemp attracts small fry and then the eels?

 

Well done to you guys with your eel catches.

 

Watch out, it can get obsessive, eh BT and Spac-e-man?

 

Tony, having a go at the local water by the river tonight, wish me luck...

 

Best,

 

------------------

Steve Ormrod

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Guest RobStubbs

Just to pass on the catches over the w/e just gone - there you are done it. There were a couple of guys eeling properly whilst I dabbled on a different lake (mainly fished for carp). All was quiet this w/e, although a mate should still be there until this pm. I imagine nothing exciting happened though otherwise I would have heard from him.

 

Rob.

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