Handling / Unhooking Larger Eels

[philocalist]

OK, I confess - eels are NOT my favourite fish ... any further down the list and they'd fall off the bottom

The problem I'm faced with is that I've just been given access, at least until the end of the year, to a local lake that is rarely fished, being on private ground. It's not massive, runs to maybe 6 acres, and carries a good mixed stock of fish, apparently with no particular species being dominant ... and it has a habit of throwing up eels VERY regularly, often in the 3 - 4 lb range, and occasionally a bit bigger.

This is where my problem lies - it's almost certain that sooner or later I'm going to end up with one on the business end of a hook, and I really want / need to know how to handle them correctly and safely before it gets to that.

To put it into perspective, I've happily (and safely!) handled pike of all sizes for neck-end of 40 years --- but eels give me the bloody creeps! ... I'm totally convinced that something the length and radius of my arm is going to chomp down on my thumb and stay there, as I try to unhook it - I've got this mental image of something thrashing about in a landing net, wrapping itself along my arm when I try to handle it and then locking its teeth into me!

 

Please - all sensible help and advice WILL be taken on board, as NOT catching one seems very unlikely

[Dick Dastardly]

OK, I confess - eels are NOT my favourite fish ... any further down the list and they'd fall off the bottom

The problem I'm faced with is that I've just been given access, at least until the end of the year, to a local lake that is rarely fished, being on private ground. It's not massive, runs to maybe 6 acres, and carries a good mixed stock of fish, apparently with no particular species being dominant ... and it has a habit of throwing up eels VERY regularly, often in the 3 - 4 lb range, and occasionally a bit bigger.

This is where my problem lies - it's almost certain that sooner or later I'm going to end up with one on the business end of a hook, and I really want / need to know how to handle them correctly and safely before it gets to that.

To put it into perspective, I've happily (and safely!) handled pike of all sizes for neck-end of 40 years --- but eels give me the bloody creeps! ... I'm totally convinced that something the length and radius of my arm is going to chomp down on my thumb and stay there, as I try to unhook it - I've got this mental image of something thrashing about in a landing net, wrapping itself along my arm when I try to handle it and then locking its teeth into me!

 

Please - all sensible help and advice WILL be taken on board, as NOT catching one seems very unlikely

 

 

First of all only use barbless or circle hooks! When you land them laythem on a mat and cover their eyes with one hand and stroke them full length of their body with the other (make sure its wet to avoid removing slime) after a while they will become still and calm....keep stroking for a bit longer.Then you can unhook a lot easier and indeed hold them reasonably easy if you wiosh for a photo.Works most of the time but there are exceptions.Not deep ghooking them in the first place is the key.

[barry luxton]

--- but eels give me the bloody creeps! ... I'm totally convinced that something the length and radius of my arm is going to chomp down on my thumb and stay there, as I try to unhook it - I've got this mental image of something thrashing about in a landing net, wrapping itself along my arm when I try to handle it and then locking its teeth into me!

 

Please - all sensible help and advice WILL be taken on board, as NOT catching one seems very unlikely

 

 

Na, just do one or two sessions catching and releasing a few conger eels and all your fears will be dispelled. All the time the fella has a hook in him, he ain't gonna do much is he, remember, your in control.

 

[poledark]

First off, use a hooklength and line that is strong enough to lift the Eel with. Keep a pair of long nose pliers in your pocket. Wind in the eel and then grab the line/hooklink about 9" from the hook and lift the eel up, making sure it isn't touching anything. The eel will hang quietly and then get hold of the hook with the pliers and twist the hook out and let the eel drop into the water. As Budgie says, use barbless if possible, but if you are after a PB then I would suggest a normal barbed hook.

 

No slime off the eel, and none on you. Works really well, and I have caught a few hundred sometimes 20 a day all around 3/5 pounds.

 

Unless it is a big one (I've had a couple of 6's and a lot of 5's) I never try to net them, or weigh them.

 

Use short hooklinks (4/5") and you will lip hook almost all the eels.

 

Bootlaces are a nightmare...................................

 

Good luck with your quest, a big eel is a bit special

 

 

 

 

Den

[Leon Roskilly]

Lots of advice on eel fishing at:

 

http://www.nationalanguillaclub.co.uk/

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Ang...211837208838029

 

 

Unhooking and handling: http://www.nationalanguillaclub.co.uk/unho...ndhandling.html

Edited July 21, 2012 by Leon Roskilly

[Phone]

All,

 

Bad answers! Take a look, Philo is NOT going to fish for them. If and when - which seems inevitable - he'd just like to get it back into the water with as safely and with as little fanfair as possible.

 

So he's already rigged with a nice carp set-up and a really stupid 4 lb eel takes the bait. What does he do? (I'd like to know as well)

 

Phone

(I've never caught an eel)

[philocalist]

So he's already rigged with a nice carp set-up and a really stupid 4 lb eel takes the bait. What does he do? (I'd like to know as well)

 

That about sums it up ... though I'm not after carp either, so the gear in use is likely to be considerably lighter - there are some seriously big perch in there (but apparently no pike), so lobworms / fish baits / prawns are likely to be on the menu, and equally attractive to any passing eel, no? :-)

Had a look at the NAC site before posting, and the article on there about unhooking / handling seems to gloss over any potential problems, with the main resolution being to cut the line / trace and let the eel swim off to hopefully get rid of the hook.

 

I like the idea of dangling / unhooking ... I guess one of my biggest questions here is regarding the possibility of getting bitten by a bigger eel - and what to do under those circumstances ... without an eel-friendly alternative I'd be taking no prisoners under those conditions

 

Also, as pointed out smaller stuff / bootlaces can be a bit of a nightmare - any advice re handling the small stuff?

Edited July 21, 2012 by philocalist

[poledark]

Phone, if he is using Carp tacl;e then it should be strong enough to lift a 5lb Eel

 

Phil, Even works with bootlaces, but they do wriggle a bit more

 

Den

 

PS never been bitten yet

[Leon Roskilly]

I guess one of my biggest questions here is regarding the possibility of getting bitten by a bigger eel - and what to do under those circumstances ... without an eel-friendly alternative I'd be taking no prisoners under those conditions stuff / bootlaces can be a bit of a nightmare - any advice re handling the small stuff?

 

 

They have no teeth, and don't bite

 

 

Dangling?

 

Hmmm!

 

They have a habit of lifting their tail, entwining it around their body and using it to coil up and wrap themselves around the line.

 

Nightmare!

 

If they show any sign of doing this while being dangled, give them a shake so that their tail drops back down.

[Crucian]

First of all only use barbless or circle hooks! When you land them laythem on a mat and cover their eyes with one hand and stroke them full length of their body with the other (make sure its wet to avoid removing slime) after a while they will become still and calm....keep stroking for a bit longer.Then you can unhook a lot easier and indeed hold them reasonably easy if you wiosh for a photo.Works most of the time but there are exceptions.Not deep ghooking them in the first place is the key.

 

Budgie, I tried this stroking thing, 'why not' I thought..... but it coughed, and then started to shrink.... became much more placid after that... Did I stroke for too long?