Wingham Fish-In dates 2013

[Dave H]

2- 4lbers?...Christ!!!. Did you get plagued by smaller ones too?

Are you saying they were caught on a bolt rig or free running mate. I think you were on Logs is that correct?

have you any pictures (not dis believing it would just be nice to see).

 

Whatever mate well done and are you going to have a crack at them this year if you do get an invite

[Dick Dastardly]

I am pretty much convinced that the bulk of the eels in the coarse lake migrated a few seasons back. I base this on the simple observation that it was common to catch eels between the 2 and 3lb mark on the Coarse Lake when both targeting them and fish "live baits" such as worm or maggot for other species.So much so that many stopped using these baits at night for other species. You can now fish (and have been able to for three seasons) these baits and hardly see an eel.Any eels caught are (on average) a lot smaller than before.

 

When eels migrate its normally as an entire year class.The weights of a year class can obviously vary but will be pretty much the same ie the 2-3lbrs could have been the same year class.

 

What triggers them to migrate? no one knows for sure! Its known they have to be a certain size to be able to make the long journey but its not just attaining this size that dictates them doing the off.........or is it?

 

Some (usually the big eels of 5lb+fall into this category) eels never migrate! For some reason they either dont feel the urge to reproduce (sterile?/"gay" eels?) or physically cant escape the water they are in (so called "Prison Waters") When I commercially eel netted (silver eels in saltwater returning to sea) I NEVER saw an eel much over 4lb most were all around the 2-3lb mark.

 

So why haven't the 3-4lb eel class that live in the carp lake done the off? As I said its not known what exactly triggers migration but just because the Carp and Course lakes are very close they are not the same water and dont necessarily have the same "family"/year class of eels. These to may do the "off" any time now or not at all! we just dont know.I think we missed the boat on the good eeling the Coarse lake had to offer and dont want to do the same on the Carp Lake.

 

However as Steve has echoed what I have long said, due to the fact that not all eels migrate and that the Coarse Lake is a lot older I think there its still the best bet for a truly big eel. Just that now we are fishing for a lot less eels and a lot lower average size.

 

Location has been mentioned.I think its just a matter of there being so few possibly big eels that its simply a case of being in the right place at the right time. And who knows eel wise what that "right place" is!

 

Another point to be remembered is that the non migratory eel only has the potential to be huge...its not born huge! so any 1.5 -4lb eel caught out of the coarse lake now could be a non migratory one!

 

Many eel specialists believe that big eels are never recaptured.Now I simply dont know on this and have yet to hear any plausible theory as to why this is. I cant believe they are clever enough to "learn" and if this is true it could only be (like many pike we catch) that they simply die from the experience.But like I said I just dont (and dont believe anyone else does either) really know.But I'm blowed if I can ID individual eels!

 

All a mystery and simply because of two reasons, the most important being that so few fish for them and secondly so much bull is spoke about them (from non eel anglers and eel anglers alike!).

[Dick Dastardly]

have you any pictures (not dis believing it would just be nice to see).

 

Dave look up the catch reports from last years Fish In Im sure ATS put up photos on his report.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Dick Dastardly

[AddictedToScopex]

2- 4lbers?...Christ!!!. Did you get plagued by smaller ones too?

Are you saying they were caught on a bolt rig or free running mate. I think you were on Logs is that correct?

have you any pictures (not dis believing it would just be nice to see).

 

Whatever mate well done and are you going to have a crack at them this year if you do get an invite

I believe there are pics on the old wingham thread as budgie says. Yes I think I was on logs from memory. I am at work at the moment and don't have pics to hand. I was on a free running rig but a very short hook length (im talking 2-3" tops) so that the eel would get pricked very quickly upon moving the bait. I had a few smaller ones but most were of a good size. No bootlaces at all.

 

I certainly intend to put one rod over a similar groundbait again in the hope that I can emulate the success of last year.

Edited April 30, 2013 by AddictedToScopex

[Dave H]

Thanks budge as always a well written up view . I guess that's what has made me carry on in my quest for a 10lb eel in the course lake. For sure you will all here about it..LOL

I am concentrating on a few other swims this year. Budgie,,Do you believe that there is a best time of year to catch them. We all know that hot muggy nights are good but it sounds like late May could be good also considering there were anglers on every swim in the lake. somehow this could have brought the big ones out as it's not as if the weather was on their side. Imagine the huge amount of groundbait in the lake at once that is never repeated for the rest of the year?

It seems also that heavy baiting could be the trick. I have tried both but in one night i took 22 eels and not one over 2 1/2 pounds. I was knackered the next day i slept for 9 hours!!!

 

Addicted..Interest to see that a short hooklength on a free running rig was used.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Dave H

[Steve Walker]

Does seem unlikely to me that capture is fatal to big eels, given how reluctant to snuff it eels are when you want them to! Internal injuries from deep hooking apart, obviously. Could just be that big eels aren't caught very often full stop, so the chances of being caught twice on the run are very slim.

[Dick Dastardly]

Does seem unlikely to me that capture is fatal to big eels, given how reluctant to snuff it eels are when you want them to! Internal injuries from deep hooking apart, obviously. Could just be that big eels aren't caught very often full stop, so the chances of being caught twice on the run are very slim.

 

That seems far more likely to me as well Steve.

[Dave H]

I think i will leave the amateurs to catch the eels in the carp lake as obviously the eels have become like the carp in there and go for the more harder caught big speciman eel in the coarse lake for the thinking angler

[AddictedToScopex]

Addicted..Interest to see that a short hooklength on a free running rig was used.

Dave the short hooklength was used so that the weight of the lead was felt much quicker unless of course the line was pulled directly backwards which is probably unlikely. I would expect there to be some kind of angle on the pull. The resistance while only being slight was enough to prick the fish and get the hook in. They were very sharp hooks.

[Tigger]

I've found an ultra short hooklenght on a semi fixed weight is best to lip hook snig. A m8 of mine (miroku) uses a very short wire bottom and lip hooked all the eels he caught at Wingham. He could unhook them using forceps (long nosed pliers) without even fully removing them from the water.

 

I was fishing 20ft away from addict- Rik on Sunday when he had two eels...we weighed one at 4lb 2 ounce and another a bit smaller but we didn't weigh it as we could see it was lighter....I reckon about 3 1/2lb. The larger one was a very unusual colour being sky blue and having a dark grey marbelling ....like a python !! I've never seen a eel of that colouration before...it was very interesting.