I am a little confused what a rigged eel is? Is it a rubber eel rigged up or a frozen dead eel?

Could be both.

Ive read about people saving thier dead eels and rigging them, then freezing them for later use.

http://www.striped-bass.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1483

Here's the best info I've ever seen on this. Still got a half dozen in the freezer from last year.

Thanks Hooked

Very good info Saltheart :D

In my opinion , rigged eels are the best overall striper lures for fishing in rocks or from a beach. I think they are just as attractive to the bass as a live eel and the extra hook in the tail results in more hookups than you get with the single head hook in a live eel.

Great thread! rigged eels are the one offering I have never used before... maybe one day I'll get around to it.

Anyone ever try stickin in a smaller, stinger hook in the tail of a live eel?

no,,but you can toss on some lead with an eel an toss him out just to sit on the bottom when it's to nasty to throw anything else.....it works well.

One of my favorite things in this world is to fish riggedeels in the early summer months here off the jetty's but the fishery seemed to disapear.We use a Tin Squid (like a spoon)acts like a swimplate makes the eel snake through the water.Man the stikes U would get sometimes would pull U off the rocks .very cool gets me all excited just thinkin bout it.I can't wait to use them In some northern spots I visited last summer.I Know they will crush bass. In the rockpiles.I use bow string to tie off my eels.Flat an waxed requires less nots as the wax don't slip.Like riggin thread but its black.I love fishin eels all different ways.In fact I am close to sellin all my plugs an goin to straight eels.can U say mega garage sale.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.No jigs for sale though.

Any of You guys have a Pic of one?

Think i could go buy the tackle store and get thier dead eels for free? WHat would you guys pay for a pre-rigged eel? Theres gotta be a decent market for these. I havent ever heard of them for sale.

Saltheart,
Have you ever used toilet chain as the leader material inside the eel??? I've met a couple of guys on the rocks who swore by toilet chain for fishing fast water or deep water......

Nope , never used toilet chain. the heavy mono is fine. i have never had a rigged eel break inside. not even when a bluefish got ahold of it.

Chef, I've asked around this board before and it does not look like anyone sells rigged eels. I would like to use them but don't have the stomach to rig them myself.

I'm content to use the live ones. They keep me company in the surf and they never complain that its too cold and dark.

Originally posted by Saltheart
Nope , never used toilet chain. the heavy mono is fine. i have never had a rigged eel break inside. not even when a bluefish got ahold of it.

I dont doubt the strength of the mono. What the old fellers told me was that the toilet chan would weight the eel down a bit, so it would stay on the bottom in heavy currents... I would think that the toilet chan would kind of kill the action a bit:huh:

Some of the hardcore guys even have different gauge chains (different weights) for different situations!

Cheferson -

Go by Edwards and ask for Joe Martins, he's an S-B member, tell him Crafty sent ya - they got eels in the freezer.

Then you can do a real "bait tail" by using the last 4-6" of the dead eel hooked on a jig head. Trust me, it works. ;) Just be sure the hook on the jig head is real stout, if you get my drift. In fact, PM me, I'll give ya some.

Waste not want not, as any good Yankee'll tell ya.