Whats the best way to keep eels alive over an extended period of time. If I come down next weekend I may bring some eels with me, I fear they may be scarce by the time I get to RI. When I go now I use an ice pack in the bottom of my bucket, some wet news paper over that. This seems to work well but I never had to use them longer than a few hours.

For long storage , I like 3 buckets. Top bucket has a big block of ice (blocks outlast cubes about 4 to 1) with a lot of 1/4 inch holes in it. The next bucket has the eels in it with seaweed. This bucket also has lots of holes in the bottom. The bottom bucket has no holes. The idea is for the ice in the top bucket to keep everything cool and to drip water on the eels in the middle bucket to keep them moist. The bottom bucket just catches all the slime and melting water so it doesn't run all over the car carpet! :) You need to empty the bottom bucket every now and then so the water doesn't get high enough to get into the middle bucket with the eels and drown them. Don't worry about feeding them. If you keep ice in the top bucket , the eels will last many days.

Some people don't use a top bucket for ice. They put the eels and the cubes in one bucket. That works fine too but if you want to use block ice which lasts a lot longer , use the third top bucket.

Now that the question is answered , I would say that Don at Weekapaug Bait and Tackle ( which is ground zero for the tourney) knows we are coming and is not likely to run out of eels.

Personally, I use the 2 bucket method pretty effectively. The advantage is less stuff and the eels are iced down better and slowing their metabolism. The disadvantage is that you will still need to moisten the eels more freequently than you would with meltwater falling on top of the eels....

A large bucket with an aerater will keep them alive. I use this method just don't put too many in. For transporting the two bucket method with rock weed and ice.

For just a ride down to fish where we pick them up and fish that night and throw away or freeze extras , I use just 2 buckets with ice cubes but if I bring some home for longer storage , the extra bucket with a big block of ice means you can just throw them in and forget about them as long as the ice lasts.

Thanks guys. I may just bring down a few, and hopefully if they don't make there will be some to be had.