Im going out for a 12 hour marathon on my buddies boat tonight. Ive never thrown eels off a boat before, but have heard that 3-waying is a killer technique. Im just not exactly sure how to make the rig and what kind of underwater structure and depths where i would want to use it(anchored up or drifting). Also any other techniques or advice for eeling from boat would be appreciated. I got eels down pretty good from shore but have 0 experience on da boat.

Thanks

eels from a boat?

only advice i got is be careful where you sling, because if your not, it may lead to THIS (http://eatthekitty.com/hooked.jpg)

and if you are.. it leads to THIS (http://eatthekitty.com/newportkeeper.jpg) 20 mins later...

Nice bjs, the hook still in your head when your holding the fish?? :laugha:

hook was in my head the rest of the night.

That was 9pm... We left at 4am.. Got to the emergency room about 5:30

:yak6:

3-way rigs are supposed to be killer. But I have used a more straight forward method to date. I just run the hook through the jaw and out the eye, cast and slow retrieve....while drifting. Since I am usually in less than 20 feet of water, the eels get down well enough on their own.

But if you are fishing a specific hole or spot, then anchor up and use the 3-way. I'm not an expert. I am just telling you what works for me.

3-way in deep 40' (?)water. Take a piece of leader tie a dropper loop up about a foot from one end and tie a loop knot on the tag end. Put hook through dropper loop put sinker in loop on the end tie other end to your line, swivel if you want one. Drop over side till you hit bottom always when drifting, leave reel in freespool with the clicker on and when you hear the buzzzzzzzzzzz set up.

Otherwise fish them with now weight the same places you surfcast from but on the water side get within a surfcast of the shore, throw your eel over as if you are surfcasting and drift with the eel in tow, reel in freespool and thumb on spool or clicker on. Watch out for rocks, you don't want to fish this way when there is big water or an onshore breeze.........

Chef, try no weight first, eels will usually head for the bottom anyhow.

if you can't get em down...
egg sinker above the swivel to the leader.

Egg sinkers on the line work fine if you're in relatively shallow water with little current. IN deeper water rips three waying is the way to go. You start with a 3 way swivel, tie the top eye to the line. Use a 2 foot peice of 10 pound test on the bottom eye and tie a sinker loop. on the thrid eye use at least a 4 foot leader (six is better) and tie your hook on the end. Add lead as necessary to hold bottom. This is trhe tried and true rig used to fish in the rips between block island and montauk, where the current screams.

1 ounce or half ounce rubber core sinker abou 2-3 ft above the eel itself.

Chef with the 3 way its hit or miss because: say for example you run your eel off the 3 way with 3 feet or flouro. The you run a bank sinker 3 oz or 2 oz on the other line, now the line for the weight has to be a bit longer that the 3 feet you're using for the eel, so the bass dont mouth the eel and drop it on the pick up. Fishing around the island we have had the best success in the past with the eel unweighted, although 3 waying did account for numerous bass in the 40's. We fishedthe with circle hooks and used them like plugs during the day and troll them at a drift at night. gami circles 5/0-7/0 to spro swivels. Im not sure if your buddy's boat is euipt with cannon clips (cannon makes the clip they're for downriggers Im pretty sure) What we would do, would be to letout 20-30yds of line, with the eel out there, rubber core three way or no weight. Then we would clip that to the cannon clip, we'd clip right to the outside edge of the cannon clip so the slightest tug would release the clip, then it was just a matter of reeling down, and waiting for the line to go taught(we used circles) I dont really think you'll need the weight unless you stop at the mud thing and the current is really crankin, aside from that you should be ok with no weight. The thing that sucks about the 3 way is that you'll also be fighting that 2 or 3 ounce weight when you're fighint a nice fish, and well if it THE ONE, it would suck to have that weight snag up on you and you loose a nice fish, so if you go with the 3 way, use a weaker lb test line than you main line, and leader. Hope this makes some sense and good luck bro konck em dead :kewl: and boat fish still wont count :hs:

Chef I have fished with two guides who specialize in 3 waying, one chunks bait the other fishes eels. The way Mako Mike describes it is the way to do it from the boat, when fishing deep water with a strong current. Both of these guys were commercial guys at one time or another. The key is to drop the weight to the bottom, and the reel up a couple of turns. You want to keep the sinker just off the bottom. Hold your rod at about a 45 degree angle, when a fish hits the eel, you will feel light tap-tap. Drop your tip into the water, this will feed the eel to the striper, count to 5 and set the hook. In some areas you may get away with 2 oz, but you may need to use up to 8oz of weight depending on how fast the drift is, you want that line straight up and down. Also every once in awhile drop you tip to see if you are on the bottom.

Thanks for all the advice , ill let you guys know how i make out.

yo billy...whats up or should I say whats down;)...you need to test them rods make sure they work.....slingin ta night in my tights;)

Tony right now I am watching the baby. We got to hook up, I have not been out yet. The rods are done? :jump:

Two ounces? Eight ounces? Where the heck are you guys fishing. IN the rips between BI and Montauk its not the least bit unusual on the moon tides to have to use 16 or 20 ounces to keep the eels down. One thing I forgot to mentions, but someone else pointed out. When you hit the bottom take two or three cranks up, and then hold your rod at a 45 degree angle to the water. Every couple of secondds drop the tip and see if you can feel bottom, if you can't adjust the line so that you can. Ideally you want the sinker about a foot off the bottom all the time.

mako said it about right, except some of the place i go to you fish those 16-20s banks on half moons! on full/new moon tides during the strength you need 24 ounces or more, or you just troll. the key to 3-waying is staying in contact with the bottom. if your line is out too far, reel up and drop down again. stay in steady contact with the bottom. if you are steadily hitting bottom, reel up a few cranks. if you can't feel bottom, drop down again until you can. as for a rig, a 3-way swivel w/ about 50# loop about 6" to a foot of the swivel. then, 3' to 6' of line to a jig, eel, or whatever on the other end. never anchor to 3 way; you drift. if you anchor, you cast eels. and, you better be using braid in heavy tide rips.

nice thing about useing the swivil is that you can tie on your weight with a weaker line. That way if you get hung up, you only loose a sinker and not a snake.

Personally I will not fish the bottom if I need 10+ oz to hold. I feel like the bait would be spinning in current like that....I would break out the wire-line and start the motor.

got a few barely keepers and a bunch of blues, $^%# boats , i do better from shore. Got some on eels, then started trolling the niner rig. I couldnt even tell i had a fish on most the time with the niner rig, not much fun.

Better fish are out there.... just starting to pick up....

Marked a lot of larger fish just didnt get any to bite. Got plenty of eel for tonight left though :vamp: