Just got home from a great night using eels. Plenty of fish and a few fatties around 40"

I fish plugs and rubba about 95% of the time but have come to the realization that I would like to fish eels more often.

Tonight I went out with 4 eels. By the time I hit the water 2 were dead. The 2 live eels were notabely more effective than the dead ones. I scored fish on the dead ones but they deffinately didn't get as much attention.

Hoping you guys would be willing to share how you care for your eels from the time you leave the bait shop to how you actually carry them into the surf. I don't have the luxury of a live well/eel tank because I live in an apartment with limited space. Usually pick up the eels at the shop before it closes at 6:00 and start fishing about an hour after dark.

Thanks in advance for the help.

-Luds

Just got home from a great night using eels. Plenty of fish and a few fatties around 40"

I fish plugs and rubba about 95% of the time but have come to the realization that I would like to fish eels more often.

Tonight I went out with 4 eels. By the time I hit the water 2 were dead. The 2 live eels were notabely more effective than the dead ones. I scored fish on the dead ones but they deffinately didn't get as much attention.

Hoping you guys would be willing to share how you care for your eels from the time you leave the bait shop to how you actually carry them into the surf. I don't have the luxury of a live well/eel tank because I live in an apartment with limited space. Usually pick up the eels at the shop before it closes at 6:00 and start fishing about an hour after dark.

Thanks in advance for the help.

-Luds

Keep them on ice, in a container that can drain. I made an insert for a small cooler. It has holes so the ice/eel slime can drain through into the bottom of the cooler.

I have one fo those small plastic minnow buckets with the hinged lid. I drilled some holes in the bottom so the slime cna drain and I put ice in it and throw the eels in. I carry it in my car inside another bucket with a rock in the bottom so they don't drown in water and slime. I have kept eels a couple days by dumping the slimy water and keeping up with the ice.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/showthread.php?t=9001

I don't bother with the top ice tray. Either way is equally effective at keeping the slimy buggers lively for a long time.

I've used a two bucket system with one having wholes and the other to catch the slime and water. I must not have kept enough ice on them.

Keep the ice above them and let it melt onto them. Make the slime drain holes large enough so they don't get clogged.

Keep the ice above them and let it melt onto them. Make the slime drain holes large enough so they don't get clogged.
I have kept plenty alive for over a week this way, just add ice everyday and drain bottom one every other day......

Keep the ice above them and let it melt onto them. Make the slime drain holes large enough so they don't get clogged.
what tynan said.....holes get clogged with slime...eels die
they will stay alive for days...keep up with the ice...keep bucket out of the sun

I usually carry my eels in a small mesh laundry type bag on my wader belt....Aquaskinz makes one with a clip...just make sure you buy the clip...its a seperate item.....it should come with it but doesnt:hee:

A quick and easy method is to use ice sealed in a large ziplok freezer bag inside a small six-pack cooler. Its not as good as a double bucket with drains, but it keeps the melt water inside the ziplok and the eels will stay cool without a lot of extra water added to their slime so they dont drown.

When I get to the beach I use a 6 dollar walmart soft cooler and one of those plastic frozen ice containers. No melt but keeps them chilled for hours.

Luds...soft sided cooler, a rag, and one of those ice pack things..the ones with the blue stuff. Put the ice pack in there..wet the rag, and put the rag between the ice pack and the eels...keeps them nice and calm and alive for a long time.
Just make sure u know where u squirrel away ure bag on the shore if the tide is coming in..or when u get off ure rock it just may have disappeared...:boots:

I've used a two bucket system with one having wholes and the other to catch the slime and water. I must not have kept enough ice on them.
I have the 2 bucket system, just put a frozen water bottle with a few holes in it with them. Left a dozen in my car last night and they were fine.

Soft sided cooler:kewl: Put drain holes in the plastic insert

Thanks fellas. I knew it would be simple. Just needed some comfirmation on what the best methods are.

For really simple put them in a 5 gallon bucket with NO water. Keep them from baking in the sun and you'll be fine. I kept 18 eels that way in one bucket for a week in the back of the garage.

Any water at all and they will die. For example, my gf was kind enough to pick up a dozen for me once. Even though I told her - no water, and she told the bait shop owner - no water, they put a few inches of water in the bucket. An hour later when she got home, 3 were dead.

on the rare ocasion that i use eels i will collect some bubble weed from teh rocks before i go home- i put the bubbleweed in a dry bucket and toss my eels in it when i get home- they will live for days in there if you keep them cool.

The bait shop where I get eels puts them in a heavy ziplock bag with no water. I put them bag and all right in my cooler. When I go fishing that night I put ice in another big ziplock bag and take the insert out of one of my surfbags. Ice on the bottom, bag of eels on top. In the morning I rinse what eels are left off in salt water, drain the bag and throw them back in the cooler. Every time I hook one up they wake right up.

3 buckets is nice , 2 buckets will do. After drilling the holes in the top bucket , be sure to get all the plastic drill fillings out befoire adding the eels. Add ice , let water and slime drip into bottom bucket. A litle seaweed helps. If you keep them moist with melting ice , they will last indefinately.

This one right here is the shizznit. I've kept them alive in the garage for weeks in this. When I head out I throw them in a mesh bag that I hang on my wader belt and throw some ice on them in the bag. Dunk'em every once in awhile.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/showthread.php?t=9001&highlight=bucket