How are you guys slowing your eels down

this is how I do it......but I just read something a little different last night from a surfcasting legend

Ice them down.....put ice in a ziplock freezer bag....that way when the ice melts..the eels don't drown.

Here's the conflict

I have always grabbed the eel by the head and given them a couple of firm snaps on a rock...so i am hitting the mid to lower section of their body on the rock

Reading a note from a legendary surfcaster last night, he held the eel by the body and snapped their head on the rocks

wouldn't this kill the eel?

what method are you using..and how is the eels reaction to getting a couple of snaps to the head if you are doing it that way

thanks

I just ice them, in a mesh bag, no ziplocs...
I want them lively. some nights it doesnt matter, but alot of the times a struggling eel gets more hits than a dead one IMHO...

I just keep them a big shallower/faster retrieve on the first cast...

I smack them if I'm having alot of trouble getting them on the hook. Otherwise, grab them and with a brillo pad and hook them. they usually calm down after a couple casts.

I just ice them, in a mesh bag, no ziplocs...
I want them lively. some nights it doesnt matter, but alot of the times a struggling eel gets more hits than a dead one IMHO...

I just keep them a big shallower/faster retrieve on the first cast...
I hear ya bryan

never a leader wreck?

Very rare Jim, but never say never. maybe once every few nights

I hold the head and smack the whole length on a rock , tire , etc.

Sometimes thay are sluggish anyway and you do nothing. Also , on the beach , I toss them in the sand. that makes them easy to grip and the sand slows them down a little until you cast them. As was already said , a few casts and they calm right down.

Same as rock... ice, no whack.

I third the ice, no whack
Sometimes I get a leader mess but its rare. I make sure the eel is in the water most of the time so the dont tangle.

I just toss a set of brass knuckles on and really beat the daylights out of the little pr*cks.:jester:

I just toss a set of brass knuckles on and really beat the daylights out of the little pr*cks.:jester:

:bl2: Sometimes they make ya want to. Like when ya drop one on the sand and it heads towards the water......usually get a size 11 boot. That and 240#s usually quiets them down.

How are you guys slowing your eels down

this is how I do it......but I just read something a little different last night from a surfcasting legend

Ice them down.....put ice in a ziplock freezer bag....that way when the ice melts..the eels don't drown.

Here's the conflict

I have always grabbed the eel by the head and given them a couple of firm snaps on a rock...so i am hitting the mid to lower section of their body on the rock

Reading a note from a legendary surfcaster last night, he held the eel by the body and snapped their head on the rocks

wouldn't this kill the eel?

what method are you using..and how is the eels reaction to getting a couple of snaps to the head if you are doing it that way

thanks

Something is wrong there. I do it the way you do. Hitting their head is likely to kill them.

The dilemma as I see it: at least in my experience, the amount of ice a surfcaster can easily carry, does not do much to slow down "frisky" eels during the hooking process! The second they feel that hook- point, ice or no, they go bonkers for me every time! So I gave up on carrying ice... who needs more weight when walking miles of beach?

The ultimate best solution I've found is to use live, but "non- frisky" eels! These are my favorite-- for me, these are the dozen or so that've been in my cooler for 2- 3 days. As long as they curl up after hooked, & retain the curl each retrieve, they're fine to use-- better even than "frisky" ones IMO!

But I'm a firm believer in never "wacking" eels, even frisky ones! They do die much more quickly after doing so-- a non- wacked eel can be cast for an hour+ often & not die, if never hit! And I know for sure good Bass can still easily catch these frisky non- wacked eels: I've caught hundreds of 20+ lb. Bass on eels from the great Backside... and nary a rock to wack an eel on if I wanted to North of Chatham! :huh:

Key is to get the frisky eel into the water ASAP after hooking: like in one second! I false- cast & put him right at my feet in the water to calm him down immediately... (figure- 8'ing him with the rod tip)... then quick/ snap cast him out after 10- 30 seconds before he knows what's going on! Doing this eel- balls/ snarls (for me) are rare-- but some will always happen, it's just part of the game... :humpty:

I whack em on the rocks. When I'm on sand I whack em on my knees. Not to kill - just to slow em down. When they slow down - I can slow down too.

DZ

I ice them in a bucket for 20-30 min before i go, then into a soft sided cooler with a ziplock bag of ice.

i carry them in a soft sided cooler with ice in a zip lock. grab them with a brillo pad. Whether or not I smack them is an eel by eel decision based on how active it is - I usually don't. When I do whack them, its about 1/3 of the way up from the tail, never near the head. There's a great line in one of Laptew's videos about not hitting them on the head so they keep their faculties. I think bob rochetta says it.

I ice them in a bucket for 20-30 min before i go, then into a soft sided cooler with a ziplock bag of ice.

Yup, saved me some typing.

I too use a soft sided cooler with the eels in a mesh bag. I use a frozen bottle of water instead of ice cubes. That way I can through away the bottle at the end of the night and the eels don't drown. I used to wack them against a rock when I carried them in a bag on my hip but I rarely need to now because of the cooler. Whether or not hitting them kills them makes no difference to me. My biggest fish have all come on dead eels.

I don't even use one the 3m scotch pads anymore. The cool eels are easy to grab. When it is cooler out and I wear my Aquaskinz gloves, they provide plenty of grip to grab an eel plus you don't get the slime on your skin.

Jim-all good points. also add some bubble weed to your eel cont. to keep them off the bottom of it. the better you ice them down the less trouble you'll have with them later.

Ell balls are much more common with "frisky" eels. Another trick the old timers use is out a cigarette butt in with them, the nicotine slows them down. Problem is you have to know how much to use or you might kill them.

I don't do anything with them for the most part. They go from the livewell to my cooler, and then into my pickle jar. The pickle jar has holes drilled into the bottom and I just throw a handful of ice on them.The melted ice and slime drip out the bottom. I never beat them up. One of my mentors fishes them completely dead. He puts them in a bucket of lukewarm water before leaving the house to kill them, then they go on ice.

I ice them down pretty good and they dont get too rowdy. I dont beat 'em either, I dont want my live bait dead. I like them pretty damn squirmy, wide awake or not, they're only moving as fast as you bring 'em in. I cant tell you how many times I 've free spooled an eel that just freaked out (because it was'nt beat to near death) given it a 5 count and setup on fish.

Funny you mention that the other night came across this guy that it seemed wanted to fish his live bait dead, I mean he was BEATING on the things. I was in the shadows giggling to myself..

Whether or not hitting them kills them makes no difference to me. My biggest fish have all come on dead eels.

SteveK,

Agree!

I agree as well
most of my big fish have come on dead eels

I truely believe that a big fish....I'm talking the 40 and 50 lb class do not want to exert much energy..I think they would have an easier time tracking down a slow or dead eel as opposed to one that is way to frisky and is all over the place

I just ice them, in a mesh bag, no ziplocs...
I want them lively. some nights it doesnt matter, but alot of the times a struggling eel gets more hits than a dead one IMHO...

I just keep them a big shallower/faster retrieve on the first cast...

yes

Soft cooler bag with one frozen blue pack. I put the bag with the eels and blue pack in the fridge a couple of hours before heading out. Shop rag or green scrubbie to handle. If slime coat is an issue I bring a bleached rag out and take off the slime. Had some good fish on the bleached eels. Like a giant white sluggo.

As Bryan knows, I have used a plastic 1 gallon Mayo jar with holes drilled in the bottom and in the lid. I have a clip tied to the jar and the lid snaps on so I also tie the lid onto the side of the jar. I ice them down and throughout the night the ice melts and the water drains away. I usually don't smack them in anything but I will tell you the #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& smacks their heads on rocks to slow them down.
I have to find that jar because my old log books tell me that a certain place gave up 30# fish on Sept 1, 2 and 3 for about 4 years straight. I may have to hit the surf again for those nights.

I use a frozen bottle of water instead of ice cubes. That way I can through away the bottle at the end of the night and the eels don't drown.

And it's a nice cold drink in the middle of the night after it's melted some. I've been thinking about freezing gatorade or something.

I too use the mayo jar but very rarely use ice unless most of my eels are on the small side,the small ones are the wildest ones most likely to give you problems.so most of the time I do nothing other then what lecounts said and that is to get them in the water fast even before the first cast.I love when I feel that eel freaking out sending disstress signals.

Do you ever tickle an eels eyes to see if it is still alive??

Same here as mostly all, ziploc ice or frozen water bottle, no whack....U're a sick man RM...

Ice

Hope I'm not reincarnated as an eel.

Do you ever tickle an eels eyes to see if it is still alive??

It usually lets ya know when it feels the first pierce of steel:hihi: