I have access to a small stream and I want to build an eel cage. I am planning on using glavanized hardware cloth with a mesh size of about 3/8 of an inch and a plywood top with a door in it. I am thinking that a cube about 18" on a side should be close to big enough. Does anyone have any experience with such a bait box? I am hoping to sacrifice less leftovers to the fish gods at the end of the night.

when eels r left in a wire cage for some time they chew up their nose trying to get out. they also like the dark , give it a try an see what happens.

I store eels using a simple, cheap method that works great and have found no better.

1) Go to Home Depot and buy a new 5 gal paint buck with locking lid. (these are great! you should buy several)

2) get a 3/8 in drill bit and drill a series of holes all around the entire bucket , top and bottom and sides. (about 50 holes all together)

3) Find a rock the size of a grapefruit.

4) insert Rock in paint bucket

5) Tie a line to the handle of the bucket

6) Insert up no more then 50 eels per bucket.

7) Put lid on bucket

8) put eel bucket in the water next to a nearby dock or convienent retreval place.


This has worked for many years for me and the total cost is about 5 bucks. It has kept eels alive for over a year easy, without any food. I found that very few will die. The few that do get eaten by their roomates. I have 3 doz at the end of my dock right now. One year on block I had 200 eels in 2 buckets without any problems. (I had a good flush of water there, I would keep the eels/bucket to about 50 or so but you could go higher)

If you buy 2 buckets, keep one solid (no holes), this way you can nest the one with the holes (and eels) inside the the solid one to transport. It surves as a catch basin for the slime (Which is great with italian bread!:D )...You could also put a small block of ice in the solid bucket to keep them cool with out havine the eels come in direct contact with an iceblock. (this is the real secret to keeping them alive and happy, de-simed and cool)


So for 10 bucks you have a eel storage system....

good luck.

Here I am killing myself over the "right" way to do it and when will I get a chance. I have a few drywall buckets and lids left around. :happy:

50 eels, the next time I go in a shop and get asked how many pounds, I'll just whip out the bucket...............

:btu: good 1

Bucket is a good idea. I heard a black bucket is better if you can find one. i guess the eels change color to match their environment. or just short storage , I guess any bucket would be OK.

if ya can't find a dark one, just spray paint the inside. all of my eel buckets are black, and i no longer have to fish white eels.

Great minds thinking alike.....I have used the bucket method described above for the past 10 years and it is awesome.....I also use the bucket as a "bait-well" on my 19' boat......simply hang it over the side, and away you go.....just remeber to bring it in befoire powering up.....I've made that mistake and lost a busket.

So thats why my eels kept turning white!

Mr. Sandman, I took your advice and built a bucket. Luckily I had one with a screw on lid. I painted the inside black and threw a rock in. It worked perfectly, every live eel I put in stayed that way. They stayed balck as well. The half dead ones died and man were they FUNKY after a week. It was great to be able to re-use bait that would otherwise be wasted.:happy:

I find that once you use an eel for fishing, then return it to the "custom storage facility", it normailly dies, so now don't put "used" eels back in...I let them go, I figured they earned their freedom. I always take the dead ones out of the bucket.

The last few trip I have used the mesh bag for carrying them around (instead of a container). I have found that if you put too many in the bag that about 25% die by the end of the night. Last night I put about 6 in there and they seemed to make it OK. I dunk them in now and then to keep them wet. I like the idea of keeping them on my belt, the only thing in my hands is my rod which makes for easy hiking. Lately I have spent more time walking then fishing.

Last night I ended up feeding a lot of rat blues expensive bait.

Mr Sandman,

I tried your method and it works great. BTW you can get black buckets at Lowes for 4 bucks each.