OK. I have around 6 left and still frozen. some have been frozen and defrosted several times. Have many of you continued, "with results" using rigged eels "the next season". ?

Otherwise, next year's tomatoe plants will be grateful ?

Keep 'em. You'll never know when you need them and they will catch. I rigged some eels this year that had been in my freezer for over a year and did well with them. If I remember correctly John Skinner also references going large with some year old riggies in "A Season on The Edge" and I would trust him when it comes to riggies.

Give them to me and I will let you know how they work.

Sushi
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I have a few that have been used, reused, and reused for about 3 seasons.. I salted the crap out of them to kill them before rigging..Toughened them right up,,,Then wrapped them separately and just keep using and reusing them,,, Some are pretty worn out but still catch.. they also still give me a few snaps when I stretch them out,,,,.... I am trying to put off rigging more for as long as I can,,,

cover with kosher salt... they did that to elvis.

Like alot of plugs you use.The older they get,the better they get.

When the meat starts falling off the bone,can em!!

Skin them and salt them in a jar. I have a jar full in my refer that are at least 9 years old. I think I have a few that are still on rigs for the ditch. Gotta dig them out and get the lead out. I wonder what happened to the lead after soaking in the salt for a year ??:fury:

Skip will show ya how to rig a skin plug:uhuh:

Brine them and save them in the freezer. They'll never really freeze solid. I saw some skin lures treated this way recently from the 70's! They were skins brined and stored in the freezer between seasons, sewn to resemble eels.

keep them for sure. I once caught bass on one at at Montauk Thanksgiving weekend and then refroze the used ones and caught fish on them in RI on Memorial day weekend.

Definitely save them

cover with kosher salt... they did that to elvis.

LMAO:)

I keep mine frozen in solid block in a small tupperware container. Add a little salt to the water.

Frank,
I leave my eelbobs and eels rigged on spoons in brine over the winter. They actually work better as they get older and turn blue because they are more like a "lure" than traditional rigged eels. Just make sure to check/test the hooks and rigging next season before you use them. Depending on what materials you used in rigging them the hooks may weaken(I've had them break on fish) from electrolysis and the knots may also weaken.

I always start from scratch with traditional riggies (NY/CapeCod style) because I think FRESH eels make a huge difference when using them. They tend to lose their color and scent after a few freezes and thaws. They still catch but nothing works as well as a rigged eel made with a FRESH DEAD EEL and kept on ice for use later that night.

DZ

Fry them up! Go great with eggs in the morning.:biglaugh: