Hi guys and girls i have a ? i dont want any places i just want to know if i can have some advise on fishing Eels i have only done it once and just need some tips on how to fish them. Do i bring them in fast or slow dead or alive it might sound dumb to ask but it is some thing i would like to improve on thanks for any advise and tight lines.

There are three speeds to fish live eels...slow,slower,and even slower than that. Live is better than dead unless you rig the dead ones.I prefer dead rigged eels to live but many will argue about that preference.
For live eels you need to develop the poise to not get all herky jerky if you feel a fish take it. Ideally you give some slack (by dropping rod tip and sometimes free spooling line) then set the hook a few seconds after the fish runs with it.

I like a lively eel, at least to start. Cast and retreive slowly. The first cast i usually bring them in a bit quicker to avoid an eel ball then after that they relax and i reel them in slowly. Painfully slow, enough to keep tension on the line. There are times that a dead eel will work just fine, but my preferance is always alive and kicking. When i cast them out the depth of water plays a role in when i start the retreive, they usually head right to the bottom. So letting them swim for a bit in deeper water will get them down. There are a million threads on how to fish an eel. Thats pretty much what i do when i hook one on.

Also when a lively eel is about to get nailed you will feel it go a little nutty most of the time That is a good time to give it a little slack And wait for it to be picked up.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Conventional or spin?

I think there was a very informative post about fishing eels in the "How to, FAQ Forum" some years ago. I am not sure if you can still access this though.

This question is kinda like how do I tie a knot, there are tons of different ways to fish eels depending on your situation and a lot of it is personal preference.

Are you fishing from a boat or from shore?

Shore - I like live eels, I fish them so slow you would think I wasn't even reeling. 20 inch leader to a 7/0 J hook through the head and drag it over a boulder field. The info up top is right, you will lose fish to premature sets so drop the tip and let her take it before setting the hook. If your using a conventional as soon as you feel the tap dis engage and let her run, then set up on her.

Boat - Use a 3 way swivel at the end of your braid, then 24 inch leader to a weight (depends on depth and current) and off the other side a 12 inch leader to the circle hook. Drag this SOB real slow over structure and get ready. You can also cast and retrieve eels over structure, just remember SLOW is the way to go.

Google fishing with eels and more info than you'll read in a day will come up on this topic.

eel fishing is like plug fishing in alot of ways... some nights a slow retrieve is best, but on many nights, I've cranked them across the surface fast enough to make a "V" wake.. this is a very effective full moon tactic.. i've caught alot of fish, and some very big ones in this manner....other nights, I use the weight of the line to retrieve the eel by slowly lifting the rod and "feeling" the eel swim towards the pressure.. then quiclky retrieveing the slack.. I cant count the times the eel has been slammed when I pause to reel in the slack..... some times ( and this seems to have been the best method this season) fishing them like you would a nymph.. thus Night shift and I have termed the method nymphing.. this requires a controlled drift , we are employing this from a slowly moving boat, casting ahead at about 11:00, but it also works well in a horizontal flow along the beach.. cast up quartering the flow, allow the eel to swim along parellel to the beach.. reel only as much as needed to keep a tight line.. this acomplishes two things... it allows the eel to presented in a natural manner, but it covers more of the water collum... the top at the begininng, deeper straight out, and once again rising to the top as the "drift" is completed...it is a deadly method of presenting a live eel...

for normal casting and retrieving, I prefer and eel that has been "used" a bit, with just enough life to curl it's tail... IMHO, this allows the bait to be controled better than a live, kicking and twisting one, especialy if there is any fire in the water.. for nymphing, I prefer live.. as lively as possible, mainly because you are depending on the serpant to do most of the work.. these methods are best suited for fishing shallow water, in most cases less than 6' deep..

for hooking an eel, some like ice.. i dont ice mine.. I keep them in a double bucket, the "insert" bucket has a few dozen holes in the bottom to allow the slime to drain out... if the eels are still wet, I'll use a rag, but most nights, they are dried out and "tacky" enough for me to grab "em bare handed... if you jamb your thumb under the base of the jaw ( belly side) the little wiggler will go limp and can be eaisily hooked.. be aware, once you release the "stunner". the little bugger will be some kind of mad and attempt to tie a knot.. so get it in the water pronto!

for hooks, I like smaller than most.. 4/0 gamigatsu octopuss style J hook work well for me..bigger hooks require more muscle to set and heavier lines.. use them if you like... I like a "shock" leader of 18" of 30lb floro... when you feel the "tap" which sometime will be very subtle.. other feels like you were hit by a train, drop the rod tip, allow the line to come tight, when you feel the weight.. . put the tongs to her... no matter how light the hit.. big fish surprise you sometime on how delicatly they can take a bait... using this method I rarely gut hook a fish.. most are hooked in the roof of the mouth or in the lip.. Maybe 1 in 50 is down deep.. I think the key is shallow water, if I was drifting deep, where feeling the hit would be delayed, I'd be using circles two sizes larger...as i said in the open.. eels are almost as versatile as plugs... this is just a few of the methods that bring hundreds of big bass to my boat each season..

tight lines
Roc

eel fishing is like plug fishing in alot of ways... some nights a slow retrieve is best, but on many nights, I've cranked them across the surface fast enough to make a "V" wake.. this is a very effective full moon tactic.. i've caught alot of fish, and some very big ones in this manner....other nights, I use the weight of the line to retrieve the eel by slowly lifting the rod and "feeling" the eel swim towards the pressure.. then quiclky retrieveing the slack.. I cant count the times the eel has been slammed when I pause to reel in the slack..... some times ( and this seems to have been the best method this season) fishing them like you would a nymph.. thus Night shift and I have termed the method nymphing.. this requires a controlled drift , we are employing this from a slowly moving boat, casting ahead at about 11:00, but it also works well in a horizontal flow along the beach.. cast up quartering the flow, allow the eel to swim along parellel to the beach.. reel only as much as needed to keep a tight line.. this acomplishes two things... it allows the eel to presented in a natural manner, but it covers more of the water collum... the top at the begininng, deeper straight out, and once again rising to the top as the "drift" is completed...it is a deadly method of presenting a live eel...

for normal casting and retrieving, I prefer and eel that has been "used" a bit, with just enough life to curl it's tail... IMHO, this allows the bait to be controled better than a live, kicking and twisting one, especialy if there is any fire in the water.. for nymphing, I prefer live.. as lively as possible, mainly because you are depending on the serpant to do most of the work.. these methods are best suited for fishing shallow water, in most cases less than 6' deep..

for hooking an eel, some like ice.. i dont ice mine.. I keep them in a double bucket, the "insert" bucket has a few dozen holes in the bottom to allow the slime to drain out... if the eels are still wet, I'll use a rag, but most nights, they are dried out and "tacky" enough for me to grab "em bare handed... if you jamb your thumb under the base of the jaw ( belly side) the little wiggler will go limp and can be eaisily hooked.. be aware, once you release the "stunner". the little bugger will be some kind of mad and attempt to tie a knot.. so get it in the water pronto!

for hooks, I like smaller than most.. 4/0 gamigatsu octopuss style J hook work well for me..bigger hooks require more muscle to set and heavier lines.. use them if you like... I like a "shock" leader of 18" of 30lb floro... when you feel the "tap" which sometime will be very subtle.. other feels like you were hit by a train, drop the rod tip, allow the line to come tight, when you feel the weight.. . put the tongs to her... no matter how light the hit.. big fish surprise you sometime on how delicatly they can take a bait... using this method I rarely gut hook a fish.. most are hooked in the roof of the mouth or in the lip.. Maybe 1 in 50 is down deep.. I think the key is shallow water, if I was drifting deep, where feeling the hit would be delayed, I'd be using circles two sizes larger...as i said in the open.. eels are almost as versatile as plugs... this is just a few of the methods that bring hundreds of big bass to my boat each season..

tight lines
Roc

This guy knows eels and has the pictures to prove it :btu:

As you can see there is amost no wrong way to do it. Dont overthink it. Get out there, sling that thing as far as you can, let it drop and bring it in SLOWLY! Enjoy!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I think there was a very informative post about fishing eels in the "How to, FAQ Forum" some years ago. I am not sure if you can still access this though.


I should probably update but here: Striped-Bass Fishing | Fishing Live Eels (http://striped-bass.com/striper-fishing/index.php/articles/fishing-articles/14-fishing-live-eels)

I kill em and rig em, no more hassles and that second hook picks up a lot of fish that I think I might miss with a live one :)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I kill em and rig em, no more hassles and that second hook picks up a lot of fish that I think I might miss with a live one :)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

That's one of the biggest reasons I prefer them too.

On a sand beach, especially if it's rough or an in your face wind...I like to bottom fish these things...right in the undertow, sliding sinker, etc.,...especially when Numbskull is with me, running all over the place tiring himself out trying to power cast plugs (when he had two good legs).

A trick I learned from some old MV Islanders...hook the eel through the tail, about 2-3" from the end. You'll not get an eel ball. Also, said hook doesn't rip out; the eel stays markedly alive as opposed to a head hook. You can catch multiple fish on one eel. Last year, I caught 8 fish on one eel, and even though it was beat to a pulp, the eighth fish was the largest. That's a worthwhile way to spend $1.75.

here's a little "tip" i garnered from Daignault's "Striper Surf",

after you've hooked the live eel, under the center of the jaw and out the eye socket, i ALWAYS hold tension on it for a minimum of 90 seconds. not enough to break it's back, but enough to keep it from going bat-bleep crazy before you can cast it into the strike zone. i also kind of let it dangle and bob it every now and then as i make my way to my perch allowing the weight of the eel to keep it straight. that is, if ya don't go with the above MV method,,,,,,,,,,

i haven't had the dreaded eel ball in six years since employing this tactic. also, for me, i transport my eels in one of those cheap softsided coolers from Wal-Mart and i always take a gallon-sized ziploc filled with 2 trays of ice in it, placed on top of the eels, to keep them sleepy and chilled until i get to the rocks. and i would echo the rag(old t-shirts)/sand techinique for grabbing them.

low and slohhhhhhh, 12 to 6(look for the hit on the drop), and a loose drag is my mantra for the retrieve; yet the first retrieve is quicker to get the eel acclamated to being hooked, as others have said. i would concur with at least a "three count" per 10 feet of depth that allows your slithery one to seek bottom. lastly, until i make contact i pop the rod lightly so as to "feel" the where and the when my eel is, in relation to where i "think" i casted it. just gives me bearing on the darker, foggier, surfier nights.

on the hookset~~~ DEFINITELY, bow to the cow for at least 3 seconds!! then, if using braid and circle hooks just "roll" the hook into her maw. with mono and any other hook, ya need to "cross her eyeballs" with the set. and then? let her ruuuuun,,,,,,,,, i also like to rig eeeeels and they can be MOST effective and are an excellent bang for yer dead eeeels buck! ah but that is another post entirely.

another school of thought is to let them swim in the strike zone with the Cap't Morgan's pose for 3-5 mins. and then begin the retrieve, which is what worked for me acoupla weeks ago. just be sure to do this after the eel has come back "clean" several times, or i'll do it as the eel approaches the last half of it's liveliness.

the key to fishing with eeeeeels is this, to keep at it until you find your groove and what instills the most confidence for you and what helps you to be the most effective once you've mastered the fundamentals. you will miss fish, you will get ghost bumps, you will have monster takes by schoolies, you will have double/triple takes by the same fish or many fish, you will have tiny takes by biggs, and everything inbetween; yet, thankfully, the eels do most of the work. IF there are feesh there, then they WILL find them!!

hope this helps, and WELCOME to the dark side!! for you will go LAHHHHHGE
and it will happen more often with the slippery, slimy, ones :uhuh: :uhuh: :uhuh: