I purchased an eel trap last year that I am looking to put it to use this year. To those who catch there own eels I was wondering where the most productive places would be to set the trap and what bait do you guys use in your traps to bring them in. Also and most importantly, do I need some sort of license to do this legally? I am in CT.

GG

Bass heads :) and in the river :)
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eel grass beds in rivers. racks/heads for bait. and I hear horseshoe crabs work great

eel grass beds in rivers. racks/heads for bait. and I hear horseshoe crabs work great

hs crabs = konch bait

horseshoe crabs are are the best choice for trapping eels.broken clams work well also.then the racks of fish.eels tend to like soft muddy bottoms,eelgrass beds and marshs

Any kind of dead fish works. With the declining numbers in hs crabs I would use fish. Eels are scavengers and will eat anything
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Rhode island Law on Horseshoe Crabs

Horseshoe Crabs: No person shall harvest horseshoe crabs from waters or shoreline of the state during the 48-hour period preceding and the 48-hour period following the new and full moons during the months of May, June, and July annually. No person shall harvest horseshoe crabs for commercial or recreational purposes on or within 100 feet seaward of Patience and Prudence Islands in Narragansett Bay. Commercial: It is illegal for any person to harvest horseshoe crabs in Rhode Island for commercial purposes without a Multi-Purpose Commercial Marine license and a Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permit. There is an annual commercial harvest quota allocated to the State of Rhode Island by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Recreational: It is illegal for any person to harvest horseshoe crabs in Rhode Island for recreational purposes without a Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permit. Any resident with a Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permit may possess not more than five (5) horseshoe crabs in any calendar day. Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permits are obtainable at the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Fisheries Section.

Joe, Rockfish, whom I consider the best I have ever seen at this uses frozen herring and only leaves the traps in for and hour or so. Stage of tide is key. Once I asked him for a few and he gave me about 200 and it did not put a dent in his supply.
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yes, I think if you leave the trap in too long they will escape.

thinking ct has laws on books about horseshoe crabs

are we talking about sand eels or the big ones you buy in the tackle shops?

In CT you must have a comm license and show separate documentation a that you have a comm hand harvest license for HS crabs. May 22 thru July 8 is the only open time of year that ha crabs are permitted to b caught, they are so over fished because they have blue blood with a coagulant that is extracted and sold for medical purposes. I would imagine the fine for use as bait would b expensive
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You cannot "harvest" horseshoe crabs.

However

You can purchase them quartered from a wholesale distributor and use those. Keep your receipts handy and readily available just in case, throw them in the glovebox while trapping.

That being said: We've always done well on squid and the leftovers from when we have steamers.

Since you will be feeding them (in your traps) make sure you give them 24-48 hours to purge before introducing them into the tank you will be keeping them in. So river-> quarantine 24-48 hours (cooler full of water whatever) -> tank you will be keeping them in.

If you're looking for skinning eels use the same tackle you would use for panfish and tip with a bit of squid :)

Where we go on moons is best and we put back those that arent casters but are legal length.

I have trapped eels for a couple of years and the best bait is indeed horseshoe crabs. I don't use them now they are used in medical applications they remove some blood and then they let them go so I don't want to waste a reusable resource (Guess commercial bass fishing is out for a career path). Beside its against the law. The next best solution is to use broken shell fish. Make friends with a fish market guy, get them to save the broken shell fish he cant sell. Put them in a five gallon bucket and crush them, put them in containers like empty cool whip containers freeze them and put them in the trap. This should keep you in eels for a while. And as a bonus you can some times get big enough eels to skin for skin plugs (save the white meat to eat or freeze for blue crab bait for the late summer.).

I'm hoping to get this going this year too. I have a couple of large ponds near me that have connections to the ocean. Would you recommend brackish rivers, back bays or fresh ponds with river connection to ocean? And does bait differ from one to the other?

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I don't have a preference. I usually set in a brackish pond. It's a ton of fun it's a gass to see what's in the trap. Almost as fun as fishing the eels for bass and trying to avoid the yellow eyed devil.
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watch out for snakes! Know your spot eel pots tend to grow legs when your not looking

watch out for snakes! Know your spot eel pots tend to grow legs when your not looking

Thanks, I've heard that. It will be an after dark mission to set and check for some of these spots.
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I find using a bait bag really helps. Also cutting bait into chunks. My fave baits in order, herring, horseshoe, clam, then pretty much anything. Herring is huge in the rivers I fish my pots. The little streams and stuff the horseshoe crab wins.
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Invest in a good eel pot. Not the $55 ones, that's redonkulous but find a guy who makes em. I average 5# a pot around the moons.
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check for local reg. In my town you are allowed 1 pot only and you must have a rec shellfish licence and a float attached with your name on it.

Thanks Everyone!

GG

check for local reg. In my town you are allowed 1 pot only and you must have a rec shellfish licence and a float attached with your name on it.

Yep...Each town in MA gets to regulate the taking of eels in saltwater. Once you move into freshwater DFW takes over and you can fish a pot on your FW fishing license.

Yep...Each town in MA gets to regulate the taking of eels in saltwater. Once you move into freshwater DFW takes over and you can fish a pot on your FW fishing license.

So, you need a FW license if your pot is in FW? Never would have thought of that. I usually don't get a FW license. Thanks for the heads up.

So what have we learned?????

I want to explore this subject for the coming year. Pics of your pot? Make or buy?

I was reconsidering this myself. Thinking about making one and buying a cheap one. I have been seeing the minnow style traps but I don't see any middle sections when looking around.
BTW I read about making one using 3 three liter cola bottles. Easy to make, finished product basically looks like the store bought one. Distance from eeling locations is what is tough for me.

Craigslist
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