What does the future hold for those that use eels as bait?

Uncle Josh had some pretty nice "eels" that I have had success with. They are tougher than rubber for when those toothy critters are around.

I blame Sauerkraut for this situation.

Th glass eel fishery is crazy. If they are depleated why allow the fishing for glass eels? Just like any other fishery you know the poaching that goes on and those numbers are never accounted for.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Here is an interesting hypothetical:
Eels and menhaden are facing added harvest restrictions.
If both were banned from being used as bait how much impact would it have on striped bass harvest? I'm thinking pretty significant.

Here is an interesting hypothetical:
Eels and menhaden are facing added harvest restrictions.
If both were banned from being used as bait how much impact would it have on striped bass harvest? I'm thinking pretty significant.

Dennis, the bait market is probably 0.005% of the strain on eels. People eat these things. And people are making a lot of money off of them as well. I doubt we will see any restrictions sadly.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Dennis, the bait market is probably 0.005% of the strain on eels. People eat these things. And people are making a lot of money off of them as well. I doubt we will see any restrictions sadly.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I understand that... but that was not my question ;)

Here is an interesting hypothetical:
Eels and menhaden are facing added harvest restrictions.
If both were banned from being used as bait how much impact would it have on striped bass harvest? I'm thinking pretty significant.

"let it be written....let it be done" :)

I've had this discussion before- the "gold rush" mentality that exists with the elver fishery is beyond ridiculous...... so much so that there was a reality TV show about it a few years back. those guys get thousands of dollars per pound for the mini-eels. and a pound of elvers means thousands of potential adult eels.


its time for that fishery to be eliminated

Let's just ban fishing. Exceptions being use or white flies on even number days

Here is an interesting hypothetical:
Eels and menhaden are facing added harvest restrictions.
If both were banned from being used as bait how much impact would it have on striped bass harvest? I'm thinking pretty significant.

In RI, unless there's unstable weather, it would be significant because the only way you're catching those lone slobs throughout the year is on a chunk or some form of eel. You can't catch what isn't there, although there have been some jumbos moving through this Fall. There would surely be less big fish caught at the Block as well if eels were banned.

On the Cape it would be less significant as tons of 20-30+# fish get caught on plugs/artificials all season long

Let's just ban fishing. Exceptions being use or white flies on even number days

On track with my thougbts...I wrote a long descriptive reply and deleted it...
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Consider that Stezko's 73# shore bass ate a fly (albeit a black one) in preference to the trailing eel and you will realize that if you had to you could fish very effectively for large striped bass using just white flies............provided you could deliver them with systems other than just a flyrod. Eels just make it all much easier.

The reason for my question is banning a baitfish from harvest is not unprecedented - consider the alewife. It sure appears like eels could be headed on the same path.

The reason for my question is banning a baitfish from harvest is not unprecedented - consider the alewife. It sure appears like eels could be headed on the same path.
We all thought this would happen in 2003-2004. It was so serious then, it inspired me to start Surfhog Eel Co. Then nothing happened.
There was even a book written about the eel’s Plight “Consider the eel” ....
I think it will take a complete collapse to make changes happen. The sponge must be squeezed of every last drop ;$)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Uncle Josh had some pretty nice "eels" that I have had success with. They are tougher than rubber for when those toothy critters are around.

Spot on Jim.

We all thought this would happen in 2003-2004. It was so serious then, it inspired me to start Surfhog Eel Co. Then nothing happened.
There was even a book written about the eel’s Plight “Consider the eel” ....
I think it will take a complete collapse to make changes happen. The sponge must be squeezed of every last drop ;$)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

You may be right Eben. I anticipated some restrictions for us back then but they never materialized. But this is perhaps the third dire stock assessment? I'm thinking this time some restrictions may be coming to the recreational bait fishery.

Curious if restrictions go into place if being in possession of a rigged eel
would warrant a fine. I have had some dead/rigged eels go in and out of the freezer for 2-3 years! I fish dead eels until they literally disintegrate, and they continue to catch fish regardless of their appearance, as long as they stay on the hook. I have gotten quite good at making eels stay on the hook for a very long time.

For those that are so against the elver fishery, only one in about 10,000 elvers ever makes it to adulthood, so killing one POUND of elvers is like killing just ONE adult eel.

For those that are so against the elver fishery, only one in about 10,000 elvers ever makes it to adulthood, so killing one POUND of elvers is like killing just ONE adult eel.

What are you smoking ??
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

^^ Now we have a thread ^^ :tooth:

what ever happened to protecting the young of the species... They do it with every other species...how many cod fish do they think survive...how many herring...tuna....striped bass... etc.... once again... a fishery being managed for money and the benefit of the few and Not for the fish or the benefit of the many... so when elver 9,999 swims through the fyke net... another 10,000 have no shot at even being born...just because 1 ounce of glass eels are worth more than an ounce of gold......I cant bring myself to read this stupidity any longer..

From what I've read commercial and recreational restrictions have been instituted and currently in effect including a cap on elver harvest, 9 inch size limit on bait eels, and a 50 eel per person possession limit on bait eels. Does anyone purchase more than 50 eels? I would imagine some would. Maybe some charter boats? Maybe some commercial R&R guys?

If management history is any guide the cap on elver harvest could possibly be reduced even more and maybe the per person possession limit on bait eels reduced.

let’s also not forget the incredible moral issue with buying a dozen eels to catch and release a few bass. The eels will all die.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

and so the discussion goes.....

"whats next... no more hooks?"
"buying a dozen eels is like taking 20 thousand elvers"......


the hand full of guys who still cling to the elver licenses have a ticket to profit from an endangered public resource. its gotta stop.

and so the discussion goes.....

"whats next... no more hooks?"
"buying a dozen eels is like taking 20 thousand elvers"......


the hand full of guys who still cling to the elver licenses have a ticket to profit from an endangered public resource. its gotta stop.

It’s alot like the climate change debate We could all do our part to fight pollution and drive efficient cars, or we can get caught up in the climate change debate and the deniers will happily drive a huge rolling coal diesel redneck truck because “climate change is a hoax”. All the while polluting the crap out of the air.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

If your vehicle is not battery powered, then your house is glass.
Pun intended🤥
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I’d rather be a hypocrite than an #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& ;)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Now this is getting good! Flame Wars :bgi:

No flame here Paulie
Nothing personal either
Just pointing out the difference between doing and saying.
He does have a blow boat so at least it's a start🤐
His profession alone is known to be bad for the environment,but hey,you have to make a buck somehow.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I spent a ton of money to convert my studio to natural gas and use a recouperator, which preheats my combustion air, this reduces emissions by at least 40%. Furthermore I melt the raw materials to make glass vs most glass makers who buy pre made glass, which is extremely inefficient as it’s melted twice. Id say I have one of the most efficient glass studios of any glassblower I know. I sleep very well at night. :rtfm:
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

That is a responsible thing to do, obviously you care about the environment. That is something we all should strive for,especially those of us who hand off our planet to our children. My initial response was regarding your criticism of diesel drivers. I have no idea what you drive but unless it is an electric vehicle such criticism seems hollow. Sorry if that offended.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

2 years ago I think i went thru around 60-75 eels for the season.

this year I went thru 6. Still caught plenty of fish, just had to change up my spots/ timing / tides a little. but once albies showed up I haven't bass fished since then. ;)

Electric cars aren't the save the world BS people make them out to be. The lbs of lithium in 7,104 lithium batteries that make up 1 tesla power pack sure aren't eco friendly in their mining process.

That is a responsible thing to do, obviously you care about the environment. That is something we all should strive for,especially those of us who hand off our planet to our children. My initial response was regarding your criticism of diesel drivers. I have no idea what you drive but unless it is an electric vehicle such criticism seems hollow. Sorry if that offended.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device
I drive a Honda Odyssey that gets 25 mpg and a 1973 VW karman Ghia that gets 30 mpg. My a1971 VW westfalia will eventually have a Subaru engine in it and will probably get around 35 mpg, but that’s at least 10 years from now.

Because I use a lot of natural gas I always have an eye on how I can reduce my footprint but to say I am a hypocrite because I don’t have an electric car is like saying that I should starve myself to loose weight instead of eating a conservative diet. I do however accept your apology and offer a hug. :hihi:
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

If mpg were the issue then diesel would seem like a viable alternative to some. Certainly for trucks they are a no brainer. My suburban isn't diesel but uses a lot of fuel regardless. At full throttle my boat drinks 54 mpg! I try to keep it in the sweet spot
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

That is true. I didn’t think of that.
I burned 4 gallons of diesel this summer on my boat and put 30 hours on the engine. :rotfl:
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I drive a Honda Odyssey that gets 25 mpg and a 1973 VW karman Ghia that gets 30 mpg. My a1971 VW westfalia will eventually have a Subaru engine in it and will probably get around 35 mpg, but that’s at least 10 years from now.

Because I use a lot of natural gas I always have an eye on how I can reduce my footprint but to say I am a hypocrite because I don’t have an electric car is like saying that I should starve myself to loose weight instead of eating a conservative diet. I do however accept your apology and offer a hug. :hihi:
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

BR:tooth:EXIST

From what I've read commercial and recreational restrictions have been instituted and currently in effect including a cap on elver harvest, 9 inch size limit on bait eels, and a 50 eel per person possession limit on bait eels. Does anyone purchase more than 50 eels? I would imagine some would. Maybe some charter boats? Maybe some commercial R&R guys?


There are different rules for charter/party boat possession limits, at least in RI.

let’s also not forget the incredible moral issue with buying a dozen eels to catch and release a few bass. The eels will all die.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

The eels in the tackle shop will all die regardless of whether they are bought or not. Except perhaps for a few that are bought by fishermen who don't use them and let them go.

For those of you who don't know, the biggest source of mortality on adult, "silver" eels are the hydro-electric dams that chew them up as they migrate downriver to the ocean, on their spawning run.

No flame here Paulie
Nothing personal either
Just pointing out the difference between doing and saying.
He does have a blow boat so at least it's a start��
His profession alone is known to be bad for the environment,but hey,you have to make a buck somehow.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I was just trying to add some comic relief Chris.

I was just trying to add some comic relief Chris.
I'm pretty sure he was insulting you...and you clearly were insulting him :devil2: :hihi:

Man this is bringing back some memories of BI.

Ever wonder what the carbon footprint for the mining, battery and motor manufacturing, electrical generation etc to get an e car rolling is ?
I don’t but would assume it not as green as we may be led to believe.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

The eels in the tackle shop will all die regardless of whether they are bought or not. Except perhaps for a few that are bought by fishermen who don't use them and let them go.
Again... What are you smoking?

Sure, the eels that are currently in the tank will die, but if less eels are used, the tackle shop will re order less eels and less eels will die.

I use eels - always have (although not as much in recent seasons) - probably always will unless they are protected.

What I find very interesting is the "all hands on deck" approach by the recreational fishing community to protect the menhaden and that species is not even close to being declared "depleted". Of course the real reason many want to protect the menhaden is because they make catching striped bass infinitely easier.

Yet the lowly eel is screaming for protection but we only focus on the elver, with little support from that same recreational community - why? Because eels make catching striped bass easier ;)

We are a strange lot.

let’s also not forget the incredible moral issue with buying a dozen eels to catch and release a few bass. The eels will all die.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Maybe i'm helping the eel population and didnt know it. i usually buy a dozen and end up letting 6 go.

Keep your dead eels and use them... Over and over again until you lose them.
I have had great success using eels out of my freezer. My personal best came on a freezer burned 2-year old eel that was in and out of the freezer countless times. (You guys never saw weekend at Bernie's??)

Again... What are you smoking?

Sure, the eels that are currently in the tank will die, but if less eels are used, the tackle shop will re order less eels and less eels will die.

Nothing right now, I ran out of the stuff I bought in Colorado last winter. :)

No they won't, if the tackle shops order less eels the remainder will be sold for food. No commercial eel fishermen is going to release their catch. The only way that would happen is of the price fell through the floor, unlikely given the current state of the population and the demand.

I blame Sauerkraut for this situation.

Hey! What's this?

I'm rigging more and abusing less. And I am self administering Rx Vivitrol to stifle my cravings

I use eels - always have (although not as much in recent seasons) - probably always will unless they are protected.



Yet the lowly eel is screaming for protection but we only focus on the elver, with little support from that same recreational community - why? Because eels make catching striped bass easier ;)

We are a strange lot.

DZ- my thought is that tens of thousands of miniature eels are scooped up out of the population every Spring, and that's starts the domino effect of having fewer and fewer eels to get bigger..... I'm not completely opposed to restrictions on taking eels in the later stages of life, but I think the greatest damage gets done by the wanton removal of the tiniest ones

DZ- my thought is that tens of thousands of miniature eels are scooped up out of the population every Spring, and that's starts the domino effect of having fewer and fewer eels to get bigger..... I'm not completely opposed to restrictions on taking eels in the later stages of life, but I think the greatest damage gets done by the wanton removal of the tiniest ones

The "tiniest ones" are the least likely to make it to spawning age.

yeah- especially if you've been scooped up in a net and sold to Japan

Let me put it this way, which do you think has the bigger impact on the population; one glass eels scooped up in the spring or one silver eel killed on its spawning run by a turbine?

they're both one eel....



but glass eels are removed by the thousands before they ever get close to spawning

(Mike- we've had this debate before- I know you're never gonna see it my way, and vice versa..... :) )

Bobber-
This is like other populations. More impact when removing a breeder. Having a chance to spawn matters for genetic diversity. For population size, removing a breeder has dramatically more impact on population than removing an elver. Removing millions of elvers: bad; removing tens of thousands of adults for bait: equivalently bad.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Bobber-
This is like other populations. More impact when removing a breeder. Having a chance to spawn matters for genetic diversity. For population size, removing a breeder has dramatically more impact on population than removing an elver. Removing millions of elvers: bad; removing tens of thousands of adults for bait: equivalently bad.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device


Minor point, most of the eels we use for bait are not adult, silver eels, they are immature yellow eels. Eels don't reach maturity until jus before they begin their spawning run.

Minor point, most of the eels we use for bait are not adult, silver eels, they are immature yellow eels. Eels don't reach maturity until jus before they begin their spawning run.

You certainly might be right, but that is not how I understood it. I understood that maturity is basically relative to size. Males around 11" and females around 16-18" are sexually mature. The anatomical and yellow color changes occur prior to the actual spawning run. Probably talking semantics and/or my understanding is outdated.

I have been thinking about this thread. First to say I am guilty of using eels. I try to rig them so I will get more use. I also trap eels and try to get a few (one or two) big ones for skinning and use the meat for blue crab bait. But the more I think of it we are all guilty of bad steward ship of the earth and its inhabitants. Is it ok to hook and possibly injure a fish just to let it go? I remember distinctly having a hook come around and hook a bass in the gills or slip around and hook it in the eye. Other times I continue to fish even if I know there are only schoolies around. If I care about the future of striped bass why do I continue these practices? I think humans are by our nature not good for the planet. In almost every example I can think of any interaction between people and this planet is not good for the earth and our planet. We use up the planets resources at an incredible rate. There are just too many of us. I think its getting to a point where all nations will have to fight for what's left of the resources of the world. I have come to believe that fisheries management is just a fancy way of saying how do we divide what's left of the resources. . for example how many bass do we give the commercials how many do we give the recs and how many do we give to the for hires. Same is true for eels how many to japan how many for bait. Sorry for the long winded post guess I am feeling down after a brutal bass season (I don't fish the canal).

Rather lengthy stock assessment update. The tables starting on page 46 are very interesting. Didn't realize rec possession limit for CT,RI, MA is 25 per person. Wonder how many bait shops limit customers to purchasing 25?

This year I asked a bait shop in Massachusetts (not one that I deal with on a regular basis so I know they were not bending the rules to accommodate a good customer). I asked to buy eels in bulk to get a better price and they told me I would have to purchase at least four pounds worth. Four pounds of eels that has to be a lot more than 25 eels. I am sure that regulation is not being observed by many bait shops.

not to completely change the subject, but possession limit discussion brings to mind a scenario I always wondered about...

Years ago when you could keep 2 bass per day, I was getting on the ferry at block. A guy I was talking to says " i just spent 3 nights here.. limited out every night... look!) he opens his cooler and reveals 6 bass.

So my question: isnt he technically in violation of being in possession of 6 bass on the spot, even if he caught them (lets assume) legally over 3 days?

I told the guy I think its against the law... and he should learn to fillet fish. but maybe even having that many fillets is a violation also if he doesnt have racks... gets blurry!

not to completely change the subject, but possession limit discussion brings to mind a scenario I always wondered about...

Years ago when you could keep 2 bass per day, I was getting on the ferry at block. A guy I was talking to says " i just spent 3 nights here.. limited out every night... look!) he opens his cooler and reveals 6 bass.

So my question: isnt he technically in violation of being in possession of 6 bass on the spot, even if he caught them (lets assume) legally over 3 days?

I told the guy I think its against the law... and he should learn to fillet fish. but maybe even having that many fillets is a violation also if he doesnt have racks... gets blurry!

A POSSESION limit is just that. He was in violation. Infact if I remember correctly an SB member got ticketed this year or last for doing something similiar. X fish per day * Y days = fines.

not to completely change the subject, but possession limit discussion brings to mind a scenario I always wondered about...

Years ago when you could keep 2 bass per day, I was getting on the ferry at block. A guy I was talking to says " i just spent 3 nights here.. limited out every night... look!) he opens his cooler and reveals 6 bass.

So my question: isnt he technically in violation of being in possession of 6 bass on the spot, even if he caught them (lets assume) legally over 3 days?

I told the guy I think its against the law... and he should learn to fillet fish. but maybe even having that many fillets is a violation also if he doesnt have racks... gets blurry!

You are absolutely correct, he was breaking the law. But it is also a law that makes little sense in a lot of contexts. if you go to the fish market and buy two striped bass, you are technically in violation.

This year I asked a bait shop in Massachusetts (not one that I deal with on a regular basis so I know they were not bending the rules to accommodate a good customer). I asked to buy eels in bulk to get a better price and they told me I would have to purchase at least four pounds worth. Four pounds of eels that has to be a lot more than 25 eels. I am sure that regulation is not being observed by many bait shops.

Depending on the size of the eels 4 pounds may well be less than 25 eels. The bait shops don't have to observe the 25 eels possession requirements, they have a different set of rules. IIRC they are allowed to have a few hundred eels in posession.