Live eels...
 

I want to try fishing with live eels this year, without the slimy mess... I know if you ice them, they are much more manageable. Anyone have ideas on how to do this in a kayak without it turning into a nightmare....

I have never tried in the Kayak, but for shorter jaunts a soft cooler, the lunch size, with some seaweed and the frozen icepack works for me. The inside does get nasty though and when you get home a good washing is required. Obviously open it every once in a while for air. I use a scrub pad for grabbing them, which also gets slimy but works pretty well until it does. Then just give it a rinse.

Fishing eels means accepting that you are going to deal with slime.

Soft side cooler like mentioned above. I think it works great.

I will sometimes carry a dozen in the "2 bucket method. I use a 3 gallon bucket inside another 3 gallon bucket. Top bucket gets holes drill in the bottom, and has a lid with a trap door (be sure to drill from the inside , out the bottom or you wil get sharp plastic edges inside from the bit) The holes are to let the slime and Ice water drain off. The buckets fit right inside the milk crate behind the seat. This is good for all nighters.

Just heading out for a couple hours and only have a half dozen eels? Than the soft cooler is the ticket Laddy.

Thanks guys... Going to give it a shot next week.. Any ideas on where to go?? This will be my third time salt water fishing and I'll be alone, so I don't want to get in trouble.. Thinking about the Narrows in Bristol, RI or maybe Pt. Judith.

so true! I thought I could avoid it by using the brillo pads and all that, not a chance. Eels=slime anyway you cut it, but man, do they catch!
just accept it and be one with the slime

I've heard of guys that individually snack bag em. Just hook em through the bag and pull to remove eel from bag. Of course some air holes are required. Keep em in a small soft sided cooler as described. I haven't tried it myself but it seems like a good idea.

I've heard of that too, but once you put an airhole in the bag, slime gets out! like I said, be one with the slime, a good method is to get your hands nice and slimey so it's gets on your line and everything and creates a scent trail! :rotfl:

You don't need airholes with the snack bags- at least, as long as you have an icepack in the cooler........ Good for at least 6-7 hours.

small ziplocks...individually packaged eels on ice in a soft sided cooler...hook them thru the bag and rip the bag off...directly in the water and minimal slime during the whole process. I too have found that no air holes in the bags are necessary.

I store the eels in a mesh bag with a drawstring on the top. Can hang the bag over the side of the yak while drifting or throw it up behind the seat while paddling or trolling. When I need an eel I just lay in in my lap and reach into the bag and work ones head just out of the opening with my right hand then grab around the eel just behind the head while holding the bag with my left hand. The bag allows you to hold onto the eel just like a rag. Hold the eel in place, hook eel and then just slide it out of the bag and directly into the water so it doesn't ball up. Remember to close up the bag and your ready to fish.

Small softside cooler put icecubes in a ziplock. i know guys wetsuit wit eels individually packed in ziplocks hook em thru the bag an pull eel out,U have to poke a hole in the bags so they can breath.

yeah, what he said.....the two bucket system works well.

In a kayak, you might want to try the generic eel/bait bucket with a hinged door....No water, just ice. Then keep a face cloth or rag to pick up the eels (gives you grip). Good luck

My first time in the yak forum - sent a friend of the yakking persuasion here yesterday, he's probably lurking around somewhere...

On eel transport - the ziploc idea sounds dandy but if they get warm they're gonna die and they also will have the potential to drown in their own slime, which will happen when they're stressed. Don't get 'em upset - a happy eel is a live eel and they will produce less slime if you don't do things to stress them out. They produce slime to help themselves escape predators. So don't play with them, jostle the bag too much or lift the lid to admire them. They like being left alone. A lot.

Use the soft-sided bag, 3" of bubble-weed (rockweed) inside, and a small lunch-sized freezer pack. The bubbleweed also calms them down because they'll burrow down into it and feel safe - just like their natural tendency to head for the bottom under weed and rocks. Just figured that out this season after trying it. Also keeps 'em in the bottom of the cooler where they belong instead of trying to escape out the lid.

Use a green 3M scrubby pad to grab them and grab them right on the gills when you're ready to hook them. Use a short-shank live bait hook and put the hook down their throat so that when you push it thru the thick skin between the lips and the gills the hook eye will be the only thing you see in front of the lips. If they try to ball up around your leader once they're hooked, put them in the water right away - they'll straighten right out as they try to swim away. If they ball up around your leader, cut off your leader, retie and go back to step 1.

The End :)

You can store the eels any way you want, take a small handful of sand & spread it across the eel. The grittiness of the sand seems to help.
Benji

Very simple. i got the aquaskinz eel bag and hang it and leave it in the water.no slime to deal with,get a smal towell and every time you grab one pull the bag out of the water,they're fresh no slime.
when is time to grab them use the towell as grip glove,grab them tight,hook thru the head and ready for a 20 pounder.
:nailem: