Eels
 

The other day I hands my lunch box eel transporter to the kid at the shop, he goes out back and loads up some eels,,, I get to fishing and almost jumped out of the boat,,,, monsters
So how big is too big do ya's think?

Boy oh boy what a great problem to have. You should have called the shop right on the spot to personally thank the kid that picked you those eels.
My answer is they are never too big
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U need to ask yourself if UUU want to catch small fish or big FISH...:)

in a boat never to big from shore a bigger eel doesn't cast well
for me anyway and if he charged you per ell rather than by the pound you made out

Ummmm, let me think about that. LOL
THANKS GUYS

my local shop buys them by the pound and sells them by the piece... SO- you're (theoretically) better off buying the biggest ones in there.

I caught 20 pound fish on monster eels just the other night. I think they get noticed pretty quick
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Yup! Small and big fish will eat the biggest eels. The eels aren't as big to the fish as they are to us. We think HUGE eel and then a fish the same size will suck it down and choke on it. I have caught 15 pound fish on eels as fat as a red bull can many times.
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Caught many larger fish on shoe string eels,I prefer larger ones so I can lob it out further but as my luck I always get served puny eels.
I guess I won't mess with fate.
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I think about 20" gets a little too big. I like em in the 12-16" range just for castability. Its funny i fish a spot in June and they want shoestrings. We actually seek out pencils for a few weeks. 3 weeks ago i was out and the fish wanted bigger eels. My buddy got a 25 and i got a close to 40 on big eels, when the snakes were gone we got smaller fish then just a bunch of taps as our supply dwindled. Was it the size? I don't really know but the large wanted a hearty meal that night. I also think that the smack a big eel makes when it hits the water and is struggling has a lot more attracting power than a little guy.

it's a loaded question.... a lot of factors need to be determined....

a shoe string eel in a mixed school of large, mediums and small will most likely catch the little guy's.. big bait is the order here... as big as your tackle can handle.. I draw the line at 2' ...... take that same shoe string on a night when the water is full of fire and it will out perform the big "snake" 10:1...

heavy water and fast currents require a bigger stronger bait... again tailor it to your tackle...

Trolling with an electric motor requires smaller eels...no larger than 12"...lest they cause and unnatural appearance while in tow ....

casting into the wind... the little guy's just don't go far( not that you always need the distance)... larger specimens are needed. If your tackle can handle it... go with a anaconda sized serpent...

Each extreme in the spectrum has their own problems...

Large eels require large hooks.. heavy leaders a rod with a lot of back bone...( not to mention a strong grip)

little eels are not with out their own set of issues... first and foremost.. they LOVE to tie knots... they are good at it.. quick too.. so keep an eye on your leader.... they also are more fragile... it's hard to catch more than one fish with a little guy.. big ones can catch several.. then be skinned to make skin rigs, or plugs..

I trap and keep my own eels and have done so for over 40 years.. I keep a variety because no one size is perfect for every condition...

My largest( officially weighed) bass to date (61lbs) took a tiny shoe string eel on a night as dark as an editors heart.. with enough fire in the water to light my way home... last Labor day I took another outsized specimen on a eel as thick around as my arm... the tide was running hard and the bait needed to hit the back side of the bar quickly as a 5 knot current pushed the boat past.. a shoe string wouldn't have done the job.. point is.. you need variety... so I like anything between 10" and 24"...and on a given night I may need a combination of all of them...selecting one size only puts you at a severe disadvantage...

This.

My preference from shore is 14-16" which gets the best overall cast - a little more at the canal doesn't hurt :uhuh:

I don't fish eels a lot. Never have. But with one post, Joe has taught me more about the how, when, what sizes, and why, than I knew before. His comments, though fewer in number these days, are always well thought out observations from years of first hand experience, backed up with situations the reader can learn from and understand. Never skewed with a personal preconceived opinion. Probably one of the top educational posts I have read on the board. Thanks, Joe.

you can say that again! :-)

Thank you Joe for taking the time to share some of your knowledge,,, I'll see what happens this evening if the weather cooperates ... :fishin:

from shore i like a medium sized eel about 15". boat a little bigger than that. my issue is not how big is to big to fish, but how big is to big for me to want to touch that thing.

About 2 weeks ago I was heading down the North River late in the afternoon close to low tide and witnessed an epic battle between a Comorant and an eel that looked to be about a 20" maybe a bit less that 1" dia. Rolling in the water close to the bank. Not sure who won but I am putting my money on the eel with the strength they have....he probaby chocked the Comarant like an anaconda.

Back in the 90s my partner and I bought some eels in an Asian grocery market. They were 2' long and 2 to 3" in diameter. We fished them at High Head and Peaked Hill Bar one night and CRUSHED big fish.

sorry, I have comment on Joe's post as well - that should be stickied or something as all the advice you will ever need on eel size!

3" thick might be on the untoughable side for me. thats wrap around your arm and dont let go big.

Jay, we just wanted to see if they would work. Only used them that big once but they were THE BOMB! Of course, that was in the pre-seal days. Now, you'd probably only catch seals.:fury:

Wednesday night 10 PM launch , 20 min steam, hooks up largest eel in the box,, zizzzz... 30 # er
Gorgeous night, that super moon peaking through clouds was breath taking

Thanks again all

Wicked awesome!

Thanks Joe.

You Rock!!!