I don't throw out dead eels unless they are bit in half by a blue. I keep dozens in a deep freezer either in a frozen brine or kosher salt sprinkled on them. They keep really well and I have used them over and over.
I love to fish rigged eels and have great success with them...to be honest, I prefer my eels dead. They work just as well without all the hassle of a live trying to free itself and twisting and curling the line or leader up.
I actually just made up about dozen eel skin rigs (thanks Joe from Pt. Jude and John from NJ Tackle!!!
); my first time and it wasn't that difficult to my surprise. I am going to make up even more and probably won't need to by eels this year. My local tackle shop throws out the dead ones from the tank (unless someone asks for them) and I asked them to freez the dead ones for me that are in good shape.....why let em go to waste when I can rig em whole or as a skin????
Rigged whole and rigged skins are coming back and in my opinion it is a great thing. These practices are somewhat of a lost art that we should all look at....a lot of today's anglers do not value the things left for us by our forfathers and go they go the easy route....it is sometimes best to go back to go forward. Just my opinion.
Kadir