[eelman]

When I rig an eel , both hooks are down. If you use a swimplate such as PT.Jude joe sells the hook is up and has to be because thats the only way you get the action out of the plate, these do work very good and my largest bass this year came to a riggie with the swimplate.

But overall I prefer a rigged eel the old fashioned way,with both the anal hook and the mouth hook down, acually this is really the only way to rig an eel right unless you are using a swimplate. I use big siwash hooks and rig with 80lb dacron. Fishing a rigged eel this way and fishing it right takes alot of work, the action is critical and there is only one right way to do it, you "pump the rod sharply up and let the riggie fall back down, keeping the rod under your arm ( and you better because the hits are vicious!) Even when I fish the swimplate version I still pump the rod somewhat but not as much because the swimplate gives it action, the hook being up on the swimplate really doesnt hurt the action in any way, its just a different action and way to fish.Rmember also that before you rig an eel no matter which method you use , you have to break every bone in the eels body to get the wild action you need, I do this by kind of bending it and kneeding it with my hands and you can hear ot pop and break as you go.

As far as rubber eels go, I wont even go there, I think they are terrible and would chose a sluggo 100% of the time because a 9 inch sluggo fished right is the closest thing I have ever seen in my life to imitating a live eel. You have to fish it fast and that because its up to you to bring it to life.

So the short answer is to keep your hooks down unless you go with a swimplate.

When I fish a live eel I also keep my hook down as many of you know and , toby is right, I see a big difference in the action because of the keel effect, when the eel is hooked up thougth the head Your bait has a tendency to "turn over" and come back belly up, I dont want that, I want it to swim rightside up and look natural. Most times I just fish live eels now because I am sick of rigging eels, every once in awhile I feel like fishing them and will rig a couple up.

I dont think that the hook being up or down makes much diffence in how the fish "fights" What affects that more is where the fish is hooked, hook them in the lips and you have quite a fight, hook them in the throat and they tend to follow your lead more.... Fish do what they do out of instinc, we will never know but I dont think the fish uses there brain and says let me rub on this rock, they always head for the bottom , thats where the safety is, they will wrap around boulders and try to get rid of what it is pulling on them. This whay I advocate heavy tackle, I cant stand to see these light setups especially around boulders...its stupidity and just plain not going to put a decent fish on the beach, get them out as fast as you can. To the fish it isnt a game its a matter of life or death, and getting a fish in fast means less stress on the fish and an easier release if thats what you want to do.

I use heavy leaders and my leaders are 12 feet long, I use fluro but not becasue the fsih cant see it, they could care less at night what leader material you are using, I use flouro simply for the abrasion resistance and the overall strength, For years I used ande 60lb mono and still do sometimes... makes no difference in how many fish I hook.

If your using a rigged eel with conventional gear, tie direct, if your a spinnner you need heavy duty snap swivel with a large barrel ahead of it, dont use small wimpy stuff ! use heavy duty. Dont use the spin tackle without it or your line will twist so bad you will pull your hair out!