Many people shove a sinker down the eels throat. I think the thin torpedoe shaped sinkers work better than an egg unless the egg is very small. They are very thin but longer than an egg. Sometimes they have a hole through them but that doesn't matter. I like 2 of the torpedo ones shoved one after the other down its throat. It will kill it faster though. The rubber core above the eel on the leader is traditional because it doesn't hurt the eel and they will stay alive longer.
I think casting eels with the 1209 and conventional reel will be hard. You better add lots of weight.
