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eel fishing is like plug fishing in alot of ways... some nights a slow retrieve is best, but on many nights, I've cranked them across the surface fast enough to make a "V" wake.. this is a very effective full moon tactic.. i've caught alot of fish, and some very big ones in this manner....other nights, I use the weight of the line to retrieve the eel by slowly lifting the rod and "feeling" the eel swim towards the pressure.. then quiclky retrieveing the slack.. I cant count the times the eel has been slammed when I pause to reel in the slack..... some times ( and this seems to have been the best method this season) fishing them like you would a nymph.. thus Night shift and I have termed the method nymphing.. this requires a controlled drift , we are employing this from a slowly moving boat, casting ahead at about 11:00, but it also works well in a horizontal flow along the beach.. cast up quartering the flow, allow the eel to swim along parellel to the beach.. reel only as much as needed to keep a tight line.. this acomplishes two things... it allows the eel to presented in a natural manner, but it covers more of the water collum... the top at the begininng, deeper straight out, and once again rising to the top as the "drift" is completed...it is a deadly method of presenting a live eel...
for normal casting and retrieving, I prefer and eel that has been "used" a bit, with just enough life to curl it's tail... IMHO, this allows the bait to be controled better than a live, kicking and twisting one, especialy if there is any fire in the water.. for nymphing, I prefer live.. as lively as possible, mainly because you are depending on the serpant to do most of the work.. these methods are best suited for fishing shallow water, in most cases less than 6' deep..
for hooking an eel, some like ice.. i dont ice mine.. I keep them in a double bucket, the "insert" bucket has a few dozen holes in the bottom to allow the slime to drain out... if the eels are still wet, I'll use a rag, but most nights, they are dried out and "tacky" enough for me to grab "em bare handed... if you jamb your thumb under the base of the jaw ( belly side) the little wiggler will go limp and can be eaisily hooked.. be aware, once you release the "stunner". the little bugger will be some kind of mad and attempt to tie a knot.. so get it in the water pronto!
for hooks, I like smaller than most.. 4/0 gamigatsu octopuss style J hook work well for me..bigger hooks require more muscle to set and heavier lines.. use them if you like... I like a "shock" leader of 18" of 30lb floro... when you feel the "tap" which sometime will be very subtle.. other feels like you were hit by a train, drop the rod tip, allow the line to come tight, when you feel the weight.. . put the tongs to her... no matter how light the hit.. big fish surprise you sometime on how delicatly they can take a bait... using this method I rarely gut hook a fish.. most are hooked in the roof of the mouth or in the lip.. Maybe 1 in 50 is down deep.. I think the key is shallow water, if I was drifting deep, where feeling the hit would be delayed, I'd be using circles two sizes larger...as i said in the open.. eels are almost as versatile as plugs... this is just a few of the methods that bring hundreds of big bass to my boat each season..
tight lines
Roc
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