eel restrictions

[american spirit]

i was just thinking after being ripped off at a local tackle shop with 5 dead eels that didn't make it the ride to my house; and a spool full of loose suffix from trying to lob six inch eels out on the water...............

shouldn't there be restrictions on eels just like stripers. you should only be able to trap/ sell eels over 12-14 inches long. wouldn't that eliminate a lot of our problems and increase the eel population?

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Do eels spawn more than once? Im not sure if anyone really knows the life cycle of the eel. All i know is they go out to the Sargasso sea and make little eels, not sure what happens after that.

[ivanputski]

here's my motto for tackle shops everywhere to adhere to...

"take pride in the size of the eels you provide"

having a 7 inch shoe string slip in and getting charged 2 bucks for it is Bull... happens once, ok fine... second time, you lost my business... you dont save money that way, you lose it... dont make me name names... most recently, I was in a shop while the person selected my eels... ( wouldnt allow self serve)

Here's how it went down, as the person was selecting my eels...

Me: "Can you select some larger eels? some of those look pretty small."
Person: "ugggggggggh..... suuure." (not pleased)
me: "Are eels 2 bucks each?"
person: Yeah, but if you want some larger ones it might be a bit more"

WHAT????? with this sort of reasoning shouldnt the dinks be 75 cents?

I will never spend a cent in that shop again...

[piemma]

Originally Posted by american spirit

i was just thinking after being ripped off at a local tackle shop with 5 dead eels that didn't make it the ride to my house; and a spool full of loose suffix from trying to lob six inch eels out on the water...............

shouldn't there be restrictions on eels just like stripers. you should only be able to trap/ sell eels over 12-14 inches long. wouldn't that eliminate a lot of our problems and increase the eel population?

I never blast any shop but I bet you bought your eels at The Tackle Box in Warwick RI. I got a dozen there about a month ago. This woman, who knew nothing, hands me my bocket with half the eels dead. I said "Half of these eels are dead! She said how can you tell?

Anyway, she replaces the dead ones and I get home and they are ALL dead. I could have just taken $25 and thrown it in the street.
I have not been in that shop since and will not go there again. Too bad. It use to be a great shop right on the way to my boat.

[Higgie]

I had the same thing happen friday, i dont think it was even 20 min and all my eels were belly up.

[snake slinger]

find a good shop and stick with them.Q lane always treats me rite

[TPrete]

i bought a dozen from dee's fri. half were shoestrings. went in on sat. and mentioned it. he said " we were low on supply but we got a new order in i'll take care of you" now i have a dozen snakes that some will probably end up wrapped arond a plug. good deal!

[JFigliuolo]

First, don't leave the shop if you don't like the eel size. Get a good relationship w/your tackle shop and they will USUALLY let you pick your own. That being said, they can't give you what they don't have. I had to really pick through the tank for my last dozen to get ones I could cast w/my surf rod (sur 1266). If the eels are really small, and they are all you have, toss on a .25-.5 ounce egg sinker. It really helps with small eels.

[BassDawg]

i feel your pain Pete. and i would do the same with a shop that cares so little about their eeeels and knows even less. fluctuating prices are not a good sign either. $1.50 to $1.75 is top dollar for me, this time of year,,,,,,,,,,will go up to $2.00 in the Fall, if i HAVE to.

curious about a coupla things, with these eeels
that die before you can get them to point B,,,,,,,

are you guys getting them under ice in a plastic bag immediately,
and not allowing any water to get to them; so they can slime themselves to death?

it has been super HOTT, lately, and i did have one die within seconds of leaving the tank. but, i have an excellent relationship with my eeeeel mongers. they don't even have to ask me what size i want anymore, and they actually check the eeels for livelyness before selling them to me. and if the Boss ain't in, i can self-serve. this DID NOT happen after one visit/season. and i've accepted my share of shoestrings in the beginning of each relationship.

here are some of the better places i've found to secure eeeeels from, providing they have Cowhunters available,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,please remember these shops are mostly at the mercy of the trappers, and sometimes
it's better to keep looking. also, riggies have saved the night for me more than once.

Quonnie B&T has NEVER let me down in SoCo,
Breachway B&T is top notch for eels ova there,
Sam's Bait is my choice for snakes in NPT,
Have never gotten eeeels at the Canal/Cape Cod???,
Go Pogy or Bob's Bait Shack in Winthrop for Hahbah slimers,
Tom's B&T is my go-to guy, 90% of my eeels, in Saugus,
Surfland USA is excellent and Kay and her staff, ACES, on PI.

the ones in green also have fresh bait at the ready,
as always, dependent on what is available to them. check these fine folks out.
calls ahead, requesting 16" to 18" product, after you've gotten to know them and them you,
is a good way to narrow the search and not disappoint once you do get there.

[numbskull]

I wonder if there is some alternate universe where eels use humans for bait, starve us in a tank, drown us in slime, poke hooks through our eyes, and whack us on rocks to slow us down. Maybe right now they are sending a ship to Franklin to get more bait................................. and will be all pissed off they got so many short ones.

[luds]

From my experience the only consistent shops for eels in MA are Surfland, M&D, and Belsan's. CMS now has eels and they look good which is promising.

[ivanputski]

bass dawg... your first choice is funny to me... it has a direct relation to my previous post!!! I understand that regulars get better treatment, but how will you ever get regulars if you get service like I got? and its not so much about getting shoestrings, I ve gotten small eels before... It was the RESPONSE I got when i asked for eels that were a bit bigger... suggesting an eel bigger than the showstrings she (oops!) was picking might cost more that 2 bucks per eel... if eels are two bucks, theyre two bucks...period . if you want to charge based on size, then charge me less for the dinks... Ive been shoe stringed there more often than anywhere... There are too many games in town to provide such a low caliber of service/attitude.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Im a big fan of M&D's. 99% of the time he has good size and if he doesnt he will let ya know. And he rubs special mojo on his eels too.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I wonder if there is some alternate universe where eels use humans for bait, starve us in a tank, drown us in slime, poke hooks through our eyes, and whack us on rocks to slow us down. Maybe right now they are sending a ship to Franklin to get more bait................................. and will be all pissed off they got so many short ones.

HA!

Everyone from Franklin uses plugs now, anyways. The last eel fisherman moved to NY and summers down the cape...only the shadow of his former comrade remains..

[BassDawg]

Originally Posted by ivanputski

bass dawg... your first choice is funny to me... it has a direct relation to my previous post!!! I understand that regulars get better treatment, but how will you ever get regulars if you get service like I got? and its not so much about getting shoestrings, I ve gotten small eels before... It was the RESPONSE I got when i asked for eels that were a bit bigger... suggesting an eel bigger than the showstrings she (oops!) was picking might cost more that 2 bucks per eel... if eels are two bucks, theyre two bucks...period . if you want to charge based on size, then charge me less for the dinks... Ive been shoe stringed there more often than anywhere... There are too many games in town to provide such a low caliber of service/attitude.

sorry to hear that Pete,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

they've been good to me in the past. i also, sort of disregard the first 4 or 5 times i get eeeels anywhere. unless of course they are spectacular, then they'll get more frequent visits.

all i can say is give them another shot~~~
could've been a bad hair day?? still, they should've done sumthing to make it right, imho, and i don't get that response either~~~

not trying to confuse, good luck gents!

[BassDawg]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

HA!

Everyone from Franklin uses plugs now, anyways. The last eel fisherman moved to NY and summers down the cape...only the shadow of his former comrade remains..

!!! NIIIICE AYC !!!

what's a brutha gottsta do to get his hands on either a yellow or blue slopehead??

name yer price, i'll bring trinkets and eeeeel sacrifices~~~

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by BassDawg

!!! NIIIICE AYC !!!

what's a brutha gottsta do to get his hands on either a yellow or blue slopehead??

name yer price, i'll bring trinkets and eeeeel sacrifices~~~

I want your gold fillings and then we'll talk....

[Redsoxticket]

I wouldn't pay for the eels or anything else in life if I was not satisfied.
There are shops that sell by the pound. There is a shop of which the owner stated his price is 90 cents a eel and xx a pound. Don't know why so cheap, I didn't ask. Maybe because I sold the building to his family but I doubt it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Back Beach]

In all honsesty, I'd like to see a ring size implemented for the harvest of eels. I'm unaware if there is any such restriction now, but I do cringe when I look into the tank and there's a bunch of tiny eels milling around along with the selects.

[BassDawg]

DAHAYUM, you don't miss a thing!!


in lieu of my bridgework and caps~~~


might i offer free labor towards the next batch?
i can spray paint, attach hooks, bend lips, any amount of remedial plugwork~~~

OR THERE IS


cold, hard, doll hairs,,,,folding monies,,,,cabbage,,,BIG ducketts??

[Peterjay]

Originally Posted by Rob Rockcrawler

Do eels spawn more than once? Im not sure if anyone really knows the life cycle of the eel. All i know is they go out to the Sargasso sea and make little eels, not sure what happens after that.

That's the end of the trail for Mr. and Mrs. Eel. They all go out when they reach sexual maturity - about 4 1/2 years. That's why you never have to worry about being eaten by a 300-pound eel down at the old swimmin' hole. They go through four physically distinct life stages: larva, glass eel, yellow eel, and silver eel. Bait eels are yellow eels. I know about this stuff because I researched scavenger species while I was plotting to toss my ex-wife into Weekapaug Breachway attached to a couple of cement blocks. I wanted to know how long it would take before I could haul up the skeleton and grind it into fertilizer.

[surfkaster]

lol...

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Peterjay

I know about this stuff because I researched scavenger species while I was plotting to toss my ex-wife into Weekapaug Breachway attached to a couple of cement blocks. I wanted to know how long it would take before I could haul up the skeleton and grind it into fertilizer.

wouldn't have been the first time something like that has happened down here.

[Peterjay]

Originally Posted by Thumper

wouldn't have been the first time something like that has happened down here.

Ain't that the truth. Back in the 1980's, there were so many missing wives in these parts that the authorities made it illegal to rent a wood chipper to a married man. It worked out for me though; the ex-Mrs. J. got suspicious and figured her best option was to run off with the guy next door. In one fell swoop, I got rid of a cheating wife, a nuisance of a neighbor, and I got to spend the money I'd put aside for a criminal defense attorney on a new Jeep and a couple of fly rods. Turns out there is a God after all.

[american spirit]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

In all honsesty, I'd like to see a ring size implemented for the harvest of eels. I'm unaware if there is any such restriction now, but I do cringe when I look into the tank and there's a bunch of tiny eels milling around along with the selects.

that's it. start a program and get it implemented.

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by Peterjay

Ain't that the truth. Back in the 1980's, there were so many missing wives in these parts that the authorities made it illegal to rent a wood chipper to a married man. It worked out for me though; the ex-Mrs. J. got suspicious and figured her best option was to run off with the guy next door. In one fell swoop, I got rid of a cheating wife, a nuisance of a neighbor, and I got to spend the money I'd put aside for a criminal defense attorney on a new Jeep and a couple of fly rods. Turns out there is a God after all.

I love a story with a happy ending!

I don't fish eels often, but when I've been getting them I've had good luck at a place near my office. The tackle shop is pretty bad for tackle, but the eels are good size and very lively. The guy has also offered to give me dead big eels for free if I want to skin em'.

[FishermanTim]

Adult eels swim to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die.
Baby eels hatch and make their way back to the freshwater homes their parents came from.
They spend years developing into the adult form (silver eel) and migrate back to the Sargasso Sea to start the whole process over again.

That's it in a nutshell.

[ProfessorM]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I wonder if there is some alternate universe where eels use humans for bait, starve us in a tank, drown us in slime, poke hooks through our eyes, and whack us on rocks to slow us down. Maybe right now they are sending a ship to Franklin to get more bait................................. and will be all pissed off they got so many short ones.

LOL

[MakoMike]

Minimum size on eels is 6 inches. Tim has the life cycle right.

[Fishoholic]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

Minimum size on eels is 6 inches. Tim has the life cycle right.

Best me too it

Originally Posted by american spirit

i was just thinking after being ripped off at a local tackle shop with 5 dead eels that didn't make it the ride to my house; and a spool full of loose suffix from trying to lob six inch eels out on the water...............

shouldn't there be restrictions on eels just like stripers. you should only be able to trap/ sell eels over 12-14 inches long. wouldn't that eliminate a lot of our problems and increase the eel population?

Dead eels and little eels still work If you aren't getting the distance you want put an egg or rubber core sinker on your leader just above the hook. They can't give everyone all the big ones all the time. Only solution is to catch your own