Clark Eel Bob

[Pete_G]

Does anybody have any or have any info on them?

[cheferson]

I got an eel bob from a friend at a tackle shop, not sure if its a clark though. It worked great for me, wanna get some with a lil bigger weight for next season when the surf is kickin so i can get the eel down near the bottom. Basically its an egg weight that is through wired attached to a hook. You cut skin the eel back a couple inches, cut off the head, insert the hook into the eel, pull the skin over the eeg weight and tie on with a bag twisty minus the paper coating. I could bring it by the shop if you were interested in looking at it.

[Pete_G]

Yeah, bring it on by when you get a chance.

It's actually for the Ironman, he's got plans for it if it's a Clark. By the description it's at least similar.

Thanks Chef!

[cheferson]

WHat makes the clark so good? What did you guys hear? I did well with it , but didnt get it till november so it didnt really get too much action. Next year though, is a different story. Ill bring it by sometime in the next week probally.

[Joe]

I'm pretty sure that was developed by one of the Jamestown Clarke's
They used to fish that east side from Beavertail, in....
The countdown method works very well over there - in the big water you get on the east side of J-town, an eel bob makes perfect sense.

[cheferson]

Thats what i got then. The guy who gave it to me , learned of them from a jamestown local.

[Flaptail]

Eel bobs were made up and down the coast in the late 1800's till the 1950's. They were very popular on the Cape.

[Nebe]

Blackeye (boardmember) has a grandfather who lives in the vineyard who makes a cool eel bob type rig.. its a stainless tube attached to a length of toilet chain and along the toilet chain are little cork floats so your eelskin can wiggle along the surface. I have one but I also have sluggos.. which would you use??

[Flaptail]

Eben, that's an old style Cuttyhunk rig. Someone used to sell them commercially. I used to see them on the rack at Red Top in the old days.

[Nebe]

Flap i beleive you are right and i have no idea what i am saying

[kippy]

Originally posted by Eben
Flap i beleive you are right and i have no idea what i am saying

thats a first!

[Breezy]

got pic of the tube n float one?

[Crafty Angler]

Originally posted by Joe
I'm pretty sure that was developed by one of the Jamestown Clarke's
They used to fish that east side from Beavertail, in....
The countdown method works very well over there - in the big water you get on the east side of J-town, an eel bob makes perfect sense.

The Clark eel bob was developed and sold by one of the J-town Clarks - I want to say it was Arthur but I may be wrong. He held the RI state record for striped bass with a fish that he caught in '30's and the mount of that fish still hangs in the Beavertail lighthouse, if memory serves.

He was a eel fisherman of some note, kept a bath-tub full of eels in his basement at all times from what I've been told - although I don't know what Mrs. Clark's reaction was to that

Maybe Fish_Eye will see this and chime in here - he and I talked about this at length ages ago and he knows a great deal more than I do on it - if I remember right he researched it at one point and may have some interesting details for you.

Hmmmm.....I'm trying to remember if we were under the influence of bloooberries at the time.......it's possible....

[Tattoo]

I beleive it was Arthur that caught the record.

The Cuttyhunk floating eelskin rig. I know the guy who owns the company now, has boxes and boxes of all the original peices, just need to be put together. Luckily I got him to make me some. Here are some shorter ones.

...and no he doesnt want to sell the company, I already asked 50 times.

[Breezy]

thanks tattoo, how much do you think the tube weighs? :-}

[Tattoo]

The tubes are hollow and allow water to pass through and blow up the skin. It's pretty light overall.

I beleive the rig was designed for drifting more than anything, it proablly casts like crap. I have yet to use one, but that will change come spring time.

[cheferson]

Got an extra ya wanna sell tattoo?

[bart]

i think phil burgess in norton sells them

[Saltheart]

You can also make the eel bob on a ball jig or smilin bill , etc. by cutting of the head , hollowing out the skin about an inch by removing the meat then tying it into the barb of the jig.

DZ showed us some a few years ago at one of the four leg picnics.

[Nebe]

that's exactly like mine- Blackeye' grandfather was the previous owner i believe.. he made those and something he called the pirrannah jig

[ProfessorM]

Is this more or less an eel skin rig that floats some what? With that chunk of lead up front I would think the thing would sink. With the cork added it must give it zero bouyancy. I take it you use just the eel skin and not the whole eel? With the cork it must hinder the skin from inflating completely though. I fish and make eelskins and am interested in this thing. Thanks P.M.

[ProfessorM]

After reading the post's again I figured out that the tube up front was hollow and not lead thus it would float hence the name floating eel skin rig. Stupid. P.M.

[Nebe]

its hollow so the skin will fill up with water and look alive

[t.orlando]

Burgess had them and still might. Picked up a few but never got around to using them.

[tlapinski]

where is Burgess?

[t.orlando]

Norton, off the 123 exit.

[Saltheart]

I believe an eel bob is different than any skin jig , skin plug etc. as far as i know , you use the whole eel (not skinned) for a bob except for the small amount you cut out at the head to fit on the jig or egg sinker.

[cheferson]

Yes, thats the eel bob i have saltheart. I described it in my first post. You only skin a couple inches at the beginning, cut off the head, put the hook into the eel, and then tie the skin around the egg weght.

[Redsoxticket]

Where is the hook placed and what direction, up or down ?

OK, then how about placing the hook up the blow hole via a leader or wire that goes thru the egg

[cheferson]

Ill try to get over to my parents house and use there dig cam, I got the eel bob in the freezer w/eel.