Eel Skins

[piemma]

Eel Skins have become impossible to buy. I was talking to the guys at Red Top this AM and they told me Maco has them. Well, I spoke to the guy at Maco and he sang me a song of sorrow about how everyone wants to buy eel skins but no one buys his other stuff so his now going to punish everyone and will no longer carry eel skins.

So here's the question. Short of me skinning my own eels, (which I have done in the past) does anyone know where I can buy a bunch of eel skins?

[Raven]

in my mind

SO why do they work so well ?
1.texture
2.color
3.smell
4.Taste
(it describes a person's eating habits)

sure all four....
these have been discussed at length
~ )>

or? N0. 5
Density -> but how would a Bass differentiate
between the density
of one object over another?

............................. INDEED

[Thumper]

saltwater edge might have them

[rizzo]

surfland might too

[luds]

Yeah, I called Mako's recently and got a heavy no! I'm going to see what they have at the local chinese market to skin. I can seem to find big enough eels at an bait shops to get a skin to get over an atom jr. Nevermind a 40 or giant pikie.

[Notaro]

Originally Posted by luds

Yeah, I called Mako's recently and got a heavy no! I'm going to see what they have at the local chinese market to skin. I can seem to find big enough eels at an bait shops to get a skin to get over an atom jr. Nevermind a 40 or giant pikie.

I wonder if a Viet supermarket sells them, too. Chinese markets have been declining a bit lately. Where do you get yours at a Chinese market?

[gone fishin]

Not to start a verbal war, but---I would be sort of pissed if I was Mako and "customer - or many" come through the door with no intention to purchase any other gear and ask for skins telling Mako that Red Top told me to go here. He is struggling for survival just as a lot of bait shops are. I will bet he has some for his customers.

[luds]

Originally Posted by Notaro

I wonder if a Viet supermarket sells them, too. Chinese markets have been declining a bit lately. Where do you get yours at a Chinese market?

I have not purchased them yet but I'm assuming one of the markets in Quincy will have them. We shall see. Might check on the way home for work today.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by luds

I can't seem to find big enough eels at an bait shops to get a skin to get over an atom jr. Nevermind a 40 or giant pikie.

Suds and Soda in Greenland NH....they carry some seriously beefy snakes.

[chefchris401]

the Edge will have them with my help!!!!

last year i was able to get about 100 big eels, average was 24" and about 3 " around. some where way bigger like 3 feet and as thick as your forearm.

they are trying to get a feel for how many they need, they set up something on their site. or call, i know they are planning on carrying them this season.

[flyvice11787]

Go to your local fish monger. Ask if they ever get eels for their customers. Tell them to save the skins and you'll pay for them. A little late now, but they probably sell a fair amount for Christmas .
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[ivanputski]

what do skins usually sell for?

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by piemma

Eel Skins have become impossible to buy. I was talking to the guys at Red Top this AM and they told me Maco has them. Well, I spoke to the guy at Maco and he sang me a song of sorrow about how everyone wants to buy eel skins but no one buys his other stuff so his now going to punish everyone and will no longer carry eel skins.

So here's the question. Short of me skinning my own eels, (which I have done in the past) does anyone know where I can buy a bunch of eel skins?

Theres a quick way to go out of business...

[Notaro]

Yeah, it does sound good now. I got eelskin plugs and haven't tried them on because every time I skin an eel, it always has a hole on the end and I kind of gave up giving it a try. I might as well as to buy one or more now.

[luds]

Originally Posted by Notaro

Yeah, it does sound good now. I got eelskin plugs and haven't tried them on because every time I skin an eel, it always has a hole on the end and I kind of gave up giving it a try. I might as well as to buy one or more now.

I've heard that when guys are picking skins out at Maco's that they blow in them to see if air flows through which is nasty but that's besides the point. I think they were selecting them for skin jigs which I don't use. I guess my question is for a swimmer or needle does it really matter if water can flow throught the skin? I have caught fish on both but not many. Pretty sure the skins I had did have wholes in them.

[DZ]

Judging by supply and demand I'm guessing skins will be going for $5 a shot. Nasty job - have to make it worthwhile.

DZ

[piemma]

Originally Posted by DZ

Judging by supply and demand I'm guessing skins will be going for $5 a shot. Nasty job - have to make it worthwhile.

DZ

Dennis, you are right. Last time I bought some they were $3.75 each and that was at least 5 years ago. If you take care of them they last a long time. I still have 2 left out of the 2 dozen I bought.
On another subject, it didn't seem to matter if there was a hole in them. I only used them on plugs though.

[luds]

Originally Posted by piemma

Dennis, you are right. Last time I bought some they were $3.75 each and that was at least 5 years ago. If you take care of them they last a long time. I still have 2 left out of the 2 dozen I bought.
On another subject, it didn't weem to matter if there was a hole in them. I only used them on plugs though.

Thanks and I agree with bot of you on the cost part.

[Green Light]

Originally Posted by luds

I've heard that when guys are picking skins out at Maco's that they blow in them to see if air flows through....

Wow. That's hardcore.

[DZ]

Originally Posted by luds

I've heard that when guys are picking skins out at Maco's that they blow in them to see if air flows through.

They were just being responsible - avoiding unwanted pregnancies.

DZ

[Zeno]

we got over 200 at xmas by throwing guys at the local seafood place $20 to put them on the side

[chefchris401]

yeah they probably are waiting for me!

ive been working insane hours and fishing whenever i can.

were supposed to set something up and ahave an eel skinning party!

ill try and find out the details and let everyone know.

when they posted their link, they didnt get much response, but everytime you talk to someone they always want them.

I sold my personal staff at the end of last season for $8 a skin, but they were massive ones, for atom 40s and my big needles.

i cant say what they will charge but ill touch base with those guys and hopefully have a date for when they would be ready. '

and i dont think i hole in them makes a difference.

[tattoobob]

Don't they all have holes in the back? I think it's called the anal vent

[Saltheart]

I'm just amazed that people don't know what the hey about eel skins. signs of a dying art in fishing.

When you skin them , you have to pull the skin down to just before the anal vent and stop. You then snip the little intestine attached at the inside of the skin. then you pull the rest of the skin off. If you pull the whole skin off without snipping the anal vent thingy , the skins rip from there down to the tail end or to whatever point the anal intestine string breaks.


You don't want the big rip in skins to be used on skin jigs with the hole in them or the style with the raised cowell that the skin is tied to. The water is supposed to flow throw the hole and puff up the skin. Some people do put a very small hole in the skins for the skin jigs cause they say a little draining out the tail causes it to be less filled out and the more slack skin wiggles better and that the water flows through it better. I think no hole or small hole is ok but a long rip do to not snipping the anal intestine when pulling the skin off is too much of a vent and the skin won't puff up on the skin jig.

Skin plugs usually need the much bigger diameter skins and they do not have water flowing through them and puffing up the skin. Therefore a tear or hole in the skin makes no difference when you use them on skin plugs.

When used on skin jigs , the intent is often to make them look like a bate fish with a side profile , that's why you want them to puff up. Skin jigs work well when the bass are feeding on herring because if you know how to tie them on right they look like a herring. The way to tie them on is to have the whole thing only about 5 to 7 inches long , like the baitfish. very few people know this and do it correctly. They all want it as long as possible. You want it very long on a skin plug cause its supposed to slither along like an eel or snake , etc. thats why the skin plugs usually have a metal lip like a danny swimmer , they need to wiggle. you want to retrieve them slow so its slow slithering wiggle , not fast like when the metal lip plug is swimming without the skin.On the jigs its can can be used like that but this time of year when the herring are around you want to rig skin jigs short and you want them puffed up with water.

[Notaro]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

I'm just amazed that people don't know what the hey about eel skins. signs of a dying art in fishing.

When you skin them , you have to pull the skin down to just before the anal vent and stop. You then snip the little intestine attached at the inside of the skin. then you pull the rest of the skin off. If you pull the whole skin off without snipping the anal vent thingy , the skins rip from there down to the tail end or to whatever point the anal intestine string breaks.


You don't want the big rip in skins to be used on skin jigs with the hole in them or the style with the raised cowell that the skin is tied to. The water is supposed to flow throw the hole and puff up the skin. Some people do put a very small hole in the skins for the skin jigs cause they say a little draining out the tail causes it to be less filled out and the more slack skin wiggles better and that the water flows through it better. I think no hole or small hole is ok but a long rip do to not snipping the anal intestine when pulling the skin off is too much of a vent and the skin won't puff up on the skin jig.

Skin plugs usually need the much bigger diameter skins and they do not have water flowing through them and puffing up the skin. Therefore a tear or hole in the skin makes no difference when you use them on skin plugs.

When used on skin jigs , the intent is often to make them look like a bate fish with a side profile , that's why you want them to puff up. Skin jigs work well when the bass are feeding on herring because if you know how to tie them on right they look like a herring. The way to tie them on is to have the whole thing only about 5 to 7 inches long , like the baitfish. very few people know this and do it correctly. They all want it as long as possible. You want it very long on a skin plug cause its supposed to slither along like an eel or snake , etc. thats why the skin plugs usually have a metal lip like a danny swimmer , they need to wiggle. you want to retrieve them slow so its slow slithering wiggle , not fast like when the metal lip plug is swimming without the skin.On the jigs its can can be used like that but this time of year when the herring are around you want to rig skin jigs short and you want them puffed up with water.

So you are saying that I should used a skin that has a tear on the rear end and jigged it?

[Saltheart]

No Joe!!

For jigging , no hole or just a tiny hole.

If it has a tear in it its OK for Skin Plugs , not skin jigs.

[Saltheart]

Joe, Did you see the part about the skin jigs have a hole in them so water flows through the jig and into the skin that is tied on it around the hole? That's important.

[Saltheart]

people pay $8 for a skin! You got to be kidding. That is amazing. I would never pay more than the cost of the hwole eel for just the skin. I guess todays fisherman don't liek to get their hands dirty or get grossed out skinning them themsleves. $8 each!!!! Unbelieveable!

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

people pay $8 for a skin! You got to be kidding. That is amazing. I would never pay more than the cost of the hwole eel for just the skin. I guess todays fisherman don't liek to get their hands dirty or get grossed out skinning them themsleves. $8 each!!!! Unbelieveable!

i agree that is a crazy price for an eel skin considering some shops practically give away dead eels. it takes all of 3min to tack on the the tree, cut, pull the skin off, cut behind the anal vent and toss in the brine. the problem is finding the bigger eels for the bigger plugs.

[chefchris401]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

people pay $8 for a skin! You got to be kidding. That is amazing. I would never pay more than the cost of the hwole eel for just the skin. I guess todays fisherman don't liek to get their hands dirty or get grossed out skinning them themsleves. $8 each!!!! Unbelieveable!

yeah last year in montauk i had about 10 skins left and a few guys found out while we where out there, they offered to pay $8 each for them, im not dumb so i agreed. paid for my gas on the way home. these were all big skins that I used for the lordship 40s.

The BIG eels usually cost me at wholesale about $3 to 4 each, thats direct from a seafood supplier we use at work.

i would think that $5 each is fair, but i just buy the whole eel and do them myself.

if you guys want i get the whole eels for you if you want to it your self. PM me and I can get them to you asap. Im not sure of the edges eta.