HELP - how do you keep these damn eels from tangling my line!

[Jim H]

I have yet to catch a fish with live eels...everytime I cast one out, it swims around for a while, but then tangles itself on the line. HORRIBLE mess....slimmy tangle.

I am using my spinning gear with a 5/0 Gamakatsu live bait hook. Have tried casting and slowly retrieving with no weight.....have tried using 2 oz weight on a fish finder rig....both methods yield TANGLED MESS.

What am I doing wrong? I read and re-read the John's Eels 101 in FAQs, but only touches on the tangle problem if you leave them dangling out of water. Is it that I need to STUN them before use? I keep them in an eel bucket (3 bucket method with ice dripping on them).....

I actually stopped using them and went back to clams. After catching this 41 incher on Sunday in the mouth of the Merrimack River, I am wondering WHY I am so focused on eels!

Jim