Would the loss of eels truly hurt you?

[baldwin]

Haven't really fished eels in years. I get more satisfaction from plugs and flies, and they're easier to use when you decide to fish last-minute.

[Goose]

I go with what I know and know eel is big bass get down deep bait. If I'm going to spend countless hours, ect. ect. fishing then I want those hours spent with intent on targeting the biggest fish.

[tlapinski]

One thing I see happening is the truly good fishermen will shine. Sure, there are things that make some guys better eel fishermen than others, but making a fish think your hunk of wood/plastic/lead is live food takes more skill than placing a live offering in a bass's face. All things equal, in front of a hungry bass, she will take the live offering over the fake any day. I think you'll see far less googans falling on trophy fish while the "sharpies" continue to pick away at the cows. It's all about adapting to the situation at hand.

I know when I fish plugs now, I always wonder if I am missing something by throwing an eel, and vise-versa. If I eliminate the option of eels, I'll fish what I can use that much better.

I do still have two places where eels shine and there is really no other option that can take the fish that an eel can. I plan to work on that this year, though, so I'm not left in the cold when/if we can no longer use them.

[Steve K]

Definitely. My largest fish have all come on eels. If there were a moratorium, I am sure that I would be fine but in July and August my productivity would be down.