EELS

[JohnR]

I'm going to use eels this season but I will be very selective on how I maintain them and keep them. I had a habit of releasing them on occasion instead of storing them but I will now store them. I also intend to keep the skins.

[Saltheart]

Don't use many at the canal but if the occasion calls for them somewhere else , I'll use them.

BTW , rigging your dead eels will not only keep them from going to waste but the rigged ones last about 10 times longer provided no blues hit them. The extra hook and better casting I think more than make up for the slightly less effectiveness and net result , I think you catch more fish on rigged eels.

[cheferson]

Dont even have to rig the dead ones. Ive thawed and refrozen eels over 4-5 times and still caught fish on them. Just rinse off the slime layer after they thaw, and hook them the same as live. Caught my largest fish last season on a thawed eel.

[bcaron]

I'm going to give rigging them a go this year. I've heard so much about it and it definately cuts down on waste and $$.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I only really use them at the canal. And this year i am going to make sure to keep em alive after the trips, i did well keeping them alive last fall, and the dead ones are gunna get rigged. I figure if we all either keep em alive after the trip, or rig them for later use we can do something about the problem, while still enjoying those slimy bastages.

[Pt.JudeJoe]

http://tattoostackle.com/eelbob_dz.php Eel bobs and other rigged eels kept in a kosher salt brine in the freezer ,will always be ready to fish and are reusable. The look ,smell and feel of "real" but the convenience and castability of a sluggo.

[Rock Hopper]

I don't throw out dead eels unless they are bit in half by a blue. I keep dozens in a deep freezer either in a frozen brine or kosher salt sprinkled on them. They keep really well and I have used them over and over.

I love to fish rigged eels and have great success with them...to be honest, I prefer my eels dead. They work just as well without all the hassle of a live trying to free itself and twisting and curling the line or leader up.

I actually just made up about dozen eel skin rigs (thanks Joe from Pt. Jude and John from NJ Tackle!!! ); my first time and it wasn't that difficult to my surprise. I am going to make up even more and probably won't need to by eels this year. My local tackle shop throws out the dead ones from the tank (unless someone asks for them) and I asked them to freez the dead ones for me that are in good shape.....why let em go to waste when I can rig em whole or as a skin????

Rigged whole and rigged skins are coming back and in my opinion it is a great thing. These practices are somewhat of a lost art that we should all look at....a lot of today's anglers do not value the things left for us by our forfathers and go they go the easy route....it is sometimes best to go back to go forward. Just my opinion.

Kadir

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by JohnR

I'm going to use eels this season but I will be very selective on how I maintain them and keep them. I had a habit of releasing them on occasion instead of storing them but I will now store them. I also intend to keep the skins.

John,
Why? Other than saving some money, releasing them is better for the fishery than keeping them and winding up with a dead one or two.

[slapshot]

I went to the CT ASMFC meeting on eels last month. A guy from a Deleware eel company that processes 100 tons of eels a year showed up and spoke a lot.

Of note he said that of the total eel harvest, the amount used by recreational fishermen was "miniscule". Thats the word he used. I asked him where the bulk of the eels are goining and his reply was overseas, mostly Europe.

If there are going to be restrictions, I hope our European friends take some of the blame and share in the restrictions. After all, they are "American eels".