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

[Slingah]

I like eels too
fishing eels is the easy way to catch big bass imo
slimey heathen devils
I keep em on ice and give em an occasional beating if they are bad

[Goose]

2....twoooooooooooooooooooooo

[Karl F]

Originally Posted by bassmaster

i like eels see........

looks like U liked "mullet" too..
nice hairdo

[ThrowingTimber]

Awesome Fish Slingah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tynan19]

I caught my biggest fish the other night on an eel that had the back 1/4 taken off by a blue. I said screw it and threw it back out, got a hit almost right away.
I also caught numerous fish on an eel with it's head barely on by a thread from all the fish caught on it.

[ThrowingTimber]

mooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[ThrowingTimber]

moooooooooooooooooo

[Nebe]

whodat?

[Slingah]

yeees sir TT
I love fish porn

[Nebe]

BI Jeff's 50 from this week-

[Sweetwater]

Eben! nice fish! See eels do work, as long as you don't "whack 'em"

[eelman]

The #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& returns having his eel taken by no less than 8 striped bass this fine foggy evening!

As I have said before, I let the fish run because it is what I have always done and the way I learned, I do not want my next 40 hooked in the lip sorry, just me. I want it in his throat! the last thing I want to see is that hook in a hole in the lips the size of a half dollar Yup that may be old school but thats me the deeper the better

Now go out and stick some bass!!

[eelman]

Originally Posted by Slingah

I like eels too
fishing eels is the easy way to catch big bass imo
slimey heathen devils
I keep em on ice and give em an occasional beating if they are bad

why would you not want it easy?? fishing does not have to be hard just for hards sake? people work hjard all week fishing should not be a chore! if eels are easy use em!

[Squibby17]

Originally Posted by Slingah

I like eels too
fishing eels is the easy way to catch big bass imo
slimey heathen devils
I keep em on ice and give em an occasional beating if they are bad

I like the picture of the fish inside the house

Also you guys whack the tail end of the eel , I always whacked the head portion this is an interresting techinique for me to try

[Slingah]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

why would you not want it easy?? fishing does not have to be hard just for hards sake? people work hjard all week fishing should not be a chore! if eels are easy use em!

I do use eels...I catch fish with eels...I like eels...Slingah=eel lover
...Ive been trying to go large on pluggage,,,,just a personal goal.....back to eels soooooon

[ThrowingTimber]

Give em what they want

[Jim H]

OK

I think the problem is I am letting the eel sit too long...not reeling in slowly the whole time after a cast.

Also saw suggestions of throwing them at rocks - I've been mostly drifting/reeling them on Joppa Flats. I assume that should work too (right).

Whack or not to whack....that is the question. Sounds like both will work.

I'll try both methods next time out.

Thanks again for the help (and laughs!)

[eelman]

Drifting eels works great just keep in touch with your line, also, in a deep water drift use a rubber core sinker...........

[zacs]

Jim,
I think my post got burried in there somehwere.
Drifting eels is fine. YOu don't have to reel them in. I do it all the time in my boat and they hardly ever tangle. Threeway is fine too without reeling. I put 'em on the bottom with 4 oz. of lead and never have any problems. I will dead stick a couple at lunch time and rarely have any problems w/ tangles.

Are you using a swivel? Is it a good one? What kind of line do you use? what kind of leader material and what kind of hook.

If the bite isn't on, I can drift an eel for an hour without a tangle. Tell us about your setup.

_Z_

[Jim H]

Originally Posted by zacs

Jim,
Are you using a swivel? Is it a good one? What kind of line do you use? what kind of leader material and what kind of hook.

If the bite isn't on, I can drift an eel for an hour without a tangle. Tell us about your setup.

_Z_

I am using 20lb fireline with a slider fish finder rig(one with plastic sleeve and metal clip) to hold a small 2 oz bank sinker. Tie snap swivel ("decent" bass-pro shops one) to the fireline. Using about 2 ft of 20lb test mono as a leader. Tie a small loop in one end (and connect to swivel) and tie the 5/0 bait hook to the other end.

What is happening is the eel wraps up all around the leader by doing that awful slithering twisting routine.......but it happens after my cast and not before. I grab em with a rag, shove the hook from under the throat up and out one eye. IMMEDIATELY throw in the water.....then lift up and quickly cast out.

I feel the eel swimming around....pulling....then NOTHING.....when I reel in....he's in a ball...all tangled in the leader. Throw him back on ice where the slime coating turns milky white and solidifies on leader hook swivel....YUCK

It has happened both when I toss him out and slowly reel in AND when just letting it sit there on the bottom. I have been anchored or from my dock - not drifting.

[CAL]

Never fish eels with a fishfinder setup like you're fishing a chunk. Instant eelball.
Never just let them sit down there, reel them in.
If you gotta get them down try stuffing an egg sinker in their mouth.

[zacs]

I have never used a fishfinder for an eel, so maybe thats the problem. I either just drift them with no weight [swivel to leader to hook], or use a 3 way swivel, and hang weight off one hole and the leader, usually a few feet, and send them to send them to the bottom. I rarely anchor, and I can't remeber if I have drifted eels w/o weight, but I have 3-way'ed em at anchor without problem.

Unlike people keep insisting, you do not need to reel them in constantly when in a boat, although you can with success.

[eelman]

There are times when three waying eels out off block when you need lots of weight to hold bottom, the trick is to let the sinker hit bottom then reel in a couple of cranks and drift, the tension of the water will prevent the eel from curling up on the leader, as for three waying at anchor, I have never heard of it, three waying is synonomus with fishing a drift just like drifting for fluke. I would cast and retrieve at anchor but not just let the eel sit there on the bottom. When I fish currents like in our breachways I add rubbercore sinkers to the line to get thye eel down more but other than that I still fish them the same way.

I know guys who fish the race and sometimes need 13 ounces of lead just to get down and stay down in a good moon tide rip!

Alot of guys I am hearing from are now just using an egg sinker above a good sampo swivel instead of the three way rig, when a bass picks up the eel it does not feel the weight and they say this is working out great!

I also got the tip on the orvis mirage flouro from these boat guys they say it makes a ton of difference and now that I use it for leaders I have to agree its great stuff and really takes a beating, I use the 60lb orvis mirage and my leader is long at about 8 or 9 feet, it can really take a pounding in the rocks, give it a try.

But boat fishing aint my thing so I am no one to ask! Just my opinion!

[Fish On]

Jim,

Let me help. Grab the eel with a dry paper towel for the best grip. Put the first 3 inches of eel into your mouth and suck the blood up to the head. This puts the eel into a trance-like state that last for over an hour. Easy to now put on the hook and he'll swim slowly almost unconscious, never ball up, never tangle, and never go into the rocks.

[Slingah]

eeeeewwwwwww!
thats icky

[BigFish]

Slingah likes his eels the long way!

[Slingah]

drop the gay crap on everything I post or you will have war....and I got plenty of ammo

[partsjay]

Put the first 3 inches of eel into your mouth and suck the blood up to the head.

Dude, you owe me $2.98 for the ice coffee and bagel that I just launched all over my screen.

[BigFish]

[Fish On]

Jim,

On second thought you might just want to try keeping them on drained ice or wacking the tail....

FO