what's the longest time an eel has stayed alive for you?

[Saltheart]

In the mouth and out the bottom will keep them alive the longest. drawback is that they can be cast off if not carefull.

the eel stays alive a lot longer than most people think. It doesn't wiggle and ball up but if it can just barely raise its tail tip , its still alive.

This time of year I would rather have a dead rigged eel than a live one anyway.

[lurch]

I was told a tip from a friend and was experimenting with hooking the eel in the tail. I figured that it would keep them alive longer and I was surprised how long they stayed alive. With it being tough to hook the eel through the tail I also figured that the eel would stay on the hook longer.

When you put the eel in the water they seem to swim much better with the hook in the tail.

Is this a good idea? Have you tried this before and what were your results?