Eel Skins

[piemma]

Eel Skins have become impossible to buy. I was talking to the guys at Red Top this AM and they told me Maco has them. Well, I spoke to the guy at Maco and he sang me a song of sorrow about how everyone wants to buy eel skins but no one buys his other stuff so his now going to punish everyone and will no longer carry eel skins.

So here's the question. Short of me skinning my own eels, (which I have done in the past) does anyone know where I can buy a bunch of eel skins?

[Raven]

in my mind

SO why do they work so well ?
1.texture
2.color
3.smell
4.Taste
(it describes a person's eating habits)

sure all four....
these have been discussed at length
~ )>

or? N0. 5
Density -> but how would a Bass differentiate
between the density
of one object over another?

............................. INDEED

[Thumper]

saltwater edge might have them

[rizzo]

surfland might too

[luds]

Yeah, I called Mako's recently and got a heavy no! I'm going to see what they have at the local chinese market to skin. I can seem to find big enough eels at an bait shops to get a skin to get over an atom jr. Nevermind a 40 or giant pikie.

[flyvice11787]

Go to your local fish monger. Ask if they ever get eels for their customers. Tell them to save the skins and you'll pay for them. A little late now, but they probably sell a fair amount for Christmas .
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[ivanputski]

what do skins usually sell for?

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by piemma

Eel Skins have become impossible to buy. I was talking to the guys at Red Top this AM and they told me Maco has them. Well, I spoke to the guy at Maco and he sang me a song of sorrow about how everyone wants to buy eel skins but no one buys his other stuff so his now going to punish everyone and will no longer carry eel skins.

So here's the question. Short of me skinning my own eels, (which I have done in the past) does anyone know where I can buy a bunch of eel skins?

Theres a quick way to go out of business...

[Notaro]

Originally Posted by luds

Yeah, I called Mako's recently and got a heavy no! I'm going to see what they have at the local chinese market to skin. I can seem to find big enough eels at an bait shops to get a skin to get over an atom jr. Nevermind a 40 or giant pikie.

I wonder if a Viet supermarket sells them, too. Chinese markets have been declining a bit lately. Where do you get yours at a Chinese market?

[gone fishin]

Not to start a verbal war, but---I would be sort of pissed if I was Mako and "customer - or many" come through the door with no intention to purchase any other gear and ask for skins telling Mako that Red Top told me to go here. He is struggling for survival just as a lot of bait shops are. I will bet he has some for his customers.

[Saltheart]

I got them from Mako a long time ago but we decided just to skin our own leftover/dead ones. You buy them live anyway and after using them just save them and when you have enough to make it worth the mess of doing them you just pull the skins off say 10 or 20 at a time. That way you double the economy of them also.

I put a nail in a tree in my side yard and just skin them there. Outside is nice cause there's really nothing to clean up except your hands afterwards.

[piemma]

looks like I'm back to skinning my own.

[luds]

Originally Posted by Notaro

I wonder if a Viet supermarket sells them, too. Chinese markets have been declining a bit lately. Where do you get yours at a Chinese market?

I have not purchased them yet but I'm assuming one of the markets in Quincy will have them. We shall see. Might check on the way home for work today.

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by gone fishin

Not to start a verbal war, but---I would be sort of pissed if I was Mako and "customer - or many" come through the door with no intention to purchase any other gear and ask for skins telling Mako that Red Top told me to go here. He is struggling for survival just as a lot of bait shops are. I will bet he has some for his customers.

I won't claim to know much about running a business, but if there was only one product that was selling in my store, I wouldn't stop selling it to "punish" my customers. I'm not familiar with Mako, but if it's the only thing that really sells, he should look into why other products don't sell and mayby change his merchandise mix.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by luds

I can't seem to find big enough eels at an bait shops to get a skin to get over an atom jr. Nevermind a 40 or giant pikie.

Suds and Soda in Greenland NH....they carry some seriously beefy snakes.

[chefchris401]

the Edge will have them with my help!!!!

last year i was able to get about 100 big eels, average was 24" and about 3 " around. some where way bigger like 3 feet and as thick as your forearm.

they are trying to get a feel for how many they need, they set up something on their site. or call, i know they are planning on carrying them this season.

[piemma]

Originally Posted by chefchris401

the Edge will have them with my help!!!!

last year i was able to get about 100 big eels, average was 24" and about 3 " around. some where way bigger like 3 feet and as thick as your forearm.

they are trying to get a feel for how many they need, they set up something on their site. or call, i know they are planning on carrying them this season.

CALLING RIGHT NOW!!!!

[piemma]

Well Chef, I believe that they are waiting for you. The guy I spoke with said that he thought they would be getting some but didn't know when. Just so you know, I told the guy to let Peter G (who I know well) that I will take 25.

[piemma]

Originally Posted by fishbones

I won't claim to know much about running a business, but if there was only one product that was selling in my store, I wouldn't stop selling it to "punish" my customers. I'm not familiar with Mako, but if it's the only thing that really sells, he should look into why other products don't sell and mayby change his merchandise mix.

he was actually pretty nice about it. When I told him I turned my own plugs he said well that's the problem, you will not buy any plugs from me. he's right but the fact is, I don't buy any plugs from anybody.

You are right he should specialize in eel skins. he would be the only game in town and I know at least 15 fishermen who would buy them.

[luds]

I'm guessing the skins shelf life at the edge will be about the same as when bm jr's were available on their website a couple months ago. PIemma get's a qtr. of the inventory and I wonder how many of the remaining 75 will actually make it past the Edge staff. LOL. The asian seafood markets are sounding pretty good right now.

[Notaro]

Yeah, it does sound good now. I got eelskin plugs and haven't tried them on because every time I skin an eel, it always has a hole on the end and I kind of gave up giving it a try. I might as well as to buy one or more now.

[bassballer]

Originally Posted by luds

I wonder how many of the remaining 75 will actually make it past the Edge staff. LOL.

Haha . this is the key to the success of the eel skins.

[luds]

Originally Posted by Notaro

Yeah, it does sound good now. I got eelskin plugs and haven't tried them on because every time I skin an eel, it always has a hole on the end and I kind of gave up giving it a try. I might as well as to buy one or more now.

I've heard that when guys are picking skins out at Maco's that they blow in them to see if air flows through which is nasty but that's besides the point. I think they were selecting them for skin jigs which I don't use. I guess my question is for a swimmer or needle does it really matter if water can flow throught the skin? I have caught fish on both but not many. Pretty sure the skins I had did have wholes in them.

[DZ]

Judging by supply and demand I'm guessing skins will be going for $5 a shot. Nasty job - have to make it worthwhile.

DZ

[piemma]

Originally Posted by DZ

Judging by supply and demand I'm guessing skins will be going for $5 a shot. Nasty job - have to make it worthwhile.

DZ

Dennis, you are right. Last time I bought some they were $3.75 each and that was at least 5 years ago. If you take care of them they last a long time. I still have 2 left out of the 2 dozen I bought.
On another subject, it didn't seem to matter if there was a hole in them. I only used them on plugs though.

[Zeno]

we got over 200 at xmas by throwing guys at the local seafood place $20 to put them on the side

[luds]

Originally Posted by piemma

Dennis, you are right. Last time I bought some they were $3.75 each and that was at least 5 years ago. If you take care of them they last a long time. I still have 2 left out of the 2 dozen I bought.
On another subject, it didn't weem to matter if there was a hole in them. I only used them on plugs though.

Thanks and I agree with bot of you on the cost part.

[chefchris401]

yeah they probably are waiting for me!

ive been working insane hours and fishing whenever i can.

were supposed to set something up and ahave an eel skinning party!

ill try and find out the details and let everyone know.

when they posted their link, they didnt get much response, but everytime you talk to someone they always want them.

I sold my personal staff at the end of last season for $8 a skin, but they were massive ones, for atom 40s and my big needles.

i cant say what they will charge but ill touch base with those guys and hopefully have a date for when they would be ready. '

and i dont think i hole in them makes a difference.

[tattoobob]

Don't they all have holes in the back? I think it's called the anal vent

[Saltheart]

I'm just amazed that people don't know what the hey about eel skins. signs of a dying art in fishing.

When you skin them , you have to pull the skin down to just before the anal vent and stop. You then snip the little intestine attached at the inside of the skin. then you pull the rest of the skin off. If you pull the whole skin off without snipping the anal vent thingy , the skins rip from there down to the tail end or to whatever point the anal intestine string breaks.


You don't want the big rip in skins to be used on skin jigs with the hole in them or the style with the raised cowell that the skin is tied to. The water is supposed to flow throw the hole and puff up the skin. Some people do put a very small hole in the skins for the skin jigs cause they say a little draining out the tail causes it to be less filled out and the more slack skin wiggles better and that the water flows through it better. I think no hole or small hole is ok but a long rip do to not snipping the anal intestine when pulling the skin off is too much of a vent and the skin won't puff up on the skin jig.

Skin plugs usually need the much bigger diameter skins and they do not have water flowing through them and puffing up the skin. Therefore a tear or hole in the skin makes no difference when you use them on skin plugs.

When used on skin jigs , the intent is often to make them look like a bate fish with a side profile , that's why you want them to puff up. Skin jigs work well when the bass are feeding on herring because if you know how to tie them on right they look like a herring. The way to tie them on is to have the whole thing only about 5 to 7 inches long , like the baitfish. very few people know this and do it correctly. They all want it as long as possible. You want it very long on a skin plug cause its supposed to slither along like an eel or snake , etc. thats why the skin plugs usually have a metal lip like a danny swimmer , they need to wiggle. you want to retrieve them slow so its slow slithering wiggle , not fast like when the metal lip plug is swimming without the skin.On the jigs its can can be used like that but this time of year when the herring are around you want to rig skin jigs short and you want them puffed up with water.