Never use a fishfinder rig with an eel. They go together like Jim Beam and grape soda, with no ice (don't ask me how I know this). You do not fish eels as bait (i.e. like clams or bunker), and therefore a fishfinder rig is a terrible choice.

The best way to fish eels is just like a plug, only slower, about 1/4 - 1/3 the speed that you'd fish a lure. Tie your running line to a barrel swivel, and tie about 4 feet of 50-lb. leader material to the other end of the swivel. Snell a large-ish hook (I like a razor-sharp 7/0 hook; sharpen it yourself, because most hooks are not sharp enough out of the box) to the end of the leader, and then hook the eel through the head, so that it is swimming naturally (green side up, white side down) when you are retrieving. Though you want to do it slowly, you want to keep the eel moving while you're fishing -- otherwise (eels are masters at this) the eel will probably ball itself up on your line.

The other trick to eel fishing is not to get the herky-jerkies. If you feel a fit, don't swing the rod like Harmon Killebrew -- give it a five-Mississippi count, and then drive the hook home when you feel a tug. If you try to set the hook at the first hit, all you'll do is yank the eel out of the striper's mouth.

As to their efficacy: eels almost always work. They will not catch bass if there are no bass around -- nothingwill -- but if there are bass to be had, an eel is as good a thing to use as anything. And they are also bluefish magnets: there's nothing like shelling out $15 for a dozen eels, and having blues turn them all into cigar butts in a half hour.

 

Put them on ice for about hour, this will make them lethargic and easy to handle!! Keep the eels separated from the freshwater, the freshwater will kill them.

Two ways of hooking them that I know of. from top to bottom through the head just behind eyes or through both eye sockets.

 

I have fished live eels off the beach. I don’t bother anymore because I find plugs to be just as productive. Simple enough just use a 36” leader from a swivel and a circle hook through the lips. Cast out and retriever the eel. Bluefish love them so bring plenty of eels. Oh and after you hook the eel break his back so he can’t twist up on you. There is a knack to it if you disable him too much he won’t swim well and if your too gentle he will twist up you line.
Buy a few plugs!
Old-guy

 

keep your left over eels to make rigged eels. youtube how to do it, though many still just use a wobble head in front, I like the 2 hook, sewed in method.

rigged eels are fished in a walk-the-dog type fashion, which gives them life.

if you want to fish one of your dead eels right away, then break the vertebrae by pulling the eel as if you were getting ready to "snap a towel"... hold head and tail and give a jerk... you should hear slight pops. If you've done it right, the eel will be more limber than any hogy. In this case, you can make a fresh hole with your hook and fish the eel, though it wouldn't hurt to tie the head on the hook (due to the method of retrieve as much as anything else)

 

How about eels from a boat around bridges? Does anyone do that? Or anyone know how the setup is made and used?

 

Been drifting Live EELS from Party boats (CM Rips) every FALL since 1989. How to Keep eels- in a plastic bucket or cooler--dump your eels in -NO MORE than an 1/2 inch of salt water -- eels stay alive by 'sliming' themselves/each other - Too much water -in a container- will dissipate the slime and they will die quickly,weird but true -they live in water but in a container the water will kill them -if too much of it. Probably oxygen level - key is the slime. Also if in a bucket keep a loose towel over the top -- out of the sun/heat. No need to put any ice anywhere - they'll last all day without it. I simply buy eel rigs -fluorocarbon fishfinders with gammi hooks , hook the eel-bottom of jaw up thru the middle of its head behind its' eyes -dont go too far behind the eyes -thats where its brain is -- hit the brain and it will die sooner. I used to use egg sinker or in-line drails-if sight casting to a particular area of a rip line -happens when stripers are bunched in a small section of a rip. BUT the best is a tear drop/bullet sinker..the egg sinkers tend to 'bounce' on the line if/when you are reeling in a striper -- this 'bouncing' can cause the egg sinker to hit the stripers mouth and actually knock the hook out of a stripers mouth,also the holes in the egg sinkers for where you run your line tend to get clogged with sand in certain bottoms making them non-sliding. The drails disadvantage is that a striper will feel the weight immediately. I found through many years of drifting eels through the rips that letting a striper run for 5 seconds works the best..it doesn't feel the weight and only about 5 seconds - no more - if too long of a run they will at times realize they have more than an eel in its mouth and spit at all out. Also try to use the lowest weight where you bounce the bottom - very little is weight is need as EELS naturally swim/hug the bottom usually no more than 2 ounces in normal shallow rips. Sometimes we fish deeper waters with lumps - over on the Dark side of the D. Bay - there you need to add as much weight as needed. I've used as much as 10 - 12 ounces in a hard current - but the water is about 60 feet deep -and reduce the 'run' count to 3 seconds.

 

the guys I know add a 1 oz egg sinker in front of the swivel, with a similar leader setup, in order to drop the eels near and around bridge pilings, or to bounce
along the bottom.

 

Thanks Rob, will be trying that some time

 

eels behind a sinker can be good, size depending on your location. have also used a 3 way rig, used to use a 3 way swivel but then realized you can use a regular 2 way swivel. get about 7 feet of leader, and just about in the middle, polamar knot it to the swivel. tie a loop at the one end, and your hook to the other. then tie that to your main line. put your sinker through the loop and your eel on the hook and then you can have your eels swimming just off the bottom. jetties and bridges... when the fish are on the bottom Ill do this, usually it doesnt work but Ive got a number of decent fish with it.

 

BILLO thanks a lot will be doing exactly what you said. Is there any part of the year I should focus on using eels?

 

Was 'out' for a few days.... Drifting eels used to be the 'thing' to do every Fall drifting the RIPS lower Delaware Bay. Last couple years driftiing/live-lining Spot has been more productive , but eels usually catch the Bigger Bass. Mid-October til around Bird Day in Nov. is when to concentrate with eels. Then-Early Dec. Clams. Mid-December til sometime in Jan.(depending on water temps) its mainly Bucktailing - either drifting BT's or site-casting into specific parts of Rip Lines.
I have 'killed' the Bass off Party Boats using these methods -- as stated per each time period = EELS, CLAMS + BT's.
Spring used to be great Bucktailing the rips - but the rips have become so dirty the last few years you need some 'heavy' scents to attract the bass - Chunking Bunker and/or Clam. Last FALL the Party Boats were chunking bunker - instead of eels or spot - FIRST time since 1989 that i was on a headboat that chunked bunker in Fall. The bass were simply not hitting much on other bait. I was NOT a happy camper since I love drifting eels - approach the rip the rip 'waves' getting louder as you get nearer as your adrenaline increases every second until your eel hits the sweet spot.
I hate sitting on a rope and would rather NOT go fishing if chunking bunker was the only choice -- i can twiddle my thumbs at home instead of on a boat,especially when its cold + windy!