[jmajckson]

I've been catching a lot of eels lately in my cast net. The size range is generally anywhere from 8 - 16 inches. I'm just wondering what is the best way to fish them.

I'm not really a well versed striper fisherman, but want to try my luck at maybe landing one this season.

I've heard that hooking the eels and letting them swim around some structure can produce the best results. Is there any truth to this? What might be the best tide and time of day to try this method out?

 

[Gilly21]

Eels are one of the best striper baits there is. I fish mostly from land and around jettys. The way I rig them is to attatch a 1oz eggsinker to my main line and a barral swivle under it. I then attatch a 2 foot leader of florocarbon 20lb or 30 lb test to the ballel. Then a 8/0 Gammi circle to that. I hook the eel through the eyes. Use the current to your advantage. I fish both sides of the jetty starting from the wash and working my way to the tip. I spend 90 percent of my time here. Just cast out and let the eel drag along the bottom. If the eel dies don't be too concerned. A live eel is better but a bass will eat a dead one in the current too. Eels can be used on a boat too riged just like a chunk of meat. Or you can drift the rips with the egg sinker like above. I am sure others have different ways to use them too. The sizes you are catching are perfect. I personally like 12" or bigger. I go woth the bigger bait = bigger fish theory.

 

[NIGHTSTRIKES]

jmajckson,
First Welcome to the BassBarn.Com,
Glad To Have You Aboard.....

Second,excellent advise above from Gilly21.
I really can't add much more then the fact that
fishing eels by boat or by land is ideal to land some nice fish during the Fall Run and Into Early
Winter...

Another thing,if you are able to keep these eels you are getting right now penned up-do so..
Because come the Fall,eels might be hard to come by and if you find them available for sale the price will be high.. I am hearing some things about the current eel fishery up North and its not
pretty and will effect us down here in South Jersey...

Good Luck and Enjoy The Site....

 

[hipkvw]

Your catching eels in a cast net?

 

[FISH & CHIPS]

Jmajckson,
Welcome aboard !!!
I have caught my biggest stripers by trolling large eels by the sod banks in the fall. Its a great way to get the Biggins'.
Good luck

 

[RodFather]

jmajckson you have received some great advice so far and I am sure there will be more to come. I'LL add my two cents as well. I like the feisty eels, you know the one that you cannot grab easily. I don't keep them on ice because I want them going completely nuts when they hit bottom. Keep them in the live well or a black bucket with water. The black bucket will keep them dark in color and if you are fishing a sandy bottom they will stick out like sore thumbs. I like to try and not use any weight at all in shallow water up to 20 feet if the current allows. The eel will naturally swim for the bottom on its own and give you a much better presentation. I prefer to not use use floro as it tends to be a bit stiff and does not allow for as much a natural presentation as regular leader which is much softer. Once I get a strike I will let it run only for a couple seconds before I tighten down. In fact at times I'll even fish with a locked spool. I hook the eel from the lower jaw up thru one of the eye's. Good Luck!

 

[TI Guys]

There's a good article in the new (Sep 05) Saltwater Sportsman on fishing for bass with eels. Sounds like Rodfather does the same things, so you may not even care to read it. Good pics of bass and how to rig though. I would post the link here but they haven't put up the September issue on the SWS site yet.

 

[RodFather]

TI Guy I just read that article (did I write that ) good stuff though, some difference on how those guys up north do it but very simlar tatics it appears. Thanks for the heads up on a good read.

 

[WETDREAM]

If you hook the eel through the eyes doesn't that blind him/her so they can't see where they are going? Probably still has sense enough to run to the bottom though. just a thought. Then again....nevermind

 

[NIGHTSTRIKES]

You guys give them a good WHACK !!! to stun them so the famous EELBALL doens't happen to your Rig ????

If not whats the best way to prevent this (eelball)when fishing a lively one ???

 

[Joe D.]

I've always wanted to try eels for stripers. They don't bite or have any kind of sticker on them, do they?

 

[RodFather]

Originally posted by NIGHTSTRIKES:
You guys give them a good WHACK !!! to stun them so the famous EELBALL doens't happen to your Rig ????

If not whats the best way to prevent this (eelball)when fishing a lively one ???

Steve as long as you have them in the water and have somewhat of a drift you can avoid the EELBALL. That being said I never used them on land so that may be a different challenge that some else may have advice on.

I do like to use the scotts scratch pad to help control those wild one's when hooking them on.
I also only hook the eel out of the bottopm of one eye socket so they can still see I guess.

 

[jjsax]

fished eels on full moon from surf by jetties. big current and big eel balls!!! the current???? but all great advie above as I plan to use them often soooooon

 

[Vitalsigns]

No stickers or teeth to harm you but the slime is difficult to get off you hands, preventing the ball just takes experience. Eels tie knots in leaders very well.

 

[SKUNKED AGAIN]

A FELLOW FISHING WITH EELS IN THE SURF TOLD ME THE BEST BET WAS TO HOOK THEM THROUGH THE TAIL. HE SAID THAT IT LET THEM SWIM NATURALLY. I HAVEN'T TRIED IT YET, BUT IT MAKES SENSE WITH THE EELBALL PROBLEM. BUT WILL THE STRIPERS TAKE IT LIKE THAT?

 

[ulackfocus]

Dark eels with a bit of pink in the tail always worked well for me, and the black bucket tip is a good one. I prefer eels under 10" since it's almost a guarantee the whole thing will be inhaled by even a slot fish, and the small ones seem to be friskier. I don't know what to tell you about weight, though. The bigger fish are usually below & behind the group so a heavy weight may keep you from dealing with smaller fish, but it does hinder the eels swimming ability. I've never tried them in the surf. I usually use eels from the boat and handle them with the gardening gloves with the little rubber pimples on them for gripping ability, then after hooking them up through the jaw and out between the eyes I get them in the water as fast as possible so I don't get them knotting up. I use clam in the surf. Clam will spin too easily on a drift from a boat, and eels are a big hassle in the surf so I stay with what's easy for me.
As far as line, I always use Cabela's Ripcord SI (a braided line) since you can set a hook better with no stretch, and I like Owner 4/0 octupus offset J-hooks even though Gamakatsu makes some nice circle hooks a friend has me experimenting with. If you're in the bay you can do well chunking bunker too. I fish Utsch's Striper tournament frequently and see alot of guys going into the sloughs and the Horseshoe area chunking for some fat cows. I'm new to this site, but I've been fishing S.J. since the 70's when my uncle hooked me on it (bad pun intended). Good luck and good eating.

 

[RodFather]

ulack welcome to Bassbarn!

 

[TheAdamBomb]

Gilly21 - how's life down south treating you? Gotta' get you up here for some fall rip fishing!

 

[KeysKid]

Steve,
As long as your casting and retrieving it, the eel shouldnt ball up. That steady sloooooooow retrieve is the key to keeping them swimming.

 

[CaptG]

Best way to prevent the eelball problem is to whack em against the gunnel a couple times, stuns them good! They don't have to be real lively to catch bass!