Fishing for Eels

[Polecat]

I've read that eels hibernate in the bottom mud in winter so personally I wouldn't bother fishing then. The best bait I find is a head of a small fish, either roach, dace, or bleak; or a small sprat, so long as its fresh. Lobs are also good but you'll catch other fish. The best time of day is the first two hours just after sunset, so if you can only fish daytime hours then choose dark cloudy days. Saying that, years ago a friend of mine caught a massive 5lber eel on a dead bait meant for pike on a bright sunny day in the middle of the afternoon!

They patrol underwater paths near drop offs on a regular basis whilst feeding, you just need to locate these by plumetting. Just remember to use heffty tackle like you would for pike.

On our local river (more like a Fenland Drain than a river now in the lower reaches) if we have some heavy rain in the winter and the water temperature creeps up to ten or eleven degrees the eels become very active and shred our deadbaits. Almost to the extent that it's impossible to keep a bait in the water. Below that temperature and they seem to switch off completely.

[Mr B]

I was talking to my old pal last week who lives 40 yards from the River Thames at Rotherhithe.
He was telling me that the local unemployed/ sadly unemployable in some cases spend most of there time fishing there.
What I thought was encouraging in some ways is that theres lots of good size eels caught. They are also returned. He watched them for an hour and they caught five on prawns and some on smelly chicken.
They were saying it was better than last year.
I wouldn't be interested in fishing there but it seems the eels could be making a comeback?

Mr B

[Santiago]

The bigger eels can be as old as 40-50 years old and older , so catching them is no indication that they're recovering . When they start catching lots and lots of bootlace eels, that's when their population might be on the up!

[Wanderer]

I was talking to my old pal last week who lives 40 yards from the River Thames at Rotherhithe.
He was telling me that the local unemployed/ sadly unemployable in some cases spend most of there time fishing there.
What I thought was encouraging in some ways is that theres lots of good size eels caught. They are also returned. He watched them for an hour and they caught five on prawns and some on smelly chicken.
They were saying it was better than last year.
I wouldn't be interested in fishing there but it seems the eels could be making a comeback?

Mr B

Hope so, mr B. I was thinking of you the other day when I was tucking to my double pie and double mash and stewed Eels at M Manze on tower bridge road. Lovely !
Do you know where they source their Eels from, by any chance ?

All the best.

[Mr B]

I was talking to my old pal last week who lives 40 yards from the River Thames at Rotherhithe.
He was telling me that the local unemployed/ sadly unemployable in some cases spend most of there time fishing there.
What I thought was encouraging in some ways is that theres lots of good size eels caught. They are also returned. He watched them for an hour and they caught five on prawns and some on smelly chicken.
They were saying it was better than last year.
I wouldn't be interested in fishing there but it seems the eels could be making a comeback?

Mr B

Hope so, mr B. I was thinking of you the other day when I was tucking to my double pie and double mash and stewed Eels at M Manze on tower bridge road. Lovely !
Do you know where they source their Eels from, by any chance ?

All the best.

That was nice mate,
I was there on my Birthday 15th May.
I would think like most Eels now they import them alive from Holland.
There are still a few registered Eel fisherman on The Thames ( well was a couple of years ago)
Manze's Eels are first class though. I had a bowl off Jelly'd Eels with my Double Double.
The best Eel fishing I have ever experienced was in a big brackish water lake at Cliff in Kent.. fished it for years for the pot, put any small ones back. Some were very big and we put them back too, kept the ones as thick as your wrist!
Never seen any better.
Then it all stopped. Last time I fished there was aprox 12/15 years ago.
It was total solitude no one there.
Good times indeed.
So glad you enjoyed your Pie & Mash.

Mr B

[Mr B]

Oh.... and the Photo!

[Grumpy]

Eels are a very worthy quarry and certainly test your tackle.I have found the hot sultry and humid nights best for them,just like we are having now.
When I fished a lot for them two rods were used,a small deadbait on one and lob on the other.When Eels were caught the head shape was always noted,ones with small pointed heads were generally taken on the worm,the ones with large broad heads were normally taken on the deadbait.In most waters one or other of the head shapes would normally dominate.Prawns and cockles can also be good baits.
To prevent deep hooking something like a matchstick or small piece of twig was hitched on the line just above the hook.I have not used them for Eels but modern circle hooks should also prevent deep hooking.The barb was also crushed with a pair of long nosed pliers.
We looked for "prison" waters where the Eels had no visible means of escaping so were trapped and grew large.Very well established gravel pits nearly always hold good Eels.
Very heavy tackle is not reqd for Eels,a rod between 1.5 and 2lb tc and 8-10lb line is normally fine.When an Eel is hooked keep the rod high and wind,this will usually bring it off the bottom and prevent its tail wrapping around debris etc.Keep the pressure on,don't give any line and the Eel is usually yours.
If the Eel is deep hooked don't fanny around trying to get the hook out,bad damage and death is often the result,cut the line as close to the hook as possible and the Eel will normally get rid of it.We used to put deep hooked ones in a keepnet overnight,usually we would find the hook in the mesh the next morning.
Eels and their life cycle are incredible and deserve our every respect so please look after them.Strangely,although not fishing for them,I have recently been catching a fair number when after other species.
If you really,really want a challenge,try beating the record of 11lb 2oz,what a fish that would be!!

[Mr B]

Really enjoyed that Grumpy... sound advice for sure... same tackle and tactics we used but different bait... always lob worms.
I found that interesting about hooks in the net.

We used to get home and put them in a bath of water with half a handful of salt.
The deep hooked ones we caught, we always cut the line as short as we could and left the hook in.
They swam backwards in the bath!!!???
In the morning the hooks were often found at the bottom nr the plug whole.
A slight digression from sport fishing but interesting stuff. (Sport fishing, don't really like that word)
Just as an add on.
One night we got in late and emptied our Eels in the bath as we did.
In the night my poor daughter about 12 then (now 42) got up to use the toilet, (small toilet no sink)
She went into the bathroom to wash her hands, turned on the light and a dozen Eels went into a panic, poor things and slithered,out of the bath all over the floor!
I was woken up by a blood curdling scream!!!!
"Good old days"

[Grumpy]

Really enjoyed that Grumpy... sound advice for sure... same tackle and tactics we used but different bait... always lob worms.
I found that interesting about hooks in the net.

We used to get home and put them in a bath of water with half a handful of salt.
The deep hooked ones we caught, we always cut the line as short as we could and left the hook in.
They swam backwards in the bath!!!???
In the morning the hooks were often found at the bottom nr the plug whole.
A slight digression from sport fishing but interesting stuff. (Sport fishing, don't really like that word)
Just as an add on.
One night we got in late and emptied our Eels in the bath as we did.
In the night my poor daughter about 12 then (now 42) got up to use the toilet, (small toilet no sink)
She went into the bathroom to wash her hands, turned on the light and a dozen Eels went into a panic, poor things and slithered,out of the bath all over the floor!
I was woken up by a blood curdling scream!!!!
"Good old days"

I'll wager your daughter still remembers!

[Mr B]

Really enjoyed that Grumpy... sound advice for sure... same tackle and tactics we used but different bait... always lob worms.
I found that interesting about hooks in the net.

We used to get home and put them in a bath of water with half a handful of salt.
The deep hooked ones we caught, we always cut the line as short as we could and left the hook in.
They swam backwards in the bath!!!???
In the morning the hooks were often found at the bottom nr the plug whole.
A slight digression from sport fishing but interesting stuff. (Sport fishing, don't really like that word)
Just as an add on.
One night we got in late and emptied our Eels in the bath as we did.
In the night my poor daughter about 12 then (now 42) got up to use the toilet, (small toilet no sink)
She went into the bathroom to wash her hands, turned on the light and a dozen Eels went into a panic, poor things and slithered,out of the bath all over the floor!
I was woken up by a blood curdling scream!!!!
"Good old days"

I'll wager your daughter still remembers!

Yes!!!! Its her "party piece!"

Not digressing from the thread...
Catching Eels...