[leo]

hi, i would like to try fishing with eels, (never done it before.) need some basic advice,tips, etc.
will be fishing in the ny bight area either by boat or surf(breezy point). any advice would be
greatly appreciated,, thanks in advance. leo

 

[bhm25]

This is prime time for eels in the west end now untill the end of the season these bass will attack eel. i cant help any on the surf end but on the boat end... the way i fish eels in jamaica bay and brezzy point is on a 3 way swivel rig with a 3 foot leader on one end and a 18 inch lighter leader 10-20 # test to the sinker. as for hooks the mustad 92641 5/0 hook has never failed me and i have them by the truck load pre rigged to save time if i get a snag.As for hooking them with a little time you will pick up the difference between a lively eel and a strike. Also after you caught a fish and the eel is dead DONT THROW IT AWAY they will hit as good as a fresh one i think it has to with them bieng able to spot an injured eel for an easy meal.... any bridge or wreck in the bay or the outgoing rip in the inlet will produce fish any moving tide. although the outgoing tide does produce better dont schedule your life around it cause i have caught fish on all tides even slack water. My best trip last year eeling was 25 keepers to 28 pounds for 2 rods all in a "mad dog" 3 hour bite in late october. an average night will see 6-8 nice keepers fishing by my self. I live for this night EEL fishing and it has started already. so go get em....Capt Anthony

P.S. THIS IS ALL DONE BY DRIFT FISHING

tight lines...Anthony

 

[615058]

Leo,

You can also use whats known as a slider, still using a 12-18" leader to attach the sinker. No three way required. Use at least 50 lb test line for leader to hook. This works well with circle hooks. This works on boats but makes casting a little difficult. You would fish with an open bail holding your thumb on the reel to prevent line from running out. As you drift you will feel the weight bouncing on the bottom. Don't underestimate how much weight you might need to feel the bottom. I typically start at 8 ounces. When you feel a fish raise the rod tip slowly, don't set the hook. Lower the rod tip and even let the fish take line. Raise the rod tip slowly again lower it and close the bail. This allows a bluefish to eat the eel and insures that a striper has taken the eel. You'll know if you have a fish! When you get your eels put ice in a zip lock bag and place it over the them, no water. Bring an old sock as a rag you can insert your hand in the sock and us it as a glove. When it comes to hooking the eel I was shown that you insert the hook in the mouth and bring the point out the lower jaw.

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[leo]

thanks for the reply gents,, also i heard that a lively eel will usually tangle itself, what can u do to try to prevent this. and when fishing either way slider or 3-way ,, if i try to hold the lead just above the bottom,(an inch or two)is that acceptable or does it definately have to drag on the bottom, i cant tolerate dragging lead over 6oz., i try to fish with the least amount of lead that i can get away with. thanks again guys.

 

[leo]

thanks for the reply gents,, also i heard that a lively eel will usually tangle itself, what can u do to try to prevent this. and when fishing either way slider or 3-way ,, if i try to hold the lead just above the bottom,(an inch or two)is that acceptable or does it definately have to drag on the bottom, i cant tolerate dragging lead over 6oz., i try to fish with the least amount of lead that i can get away with. thanks again guys.

 

[bhm25]

The way i stop an eel from making a mess is before i hook it when i got it in the rag i will give a quick 2 or 3 hard swings on the tail against the cooler or something . this stunns them enough that they wont die but the also wont make an eel knot for you to untangle. i also keep it off the bottom very slightly to avoid the sinker from snagging but i also am constantanly aware of the bottom and watching the scope so i know when the piece is coming up.