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The eel

Certainly no shortage of them on the chalkstreams this year, plagued by them at times, really annoying, especially when targetting a large salmon, only to have 3 big eels in sucsession ,the third took the bait literally an inch from the salmons nose and its tail wacked the salmon , which did a hasty retreat,, but it did weigh 5lb, the salmon probably near 25lb, I know which one I would have prefered.!!!1
peter
 
Did I read correctly that this season the EA have imposed the first 6 month closed season on eel fishing?? I take it that only applies to netting eels??
 
I have never found eels annoying, and also saw the Guardian article, hopefully eels will recover. I caught loads of them on the Worc Avon back in September and on a difficult session they are welcome!
 
Peter Littleworth said:
Certainly no shortage of them on the chalkstreams this year, plagued by them at times, really annoying, especially when targetting a large salmon, only to have 3 big eels in sucsession ,the third took the bait literally an inch from the salmons nose and its tail wacked the salmon , which did a hasty retreat,, but it did weigh 5lb, the salmon probably near 25lb, I know which one I would have prefered.!!!1
peter
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The problem is Peter is that these could be the only year classes left in the rivers and streams, as the glass eels/elvers are not returning in numbers any longer due to the reasons stated in various current articles. It is imperative at this stage that 'every' single eel 100% is allowed to escape back to the sea to aid a recovery. It is very important because each female eel has the potential to reproduce 2-10 million eggs/young (2,000,000 -10,000,000).
Despite what you may read, there has always been a close season for eels. from December to June for yellow and silver eels and another for elvers. If you get caught fishing for elvers out of season, it is a £50,000 fine!
Again, despite what you may read it is not the case. Although the EA state that there will be no eel trapping from the end of September for 6 months, down here on the Hampshire Avon, the legal commercial Fyke netters have still got the nets out with EA approval. On the Dorset Stour, they are still professionally rack trapping the eels with EA approval.
Amazingly, the Eel trappers at Longham are now competing with the 5 Otters! The Eel Trappers have found it necessary to place huge nets over the weir rack traps to stop the otters getting in and pinching their eels as they run back to sea. If the otters can't find the eels, then they will eat whatever else is available in the Stour and Lakes, and that is exactly what is happening.
Just a word of warning if you did not know the new law. The European Eel is now on the CITES Endangered Species list and is at risk of being totally extinct in around 30 years if action is not taken. If anglers in the UK are now caught killing even one eel, they are libel to prosecution and fine by the EA. Every eel caught on rod and line must be returned alive by law.
However, as the law stands, you can still purchase a commercial eel trapping license from the EA which costs £13 for ten Fyke nets, £26 for 20, £39 for 30 on and onwards. Each net is 30-50yards long and you can trap and kill as many eels as you want and sell them for profit.
 
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Ray Walton said:
The problem is Peter is that these could be the only year classes left in the rivers and streams, as the glass eels/elvers are not returning in numbers any longer due to the reasons stated in various current articles. It is imperative at this stage that 'every' single eel 100% is allowed to escape back to the sea to aid a recovery. It is very important because each female eel has the potential to reproduce 2-10 million eggs/young (2,000,000 -10,000,000).
Despite what you may read, there has always been a close season for eels. from December to June for yellow and silver eels and another for elvers. If you get caught fishing for elvers out of season, it is a £50,000 fine!
Again, despite what you may read it is not the case. Although the EA state that there will be no eel trapping from the end of September for 6 months, down here on the Hampshire Avon, the legal commercial Fyke netters have still got the nets out with EA approval. On the Dorset Stour, they are still professionally rack trapping the eels with EA approval.
Amazingly, the Eel trappers at Longham are now competing with the 5 Otters! The Eel Trappers have found it necessary to place huge nets over the weir rack traps to stop the otters getting in and pinching their eels as they run back to sea. If the otters can't find the eels, then they will eat whatever else is available in the Stour and Lakes, and that is exactly what is happening.
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I fish for elvers, and only in the last 2 years has there been a close season .
 
Ray Walton said:
The problem is Peter is that these could be the only year classes left in the rivers and streams, as the glass eels/elvers are not returning in numbers any longer due to the reasons stated in various current articles. It is imperative at this stage that 'every' single eel 100% is allowed to escape back to the sea to aid a recovery. It is very important because each female eel has the potential to reproduce 2-10 million eggs/young (2,000,000 -10,000,000).
Despite what you may read, there has always been a close season for eels. from December to June for yellow and silver eels and another for elvers. If you get caught fishing for elvers out of season, it is a £50,000 fine!
Again, despite what you may read it is not the case. Although the EA state that there will be no eel trapping from the end of September for 6 months, down here on the Hampshire Avon, the legal commercial Fyke netters have still got the nets out with EA approval. On the Dorset Stour, they are still professionally rack trapping the eels with EA approval.
Amazingly, the Eel trappers at Longham are now competing with the 5 Otters! The Eel Trappers have found it necessary to place huge nets over the weir rack traps to stop the otters getting in and pinching their eels as they run back to sea. If the otters can't find the eels, then they will eat whatever else is available in the Stour and Lakes, and that is exactly what is happening.
Just a word of warning if you did not know the new law. The European Eel is now on the CITES Endangered Species list and is at risk of being totally extinct in around 30 years if action is not taken. If anglers in the UK are now caught killing even one eel, they are libel to prosecution and fine by the EA. Every eel caught on rod and line must be returned alive by law.
However, as the law stands, you can still purchase a commercial eel trapping license from the EA which costs £13 for ten Fyke nets, £26 for 20, £39 for 30 on and onwards. Each net is 30-50yards long and you can trap and kill as many eels as you want and sell them for profit.
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Bang on there Ray about the year classes especially up here on the Ribble.
As a kid we used to spend hours catching the Elvers with small nets and by hand under rocks etc.
This year ive hardly seen any and i fish all season,on the fly in the close season.Yet i lost count of the number of big eels 2-3lb plus i had in the summer months.
Personally am not a fan of catching eels but all species are just as important in the make up of a healthy river.
 
Bizarre, for less than the price of a rod licence, you can slaughter eels wholesale, yet for the price of a rod licence you can,t take one!!!!!!! What idiots thought of that, and why was elvering not stopped altogether? So much for conservation!
peter
 
Interestingly, The EA have built new Eel passes into weirs and obstructions to aid the endangered eels/elver migration upstream. This is publicised as a necessary environmental protection measure to help the recovery of eel populations on rivers. However, down here on the Hampshire Avon, they have authorised the EA licensed Eel Trapper to set at least 7+ Fyke nets (30-50 yards long each one) from 10 yards upstream of the Eel pass and continue for the next 200 yards, thus blocking the Eels safe passage upstream and downstream. Basically, every eel that is migrating upstream or downstream has the high potential to be trapped, killed and commercially sold for profit!
All of this is with EA consent, blessing and is legally authorised by the EA if you give them £13.
In my opinion, there is unbelievably no EA enforcement of anything illegal in Hampshire and Dorset. When you inform them and point out that there is breaking of byelaws going on, they seem to think it is easier to sit back and give consent to the wrong doings, than taking any action to stop it.
 
And I wonder how many of the Avon,s all too rare salmon fall foul to these nets and are spirited away???????
For an organisation trying to preserve and enhance all things fishy, they seem to have a rather screwed up list of priority,s!
peter
 
Afternoon all,

I'm planning on doing some serious eel fishing shortly, which will be my first real concerted effort to catch them intentionally, so I'm a complete novice.

I have caught loads of eels over the years unintentionally using all sorts of tactics, ranging from float fished bread to bolt-rigged luncheon meat, so, in my mind at least, there are plenty of options for how I approach fishing for them (well, maybe not bread! :D ).

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I have been doing my reading and appreciate how little eels like to feel resistance. However, my first reaction to resistance-free fishing is either free-lining or float fishing, yet I can find nothing on either of these techniques being used for eel fishing? I'm assuming there must be a good reason? Can anyone enlighten me? Crucians hate resistance but you wouldn't find anyone using a JS rig or a Dyson rig for them would you? Eel rigs just strike me as being unnecessarily complicated. However, I'm not going to presume that I know better than all those eel angers out there who have infinitely more experience than me, so please free free to put me on the straight and narrow! :)

Thanks in advance,

Stu
 
Stu, bearing in mind eels are mostly nocturnal, if you are freelining how would manage bite detection in the dark? Even if you fish during the day, eel fishing is not exactly an active pursuit (unless you're Deano, the Jack Pike king), I'd be struggling to stare at the line for 12 hours or more at a stretch without a bite alarm. In fact I prefer to retire to bed with a sounder box when eel fishing.
 
Andy Millichamp said:
Stu, bearing in mind eels are mostly nocturnal, if you are freelining how would manage bite detection in the dark?
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The same as I would when freelining during the day - by sitting and holding the rod and line! :)

Seriously though, this would obviously only be an option for shorter sessions, but I'm planning on fishing from 8pm until 1am on Saturday. Not that different to doing a 5 hour session after dark for chub in the depths of winter. Were there any other reasons for it not being used in eel fishing?

What were your thoughts on resistance and rigs etc.?

Stu
 
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I've been doing some eeling on "The Pit".

I use JS Rigs on both rods, although Dyson is recommended with the bait anything from 6 to 18 inches from the floor.

It's not so much resistance-free, but changes in resistance that you want to avoid. I set mine up with the lightest baitrunner setting and a light bobbin with the Delkims set to High Sensitivity.

Point the rod at the bait so the only resistance is the baitrunner. Some stick with open bail-arm, but stuff a bit of foam in the 2nd or 3rd eye.

Baits: Worm, prawn, peeler crab, small fish-head, bunch of live or dead maggots.............over a bed of dead maggots and chopped worm. I prefer Dendrobaenas on the hook as they're hardier (and I can get lots cheaply :D).

Have one rod in the margin for sure and "study to be quiet". Eels are very sensitive to vibrations. They also have an unbelievably keen sense of smell.

Strong tackle. Carp rods, 15lb line, wire trace or strong catfish braid. Like pike, strike as soon as you're able to reduce the risk of deep-hooking. Eels wise up to pressure in direct relation to the number of eels present in the water. Then positive runs will start to become twitches.

Check out the National Anguilla Club website for more tips, especially on handling etc.
 
Hi Simon,

Thanks for your reply.

Sounds like 'the pit' has a bit of everything! :)

Someone else mentioned the change in resistance being the most important thing rather than the resistance itself. But surely, irrespective of the terminal tackle, when a fish picks up a bait at a reasonable distance the weight of the line added to the clutch/ baitrunner (even when light) etc is going to offer a change in resistance pretty quickly - i.e. as soon as it sets off?!

Which brings me back to my original point... what do the famous 'eel rigs' offer that simply float fishing doesn't? The way I see it, there would be very little resistance (or change of resistance) and quick bite detection (at least as quick as other rigs, if not quicker) hopefully reducing the chances of deep hooking. The only downside is having to keep my eyes open during the hours of darkness to watch the float, but this seems a small price to pay if it's an effective and successful method.

As I said in my original post, I'm anxious to go against the received wisdom on this as I assume opinions and techniques have been established over many years of experience, but nobody seems able to qualify the reasons behind it.

Cheers, Stu
 
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