Need advise for catching EELS

acdc96

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
412
I want to use eels for bait this year and my creek has a lot of them. I have a EEL pot/trap but I don't know what to use for bait?
My friend told me to use raw chicken but nothing was in the trap. When I would fish in freshwater I would get them on a nightcrawler. I caught a small 2FT EEL in my minnow trap by accident last year.
Any idea on what to use for bait?

I live in Connecticut and fish in the Housatonic river.
 

Gyrene

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
377
Re: Need advise for catching EELS

I would think fish heads would be good...
 

geoffwga1

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Messages
394
Re: Need advise for catching EELS

I want to use eels for bait this year and my creek has a lot of them. I have a EEL pot/trap but I don't know what to use for bait?
My friend told me to use raw chicken but nothing was in the trap. When I would fish in freshwater I would get them on a nightcrawler. I caught a small 2FT EEL in my minnow trap by accident last year.
Any idea on what to use for bait?

I live in Connecticut and fish in the Housatonic river.

Hi acdc.
Can't think why you would want to use eels for bait but pots are not the best way to catch numbers of them.
This is an old European method and is best when the water is a little high and dirty or at night.
Take a three or four foot length of cotton or polyester thread(not monofil),thread a biggish sewing needle onto it then thread enough night crawlers on it end to end,leaving enough room at the ends to join them together.Then gather the string of worms up in short loops,about three or four inches .until you have a ball of loops.Tie the ball of loops to a length of strong twine of some kind,about 6 feet long and attach the other end to a fairly stout pole,six feet is Ok but no longer than eight feet or your eels will drop off as you swing them in. That's the kit,now for the method.
Find the deep holes in your creek and arm yourself with an old umbrella or a cutoff trash can,about 18 inches high and position it strategically so you can shake the eels off into it.Now lower your ball of worms into the hole until they're sitting on the bottom and wait.when you start to feel tap tapping it means the eels have arrived.After a short while,depending on the number of eels present in your creek,Steadily and without jerking,lift your ball of worms up and over your trash can or umbrella and shake the eels off into it.In the creeks and streams I used to use I often would take thirty or forty pound of eels of varying sizes in an hour or so if the water was high and nice and muddy.It works by the eels catching their little hooky teeth on the thread an as they don't like to let go of a nice juicy worm you are able to lift them out.Remember the worms have to be threaded on lengthwise ,not just through the head.Enjoy ,it's fun too.
Geoffwga1.
 
Last edited:

rolmops

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
5,299
Re: Need advise for catching EELS

You need a hoop net or a fyke net and a lot of fish guts in the second hoop. in one night you should be able to catch a few dozen.
 
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