The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

You will probably all think I'm crazy but I went fishing for a couple of hours last night after perch with redworms and was so pleased to catch an Eel. In the Norfolk Broads years ago you could not fish with maggots in the summer as the Eel population was so great (mainly all 4" long and a writhing mass of slime). Today however you never see them so it was a great pleasure to see one even though it was tiny. I just hope the situation is on the mend as it's a great shame to lose any native species no matter how much they tangle your line.

I've never had bother catching an eel. They fight like a devil too. Long live the eel.

Elvers have been spotted in eel traps on the Thames this year so I hope this is a promising sign. I love eel fishing but now out of respect for the species I only fish for them twice a year.

Only ever caught one eel , when tench fishing, it weighed 2.5 lbs.

The only thing I don't like about catching an eel is the tendency to deep hook them.

H D , that's very good news , I catch a few worming for sea trout , but do not refer to them as nuisance fish , more of a fantastic migrating kind of fish . kindest regards . Woolly Bear .

I went out early one morning with an eel catcher at Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads. He picked me up at first light and to my amazement the first net we checked was next to my boat dock. In the net was a double figure tench ! The next net we checked had a 20lb+ pike. We checked about 10 nets and he removed quite a few eels, some as thick as my arm. He kept them alive until a tanker came and took them to Germany. That's one of the reasons why we don't have many eels.

I saw an episode of screeming reels (I think) in the 90's where he was in a jellied eel shop. The owner had draws upon draws of eels out back. All graded in size. I'd wager one of those draws would have helped the population recover.

RELEASE THE EELS!!!!

The same program had a bloke fishing a canal for eels and to stop deep hooking he'd placed a stiff piece of wire at right angles to the line about two inches above the hook. Never tried it.

SofaSurfer wrote:I went out early one morning with an eel catcher at Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads. He picked me up at first light and to my amazement the first net we checked was next to my boat dock. In the net was a double figure tench ! The next net we checked had a 20lb+ pike. We checked about 10 nets and he removed quite a few eels, some as thick as my arm. He kept them alive until a tanker came and took them to Germany. That's one of the reasons why we don't have many eels.

My sentiment exactly it's because of commercial over trapping that has seen them reduced to near extinction on the broads. Also or maybe even more so is the netting of elvers at places like the Severn estury. As Wooly Bear states they have the most amazing life cycle and should be treated with great respect.

I just remembered that eels are one of the reasons I was never too keen on Bob James. In Redmire Legends during the gudgeon fishing match he basically flicks a small eel off the hook. You can say moorhen falling out of a tree if you want 'James' but I watched that episode a million times and I know the truth!