Cost of Eels

[bazel]

I have an old cheap fish tank, old filter, no heat

 

It helps when you pack them in your own water, and you can drain them when you get to where you are going.

 

eels are expensive especially if you lose a bunch in the evening.

[Tony Stetzko]

I always had 100-300 on hand... there is no hassle keeping them,,, and having them on hand is key!!!

get that urge to fish one night you can't sleep... dip the net in the bucket and you are set! Up and down the east coast there are dealers... living out on the Cape we had a place on the CT river we would have anyone coming up this way pick us up a bunch...., BUT.. over the years I have found that our local eels worked .. IMO better... learned to net them.. it was easy and two guys worked better then one... but I could do it my self... put long handles on my 20' seine and push then into the sand, mud whatever was below any eel grass, cabbage or what ever cover was in the rivers that let to the salt ponds... always at the end of then tide or the start or coming... let the tide belly out the seine and then go above the setup and stomp your way towards the net.. right thru the grass beds... grab each end stick and pull it up... usually an hour or two would produce a 100 beautiful LOCAL eels.... seems the BASS love the sent of the EEL and hate them ,,, they are brought up with a hate and killing hardened into their mind... the EELs eat Bass eggs and the young of the year... OK so you got your bait... Now a 50 gallon garbage bucket and an air source... here is a something that caught me many BASS during the Moon... an EEL will change its color to match its environment.... therefore a white bucket for the Moon!!!

Good luck take it as ar as ya want .. but if you are serious about fishing eels and really fish... have them on hand!

 

[Reed422]

If one does not have an airator, how often does the water in say a 5 gallon bucket need to be changed?

[Angler #1]

Reed keeping eels in a 5 gallon bucket unless it is the day you are fishing would for me, be a lost cause. Even with an airorator one needs to change the water periodically when kept as a supply at home. The level of Oxygen at the bottom of the tank depletes itself. When you see the eels swimming free through out the whole water column you know they are happy. When they all come up to the top you need to change out the water or increase the levels of Oxygen in the water.

 

Keeping eels at home means placing them in a cool place, where the heat will not increase the water temperature. If they are kept in the dark, that will also enhance how long they will live. and maintain a rich dark color. Occasionally we like white ones and that means placing them inside a white or clear container for awhile as Tony posted above.

 

If keeping eels for storage I would recommend at least a 50 gallon barrel with a cover. Eels can jump out of containers by sliding up along the edges , so if you do not have a cover , have a wood stopper placed on the inside of the barrel at the top, that will prevent them from sliding up and out onto the floor. It really makes no difference if the house holding container is round or not..

 

Have a drain near the bottom or use a sump pump to remove the water into a out side drain when changing the water. Usually when changing the water we only go half way, unless we have an amount of eels in the container more then it can handle at that time.

 

Remove daily any ones that may be dead and place in the freezer in a straight line , they can be used later, once the live ones are gone.. If they are large enough to place on a skin rig or plug then skin them and salt then right away, for best results. Place the salted skins in a glass or plastic container. I prefer glass , but both will work,. keep the skins refridgerated and they will last in better condition to be used at a later time.

[Reed422]

Thanks for the info.  Not sure i can have a set up like that on the balcony of my apt.  I will figure something out maybe on a smaller scale.

[Angler #1]

Find a place to put an aquarioum inside the house. Cover the glass with black tape

[Reed422]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angler #1 

Find a place to put an aquarioum inside the house. Cover the glass with black tape

What size would you advise and based on what quantity?  How about eelskin jigs vs. rigged eels vs. live?

[Angler #1]

That would be a better question for Hot fish girl to answer on the size of the aquarium. If one wants to rig a few to have on hand, or skins it all depends upon how serious you want to get and the number is unlimited. Make a few to have them on hand and then determine your own use. We used to set up several dozen skins and a dozen rigged, just to have them on hand when the occasion warranted there use,

[FrankTheTank]

Hi all am new here. I am from NYC and would like to know where can I buy some live eels? Thank you. 

[Captain Ahab]

Hi all am new here. I am from NYC and would like to know where can I buy some live eels? Thank you. 

 

 

Most tackle stores carry them - where are you planning on going? In NYC or Mass?

[FrankTheTank]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab 

Most tackle stores carry them - where are you planning on going? In NYC or Mass?

In NYC

[GeneralSwimBait]

How come nobody traps their own? That's hiw u save yourself the cost of buying them get 2 traps actually then u can hold them in a nearby river for as long as u need minus the headaches doing water changes everyday.

[hotfishgirl]

How come nobody traps their own? That's hiw u save yourself the cost of buying them get 2 traps actually then u can hold them in a nearby river for as long as u need minus the headaches doing water changes everyday.

I do:)

[FrankTheTank]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotfishgirl 

I do:)

How do you trap them?

[hotfishgirl]

How do you trap them?

eel trap.