Ways to Catch Eels for Bait

American eels are among the best baits to hook on your gear, especially when they are alive and kicking. Opposite of anadromous fish, adult eels inhabit freshwater ecosystems and go to the saltwater to reproduce. These snake-like fish are slender and covered in mucus, making them slippery. They can grow up to 5 feet in length and over 16 pounds in weight. Their colors vary from brown, green, yellow, gray, and white; female eels have larger bodies, lighter colors, smaller eyes, and higher fins than male eels. Eels are active at night. They live in sheltered areas and bury themselves in the mud, dirt, and plants during the daytime. They go torpor in cold temperatures but still have occasional activities.

Live eels are best used to catch big fish like cobia, chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and striped bass. Predatory fish get strongly attracted to a live swimming bait, as it looks like trying to get away from its predator. An eel’s active movements prove to be very effective in doing this. Big game anglers like to use big eels for bait. In 2011, Greg Myerson caught the world record for striped bass on an eel, even slipping on its slime during his 15 minute battle with the monster striper.

Why Use Eels as Bait?

There are many good baits out there, but why use live eels? Anglers love to use eels for bait, especially for nighttime large striped bass hunting, as these creatures are active at night. They are excellent baits for large games. Here are more reasons why you should use eels for bait:

1. Its Size

Eels are typically 1 to 5 feet long and 8 to 16 pounds heavy. Since they are elongated, hungry predators will be tough to miss—the bigger the eel, the better. Choose an eel depending on the size of the game you want to catch, but rest assured that an eel’s lengthy size is desirable to any fish.

2. Its Movements

Significant energetic movements attract big active fish. Eels are very wiggly, squirmy, and jiggly. These movements draw attention, as it looks like they evade their predators. They also move very swiftly and briskly, suggesting a tasty meal to a starving fish.

3. Its Availability

American eels are not considered threatened or endangered; this means that their populations can cater to the need for bait, aquaculture, or food. Although, eels are harvested in different life cycle stages, which poses a mild threat to their numbers. But the government works together to conserve the species, and by being responsible anglers, everyone can help preserve their population. Eels are migratory, and females can produce up to 4 million eggs a year.

How to Catch the Eels

Considering how important eels are when it comes to catching trophy games, you might want to think about bringing them on your fishing trips. But first, you have to know how to catch these slippery fish.

1. Scout them

American eels live in freshwater streams, rivers, or lakes. They originated along the eastern Atlantic coastline and slowly moved inward towards the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. Eels are bottom dwellers, digging into the mud and sitting on a bedrock of dirt, especially in the day. Since they are active at night, they can be caught better during nighttime. They can typically be seen in riverbeds, quiet backwater, and slow-moving waters. You can also cast on shallow parts near deep waters, so your bait can be the first thing the eel sees when it emerges upwards.

2. Bait them

Eels are opportunistic feeders. They can be caught on almost any bait. But live and juicy nightcrawlers, minnows, small crabs, herring, and shiners are what they love biting on the most. They can also be caught on stink baits as they feed on the scent.

3. Fish them

One of the best ways to catch eels is using traps. But this is illegal in some states when you are without a commercial fishing license.

It is essential to gear up accordingly when catching eels. Use a medium-weight rod and a medium-capacity spinning reel. When you get bites but do not make a catch, it most likely means you are using a hook that is not for the eel size in the area. Experiment with hook sizes until you get a bite. When fishing on a boat, use a net to scoop the eel up after pulling it closer to you.

4. Unhook them

It can be quite troublesome to unhook a caught eel because of the eel’s active resistance to break free from the hook. The best way is to immediately put them in a water bucket as soon as you pull them up. This way, they can swim in the bucket, and you can unhook them without worrying about them wiggling their way back to the water. It also lessens the chances of them being tangled with your line. Unhooking them is difficult, as they tend to swallow the hook while twisting and turning, but a good pair of pliers certainly help.

The Difficult Part in Catching Eels and Tips to Make it Easy

Anglers have a love-hate relationship with eels. Although they are fond of using them to catch huge games, they also dislike dealing with them hands-on. Eels are very slippery, and their quick movements can be pretty annoying. This makes it hard for anglers to hold them and use them as bait. But if you know how to handle these slimy creatures, you can avoid all the inconvenience. These are ways to hold eels easily: 

1. Chill them Up

What makes eels very hard to handle is how quickly they move. If you grab them in the head, it takes just a blink of the eye for them to snake their way out of your hand. If they go fast, you have to make them slow. The trick to making them more sluggish is putting them on ice. Once they get cold, they start to move slower, making them easier to handle. Bring a bucket of ice where you can store the eels. Make sure you consistently drain the bucket to remove water. A tip is to bring resealable bags to put the eels before placing them in the ice bucket to separate them from the soggy bottom.

2. Dry them Up

Another reason why eels are hard to handle is their sliminess. If you hold eels using your bare hands, there will not be sufficient friction to keep them tight enough that they cannot wriggle free. Since they are more slippery when wet, the key is to dry them. Using dry gloves or rags to hold them will make it easier for you to control the slimy fish. Bring a couple of dry rags, or more depending on how long you plan to go fishing. If there is no dry rag available, rub your hand in sand or dry soil before picking them up.

3. Secure them Up

Since eel movements are powerful and speedy, it is hard to hook them up and not worry about losing them in the water. The strategy to secure them is to pierce the hook from the eel’s jaw and slide it out through any of its eye sockets. This way, the eel is alive and kicking but will be harder to lose in the water. Depending on the eel’s size is the size of the hook to use. But octopus, circle, or Kahle hooks are recommendable as they give enough space to hook the eel due to the wide gap.