Snigs? ............... EEeeeeaaaauuuuggghh!!

dezza · May 26, 2011

If there is one fish I cannot stand, it is the eel. I was reminded of this recently when I caught two Anguilla australis, and yesterday a rather nasty Anguilla anguilla.

Of course Swordsy had to laugh his head off as I grappled with the bloody thing, just as I laughed my head off when he caught one prior to mine. I told him that catching snigs was a gift, and a sure sign of how many you are going to catch this forthcoming summer.

There seems to be a great deal being said about the current "scarcity" of eels. I don't think this is true. The darned things are everywhere I go, even at the other side of the world. And when I fished a fenland drain last year, I caught 6 of the things, most of a very efficient tackle tangling size.

One thing I do not look forward to is the possibility of one day hooking an eel of the proportions that Andy Nellist targets. As an old friend of mine once said: "There is only one thing worse than catching a little snig, and that is catching a BIG snig."

Wobbly Face (As Per Ed) · May 26, 2011

Used to catch loads on the Ribble, so much so, I stopped all summer fishing on it unless out with the fly rod.
Figure of 8 tangles full of slime.

little oik · May 26, 2011

And there are people that actually target them

dezza · May 26, 2011

Oh and how is it the Wunderkinder like Nellist can hold a snig for the camera. They must use tranquilisers or something like that?

With me, an eel is twice around my forearm and 3 times around my ankle.

And then it sets its teeth firmly in my wrist!

chav professor · May 26, 2011

beautiful creatures....... Artical in progress

I some how feel they are somewhat misunderstood. I agree that eels are abundant in certain waters. If I am to catch a 4 or 5lb eel - they would be of the year class that swam up the river when I first started fishing as a nipper....

The problem is that elver numbers have practically crashed (or dipped for whatever reason). It is worrying for the future......

Big eels are actually easier to handle than the little ones that are blighting your fishing. Turn them on their back and gently stroke them by rubbing your hand from the head to the tail. this almost sends them to sleep. Treat them with respect -they are amazing creatures..........

dezza · May 26, 2011

The last big eel I caught, ca 1964 from a lake next to the River Witham in Lincs, weighed 4 1/4lbs. I cut it's head off and sold it to a guy at work for 4/6d.

Horrible thing.

---------- Post added at 10:33 ---------- Previous post was at 10:32 ----------

Sorry but I like fish to look like fish, not bloody snakes!

Jeff Woodhouse · May 26, 2011

Ron The Hat Clay said:
Oh and how is it the Wunderkinder like Nellist can hold a snig for the camera. They must use tranquilisers or something like that?

There is a chemical, legal and chemist bought over the counter, that you can add a few drops to water, immerse the eel and it will sedate it.

I'm not saying what chemical it is because too many drops and it will kill the eel and we don't want that, do we?

Glass eels are down to 1% of what they were in the 50s, they should be declared a threatened species and stop all these Cockneys from eating jellied eel, eel pie and drinking their liquer.

An eel measuring well over a metre, guessed around 110+cms and as thick as an oar was netted by the EA from the Jubilee River and reckoned to be only about 20 years old. I thought it would have been older...

chav professor · May 26, 2011

Try catching them by design...... You don't know what your missing

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC) · May 26, 2011

Ron The Hat Clay said:
There seems to be a great deal being said about the current "scarcity" of eels. I don't think this is true.

Hi Ron,

Eel numbers on the Severn and Teme have certainly plummeted in the last decade.

It is now possible on most of the stretches I fish to use maggot and meat with impunity, safe in the knowledge that slime is a thing of the past.

The few eels I have had from the Severn in the last three seasons have all been big mature fish caught on small deads whilst zandering, from 2-3lb 8oz.

Good to have you back safe and sound from your marathon trip; hope you're doing a write-up?.

Ron The Hat Clay said:

Always knew you and Lee would squeal like girls when surprised! Lol!

;-)

dezza · May 26, 2011

Oh I have done that, years ago.

We used to fish the Witham next to Tattershall Bridge in the early 60s using a dead gudgeon or slice cut from a small roach or bream. There was a spot that was totally reliable for eels and you could often catch 5 or 6 in a hour.

We did this for food. We could often sell a few on the train back to Sheffield. The eels were of a decent size and we would occasionally get them to 2 lbs. But catching them wasn't fun.

I have to say that I have eaten eel and find it quite delicious.

dannytaylor · May 26, 2011

chav professor said:
beautiful creatures....... Artical in progress

I some how feel they are somewhat misunderstood. I agree that eels are abundant in certain waters. If I am to catch a 4 or 5lb eel - they would be of the year class that swam up the river when I first started fishing as a nipper....

The problem is that elver numbers have practically crashed (or dipped for whatever reason). It is worrying for the future......

Big eels are actually easier to handle than the little ones that are blighting your fishing. Turn them on their back and gently stroke them by rubbing your hand from the head to the tail. this almost sends them to sleep. Treat them with respect -they are amazing creatures..........

Couldnt agree more! find big eels fascinating. This coming summer i plan to have a good go at catching a big one by design. I have been VERY lucky and have caught a couple of big eels whilst after other species. Once when after perch i managed an absolute monster of 6Ib + and another time got a "5" on sardine head whilst after pike

Watched a superb talk by the "best" eel angler in the country barry mconell and this has really inspired me to have a go for these mysterious creatures. Thats what i love about this fish the mystery, you just dont know where a big one will turn up, often in the most unexpected of places. For me big eel fishing is the last true frontier of angling, everything else has been done too death but eels still retain a huge element of the unknown so little is known about them. I like the fact that they can live to such an old age and often when you ask about them nobody has a clue if they even exist in a given venue, then you have the folklore and superstition surrounding them. The eels life cycle is also amazing and so little understood, traveling all the way to the seas of the carribean to spawn!!!! Now that returning elver numbers are so low and eel populations are dwindling there maybe little time left to target a big one, these fish deserve respect and protection, forget eeeaaauurrgghhhh eels are magic and the last ultimate challenge for "real" anglers

chav professor · May 26, 2011

Once again in awe of some of your super captures!!! Stunning fish Danny!

dezza · May 27, 2011

And you can have them all to yourself.

---------- Post added at 22:36 ---------- Previous post was at 22:13 ----------

Jeff Woodhouse said:
There is a chemical, legal and chemist bought over the counter, that you can add a few drops to water, immerse the eel and it will sedate it.

I'm not saying what chemical it is because too many drops and it will kill the eel and we don't want that, do we?

Glass eels are down to 1% of what they were in the 50s, they should be declared a threatened species and stop all these Cockneys from eating jellied eel, eel pie and drinking their liquer.

An eel measuring well over a metre, guessed around 110+cms and as thick as an oar was netted by the EA from the Jubilee River and reckoned to be only about 20 years old. I thought it would have been older...

This business of using tranquilisers to pacify eels for photography is true then! What lengths some people will go to to get their pictures in the press!!!

This sort of thing should be banned if you ask me. And I don't doubt Jeff's integrity in this matter.

Jeff Woodhouse · May 27, 2011

Ron The Hat Clay said:
This sort of thing should be banned if you ask me. And I don't doubt Jeff's integrity in this matter.

Not my integrity, Ron, I have none left. This comes from people at the EA who know the right dosage, but they use alternatives anyway.

Hard to enforce a ban and hardly anyone knows about it anyway, those that do may not even use it themselves and wouldn't probably tell others.

dezza · May 27, 2011

Mind you I have often wondered what John Wilson et al uses to tranquilise roach. I tried holding 2 x 2pound roach up for the camera (a self take) some years ago and after the poor fish had jumped all over the place, I gave it up and let them swim off.

I'm not that much of an egotist.

These days a photo showing the fish laying on the grass or mat, next to a rod, reel and landing net will suffice for me.

The bad one · May 27, 2011

Ron The Hat Clay said:
There seems to be a great deal being said about the current "scarcity" of eels. I don't think this is true. The darned things are everywhere I go, even at the other side of the world. And when I fished a fenland drain last year, I caught 6 of the things, most of a very efficient tackle tangling size.

Just shows how out of touch you are Ron.

mg: Even a cursory look on the net would have pointed you in the direction of the known state (scientifically) of the plight of Anguilla anguilla right across Europe.

Wobbly Face makes reference to the Ribble which up and until the last couple of years was a stronghold for them. Last year even fishing maggot during the summer I had less than a dozen in total all summer. There have been times previously where you could catch a dozen in an hour when they were moving about the river.

dezza · May 27, 2011

You must understand mate not to take me too literally.

I am fully aware that there is a shortage of eels. It's just that I can't stop catching them. Last year I only had about 5 or 6 coarse fishing trips and I caught eels on every outing. An old friend of mine tells me it's a gift.

I once caught an eleven pound Anguilla mossambiqua whilst bass fishing with a spinnerbait!

chav professor · May 27, 2011

I know it seems a bit strange, but I am actually drawn to them as a species because not many people get it.

A lot of what is new in eel angling is trully pioneering stuff. Because no one really targets them - its all rumour and gut instinct regarding wether a specimen lives in that reservoir or in-deed a farm pond. You can't buy improve or Carp talk and get the low down on all the latest rigs; design your own rigs to overcome new problems, home made bite indicators etc......

Every time I go I think that I could end up doing battle with a new British record...... Now there aren't many species where you really get that feeling these days......better still, it won't be a know fish with a name........

andreagrispi · May 28, 2011

I've had quite a few eels over 3lb, but not by design.

I've lost two very large ones. One was hooked at Petty Pool in Cheshire a few years back; it didn't fight very well but was so large myself and a fellow angler could not get it in the net, no matter how hard we tried. It was at least 5.5lb.

The other was on a midlands water - I'd already had 8 eels to about 3.5lb. I'd lost a good eel and upgraded my terminal tackle and cast back out to the spot. Within a minute or so I had a take. The eel just went straight out into the lake, leaving a trail of bubbles as it went. It bit through the line - I couldn't do anything with it.

amos keato · May 28, 2011

The technique of calming eels is demonstrated quite nicely in this video..
The Compleat Angler: Training Eels Video at YourDiscovery.com
I'd add to that :-

Keep your hands soaking wet (Good for the eel & the slime won't end up on your hands).

Never use a disgorger to unhook an eel. Far too easy to cause a fatal puncture.

Never grab the eel - it'll just fight back.

If you can't see the hook to remove with fingers or forceps, cut the line, leaving as little in the eel as possible & free the eel.

I can well understand eels not being many people's favourite fish but cannot understand why someone would be proud of treating them badly.
As for advertising them as "delicious" in a time when it's illegal to kill/remove eels (E.A. byelaw updated in 2010) and the number of eels entering fresh water is in decline.. massive decline..

Stupid !

Snigs? ............... EEeeeeaaaauuuuggghh!!

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