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blowin · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 10:43 pm Post subject: eel fishing

Local word is that the lakes and rivers hold plenty of eels and I do like them fried ( altho you can keep those nasty jellied things ) , so thought I'd check whether there are any Regulations . I should have known !

http://www.cfb.ie/fishing_in_ireland/Angling%20Regulations.htm

Eels

The eel fishing bye law provides for the following conservation measures:

* prohibits the taking or fishing for brown eel under 30cm in length.
* close season for brown eel, from 1 September to 31 May of the following year
* provides for a close season for silver eel from 1 January to 30 September in any year.

So , in order to stay on the right side of the law , as I always try to do of course , how do I make sure and/or convince anyone else that I am fishing for the brown rather than the silver type between 1 June and 1 october ?
What is the difference between them ? ( I think the browns have been living in inland water for some time whereas the silver are migrating upstream from the sea .... but I could well be wrong ) .
And I am told that the brown ones taste pretty horrible anyway . Is that correct ?

dara · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 186 Location: Mayo

Hi Blowin, in my experience there are few really eely spots around the west. When I have caught them with rod they have been bootlaces.
The best way to catch the bigger ones is with either trap or sets - both illegal.
The difference is the silvers are ready to migrate back to the sea to spawn and the browns are not even though they can be pretty big. Some eels spend 10's of years in the system befor going back but it all depends on the food supply. The difference in taste is that the silvers in better condition and are full of fat - and flavour but the browns are still quite good.

mountain man · Joined: 11 Aug 2009 Posts: 9 Location: strokestown

Hi,being new to this site I,m just going through the thteads and came on this one about eel fishing.Although traps are elegal,what I used to do on theWarwickshire Stour is .get some :high:meat,wrap it in a pair of tights,then again in sacking,tie it really tight ,attatch a length of rope and tie to anythin that will secure it and throw into the river and leave for a night.Because an eels teeth point backwards it will get stuck when it bites into the sacking,then when you pull the bait out there SHOULD be your supper,also had the odd pike this way as well.Maybe an organic trap? Wink

blowin · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:07 pm Post subject:

That sounds like a good trick .
I think the old method up in the Lincolnshire Fens was to thread big lob-worms onto a length of wool then jig them up and down just off the bed of the stream . When you feel a tug , pull it in quite quickly and drop it onto the bank or bottom of the boat . The eels could then wriggle their teeth free of the thread . Never tried it myself but have seen it demonstrated on TV and understand that my old Grandad was quite an expert at it .
So how do you get hold of the eel once you have caught it ??
Wrap with a bit of newspaper is one way .
Another old way is apparently to stretch them out on their back in a shallow groove in the ground then they lay still .... but I can't imagine that to be easy to do either !

mountain man · Joined: 11 Aug 2009 Posts: 9 Location: strokestown

Have some sacking on the river bank to wrap them inthen disspose of the same as any fish if you can,not easy I know but not as messy as off with their heads,and they are easier to skin with the heads still on,as tis was in a small town on the edge of the Cotswolds I was payed a good price by one of the local eateries,and not only for the eels that they sort of came upon but most fresh game that was not easy to get Wink

Oh happy days,to old now but you never forget the tricks of the trade.

blowin · Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 2:00 am Post subject:

Conger are quickly killed and immobilised by one sharp whack just above the vent . I imagine that the same would be true of the freshwater species .
First catch your eel .............

dara · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 186 Location: Mayo

The eel run will be beginning soon - might have already started with this cool weather. Anybody got an eely stretch of river / drains that I could leave some traps in? Must be on 'private land' - around east Mayo / south Sligo

mountain man · Joined: 11 Aug 2009 Posts: 9 Location: strokestown

Dara,how far are you from Strokestown,I have access to a private lake,but am of to the U.K next week for ten days.its about half a mile over boggy land but if its any good for you,you can give it a go,I,v had a five pound pike out of there.

dara · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 186 Location: Mayo

hello mountain man, thanks for your reply. I'm on the roscommon border so not far. Some folk are a bit sensitive to this so when you say private -do you mean it's yours to do as you please? If it would be alright I'd like to give it a go so perhaps you can get back to me when you get back and we'll hook up and bag a few.

mountain man · Joined: 11 Aug 2009 Posts: 9 Location: strokestown

PM sent Dara.