Best bait for eels

[tomburras 2,721]

Really interesting Hullman, I fished a pond stuffed with tadpoles in the edge and fished a bait on the bottom of a ledge at the shallow end where I usually got them from this place.  Not a touch, but I knew they where there. A prawn under the rod tip in inches of water at the shallower part I was into them. I think they where after tadpoles and came across my bait. Eels never cease to amaze. 

[Robbusher 1,560]

Used two lobworms with heads snipped off and small handfuls of chopped up worm as loose feed 

[Robbusher 1,560]

Same pond different peg deeper water 

[darrren 414]

Just curious why you fish with the rod tips up high, is that because of weed or something? 

[Robbusher 1,560]

2 hours ago, darrren said:

Just curious why you fish with the rod tips up high, is that because of weed or something? 

Pond is full of weed and getting worse weekly need to pull a bit out really but been up twice to clear couple of pegs and every time there’s other people fishing either in those pegs or close by so not fair to disturb there swims .rivers open up soon so I’ll be on them shortly 

[darrren 414]

I have a very very weed lake with some good fish in it and it never get fishes, because of the weed. If I was to rake a hole in there and bait  is it better to fish with the rod tip high like this? Also full of eels this water aswell lol 

[Hullman 166]

7 hours ago, darrren said:

I have a very very weed lake with some good fish in it and it never get fishes, because of the weed. If I was to rake a hole in there and bait  is it better to fish with the rod tip high like this? Also full of eels this water aswell lol 

It's ok clearing a hole to fish but the problem comes when you hook into anything of size and it shoots stright out that hole and into the weed. If you can I'd clear a huge spot so you have some room to play the fish. I used to have a 500m wide sharpened flat bar that I used to use it sits on bottom as you pull and cuts the weed off the pond floor do a massive area then used a rake style one to drag in all the cut weed.people say leave a few days before fishing but I used to fish stright away coz all the dragging exposed lots of natural food and brought the fish in. 

[tandors 888]

On 16/05/2020 at 20:53, Hullman said:

There used to be a very good eel spot near me called esk it's a big reservoir next to the river hull. Seals and otters have just about wiped it out now. Anyways me and a pal wanted to catch a big eel so went there sounded and looked perfect very large water within 20 feet of a big river so off we went. Had about 10 different baits worms, mussels, prawns, roach heads well bits of all sorts. So we got setup and  casted out 5/6 hours later not a sniff. I was just moving my bank stick with my head torch on and seen loads of silver fish drawn to the light and seen an eel attack the group of small fish. So I put the light on the water and netted 10 or 20 of them they turned out to be small roach and used them as a live bait on a small helli rig hooked in top fin. Within 10 min or casting out we had our first eel over the next 5 hours we had over 20 eels between us smallest about 2foot up to close to 4 foot and thick as my arm ended been a very good night eel fishing. 

I've been down to eske this evening, it's getting busier every year with groups of youths, families, dog walkers etc. Was 2 groups of eastern Europeans down lure fishing too.

[Daniel cain 42,804]

Nipper loves em.... 

[tomburras 2,721]

The king of eel baits.

[darrren 414]

Prawns that good are they lol? Will be giving that a go when I get back to the UK what size hook are you using with them? Using alarms or just quiver. 

[Robbusher 1,560]

Tried them a few times with no luck old man said they excellent bait for big eels and perch 

[kevi 17]

Raw chicken never fails for me

[Daniel cain 42,804]

I catch them all the time on halibut pelletssmelly casters in a small feeder and cockles if I went out purposely for them

[Blackmag 5,862]

We use to get some meat found liver the best put it in a bucket in a onion sack let it get fly blown then put the lid on with holes in the lid  and when the maggots were a decent size we would go down the river just a hour before dark tie a length of rope on the bag and throw it in upstream and we had some decent eels and chub the onion sack released all the scent and the maggots would trickle out we used big garden worms dipped in the juice and the bottom of the bucket 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Blackmag