Eel rod

[ChrisWales]

I want to try for Eel this year. What are your thoughts on a rod? The nearest suitable rods I have are a Hutchinson 2.75 tc carp rod and Wychwood Avon 1.25tc.
I'll probably not be casting more than a few rod lengths and will be using small deads.
The water I'm looking at isn't known to have anything big, (if any!) but you never know. Either of the above suitable?

[suffolk si]

I think the hutchy one mate. I had a three pound eel on my syndicate lake this winter on a herring when piking and I thought it was a double figure pike. Put a decent bend in my three pound test curve rod

[ChrisWales]

Ta

I'm not planning on shelling out atm but anyone have preferences for for a specific Eel rod should I get into it?

[suffolk si]

Mr lumb is your man

[stubbojo]

I want to try for Eel this year. What are your thoughts on a rod? The nearest suitable rods I have are a Hutchinson 2.75 tc carp rod and Wychwood Avon 1.25tc.
I'll probably not be casting more than a few rod lengths and will be using small deads.
The water I'm looking at isn't known to have anything big, (if any!) but you never know. Either of the above suitable?

the 2.75tc rod should be more than adequate pal
i have had some good eels on my trusty 2.5 tc 10 ft rods witch double up as boat rods too

[davelumb]

I know one bloke who swore by 1lb 12oz rods for eels, but everyone else seems to use 2.5lb plus!

[Pinkie]

A ten foot heavy spinning rod should do the trick!

[Kev Berry]

I use my barbel rods on snag free water...about 2.5lb tc
On snaggy water i use my 3lb boatman pike rods

[LB]

Had a few recently on my 1.25lb rods and I felt under gunned. I would suggest something from 1.75lb upwards depending on the stamp of eels. They're surprisingly strong!

[MarkBerrisford]

I use my P4’s 10ft 2.75lb for my eel fishing which is mostly at close range

[Pinkie]

I use my ten foot Daiwa Whisker Salmon spinning rod, with 12lb maxima. Biggest I've caught with this rod was 41/2lb. That was over ten years ago and yet I still remember the battle to land the fish, as if it was yesterday. You'll need to investigate other suitable tackle for the job, the rod is just one element!

[Jason Skilton]

2.5lb+ depending on location...also big net!

[ChrisWales]

Thanks lads, I'll start off the 2.75 carp rod and see how it goes if I get anything...

[Pinkie]

Good luck. Don't forget to use a trace. A big eel will bite through mono like cotton. To unhook a big eel you're best off by making it torpid, by laying it on its back whilst applying long strokes down it's belly.

IMG_20200714_095206.jpg

Here's one I caught last year using a Daiwa Specimen rod I inherited from my dad. After inducing it to sleep, it stayed like that for a couple minutes whilst I took the photo.

[stubbojo]

Good luck. Don't forget to use a trace. A big eel will bite through mono like cotton. To unhook a big eel you're best off by making it torpid, by laying it on its back whilst applying long strokes down it's belly.

IMG_20200714_095206.jpg

Here's one I caught last year using a Daiwa Specimen rod I inherited from my dad. After inducing it to sleep, it stayed like that for a couple minutes whilst I took the photo.

i,ll try that on the missus.....

[Kevin O'Keeffe]

Good luck. Don't forget to use a trace. A big eel will bite through mono like cotton. To unhook a big eel you're best off by making it torpid, by laying it on its back whilst applying long strokes down it's belly.

IMG_20200714_095206.jpg

Here's one I caught last year using a Daiwa Specimen rod I inherited from my dad. After inducing it to sleep, it stayed like that for a couple minutes whilst I took the photo.

Out of interest.... how big was that one?

I ask because i have pulled two dead eels out of my local pit recently which where of that size if not bigger.
Both with their heads smashed in sadly.... i suspect carpers using maggots are catching them and sh&tting themselves!!

[Pinkie]

Good luck. Don't forget to use a trace. A big eel will bite through mono like cotton. To unhook a big eel you're best off by making it torpid, by laying it on its back whilst applying long strokes down it's belly.

IMG_20200714_095206.jpg

Here's one I caught last year using a Daiwa Specimen rod I inherited from my dad. After inducing it to sleep, it stayed like that for a couple minutes whilst I took the photo.

Out of interest.... how big was that one?

I ask because i have pulled two dead eels out of my local pit recently which where of that size if not bigger.
Both with their heads smashed in sadly.... i suspect carpers using maggots are catching them and sh&tting themselves!! :w****r:

That's just a baby 31/2lber!

[Kevin O'Keeffe]

About what i thought... said these where 4lb ish. Damned shame to see them topped off though!

[Kevin O'Keeffe]

eel dead.png

second one found this week... same size.

[stubbojo]

sad b******s , no need to kill them .....i would love to catch one in the act doing it .....

[stubbojo]

Good luck. Don't forget to use a trace. A big eel will bite through mono like cotton. To unhook a big eel you're best off by making it torpid, by laying it on its back whilst applying long strokes down it's belly.

IMG_20200714_095206.jpg

Here's one I caught last year using a Daiwa Specimen rod I inherited from my dad. After inducing it to sleep, it stayed like that for a couple minutes whilst I took the photo.

you say they bite through mono like cotton , i always use quite a heavy floro carbon leader of about 20lb and never been bitten off
and had quite a few big eels over the years ,
but i would use one ...... if pike were present ...i suppose wire would not impede presentation at all....

[Pinkie]

Good luck. Don't forget to use a trace. A big eel will bite through mono like cotton. To unhook a big eel you're best off by making it torpid, by laying it on its back whilst applying long strokes down it's belly.

IMG_20200714_095206.jpg

Here's one I caught last year using a Daiwa Specimen rod I inherited from my dad. After inducing it to sleep, it stayed like that for a couple minutes whilst I took the photo.

you say they bite through mono like cotton , i always use quite a heavy floro carbon leader of about 20lb and never been bitten off
and had quite a few big eels over the years ,
but i would use one ...... if pike were present ...i suppose wire would not impede presentation at all....

I lost a few big eels one season whilst feeder fishing with lobs at night on the Thames. I was using 8lb fluorocarbon at the time. I used to use 15 lb maxima and was never been bitten off, and have never had a pike take a bait meant for eels; I use the head section of a freshly killed bleak. I did use a trace at one time but lost a few big eels because in the fight they twisted so much the trace kinked and snapped, and I also found the bites were more finniky.

I should have advised using a nylon coated trace, but I'm still leaning towards 15lb maxima which hasn't let me down yet. And I now have some 20lb fluorocarbon so I'll try that this season. But nowadays I only go eel fishing once or twice in the summertime, because of they're endangered.

I should say, but some might disagree, if you do catch an eel that's deeply hooked, whatever you do, don't try to unhook it, just cut the line as near as to the hook as possible. Eels are quite good at expelling hooks, and if you try to remove the hook you'll probably end up killing it.

[Kev Berry]

never been bit off by an eel using nylon---15lb mono plenty good enough if no pike

[stubbojo]

caught most of my bigger eels on pike tackle and big baits , so dont think they are tackle shy and they love a mackerel tail
but probably too big to swallow , maybe thats the answer use big baits it reduces deep hooking , mine were lip hooked on size 4 trebles on 40lb wire .......and full blown runs too..

[Steve Dennington]

Good luck. Don't forget to use a trace. A big eel will bite through mono like cotton. To unhook a big eel you're best off by making it torpid, by laying it on its back whilst applying long strokes down it's belly.

IMG_20200714_095206.jpg

Here's one I caught last year using a Daiwa Specimen rod I inherited from my dad. After inducing it to sleep, it stayed like that for a couple minutes whilst I took the photo.

you say they bite through mono like cotton , i always use quite a heavy floro carbon leader of about 20lb and never been bitten off
and had quite a few big eels over the years ,
but i would use one ...... if pike were present ...i suppose wire would not impede presentation at all....

I lost a few big eels one season whilst feeder fishing with lobs at night on the Thames. I was using 8lb fluorocarbon at the time. I used to use 15 lb maxima and was never been bitten off, and have never had a pike take a bait meant for eels; I use the head section of a freshly killed bleak. I did use a trace at one time but lost a few big eels because in the fight they twisted so much the trace kinked and snapped, and I also found the bites were more finniky.

I should have advised using a nylon coated trace, but I'm still leaning towards 15lb maxima which hasn't let me down yet. And I now have some 20lb fluorocarbon so I'll try that this season. But nowadays I only go eel fishing once or twice in the summertime, because of they're endangered.

I should say, but some might disagree, if you do catch an eel that's deeply hooked, whatever you do, don't try to unhook it, just cut the line as near as to the hook as possible. Eels are quite good at expelling hooks, and if you try to remove the hook you'll probably end up killing it.

You wouldn't think so on some of the waters I fish. On one in particular, using worm baits, my catches have been 90%+ eels, mostly around 1lb, the biggest 4.02. The bream and tench that I was targeting were not getting a look in. Mind you, there's a river running about 10m adjacent to the lake so I suppose it's no great surprise.

I'm hearing rumours of large eels on a water I'll very soon be fishing for tench though, so I'll probably start with worm baits and see how it goes

[Sebas]

A ten foot heavy spinning rod should do the trick!

This is what I use.

[IBRADY084]

I'd go with the Avon personally!

[stubbojo]

2.5lb+ depending on location...also big net!

your right about the net there pal , had a right job on with that last eel , and yes a 2.5lb is about right

[Mike J]

At the start of a '90's pike season I was fishing a livebait along a deep snaggy bank on a big water when I hooked a seriously large eel. That fish was unstoppable with my 2.5tc rod as it bored down and snagged me up before twisting my 30lb wire trace into a birdsnest and breaking away.
Although it happened 30 odd years ago the power of that eel will remain with me forever.
My advise to anyone fishing a water that is likely to hold really big eels is to gear up accordingly.

Ive often wondered how many other anglers have contacted similar sized eels only to loose them, because surely Im not alone?

.

[ChrisWales]

I'm not even sure there are eel in the water Mike, and I doubt I will get anything decent but you never know!