what indicator for eel fishing works for you

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stubbojo
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what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by stubbojo »

when eel fishing these days most people use an alarm of sorts , gone are the days when you used a bottle top indicator...
these days i use my trusty fox microns and the old faithful john wilson.. tenpin.. bobbins had these for years and are very sensitive , used with a simple running ledger set up ......
bought these of a stand at the NEC where i was lucky enough to meet mr wilson and we had a good natter about pike fishing in general , can still see him now with his whiskey glass half full and his blood shot eyes , i think he was very, very drunk........
john wilson bobbins 004.JPG
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Kev Berry

Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Kev Berry »

Lightest bobbins possible and long drop
Failing that zanderman rollovers
stubbojo
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by stubbojo »

Kev Berry wrote: Sun Jun 13 2021 20:21 -
Lightest bobbins possible and long drop
Failing that zanderman rollovers
i love them kev
when they shoot upwards which is not very often ....i,m sure i can here johns laugh :pipe:
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by The_Saint »

i used to use old skool bottle tops but found on fast takes they could tangle and i also don't want to strike £20 of ebay bottletops into the bushes...i now use my home made pike drop offs with the line clip fully open, thus the line is just resting, the eel moves off, the drop off lifts up and live just falls out of it resistance free
from the skool of hard knox and the university of life
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Pinkie »

Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by stubbojo »

Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by davelumb »

stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by stubbojo »

davelumb wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 20:32 -
stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!
bet some ones tried it ....
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by davelumb »

stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 21:12 -
davelumb wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 20:32 -
stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!
bet some ones tried it ....
They have.
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by stubbojo »

tried years back fixed lead on pike , not a heavy lead mind about 2oz ....caught pike all day long and they say pike dont like resistance ...it was early in the season mind when they were really having it .......and catfish too plenty of them too.....
Kev Berry

Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Kev Berry »

davelumb wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 20:32 -
stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!
Should work well in deep silt :laughs:
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Mike J »

davelumb wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 20:32 -
stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!

Thats what Im using on my bait catching days and the eels hook themselves easily enough on a 16. They kept bending the red drennans but a change to a Gamakatsu Hard Point stopped it.

Did you ever use a ha'penny on the spool and a steel hub cap underneath? Talk about wake the dead :laughs:

.
'No Man Ever Fishes The Same River Twice, .... For It Is Not The Same River, .... And He Is Not The Same Man' Heraclitus of Ephesus
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by davelumb »

Mike J wrote: Wed Jun 16 2021 08:23 -
davelumb wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 20:32 -
stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!

Thats what Im using on my bait catching days and the eels hook themselves easily enough on a 16. They kept bending the red drennans but a change to a Gamakatsu Hard Point stopped it.

Did you ever use a ha'penny on the spool and a steel hub cap underneath? Talk about wake the dead :laughs:

.
I'm too young to remember ha'pennies and steel hub caps. :exit:

I used a penny!

:boing:
Last edited by davelumb on Wed Jun 16 2021 08:44, edited 1 time in total.
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Mike J
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Mike J »

davelumb wrote: Wed Jun 16 2021 08:34 -
Mike J wrote: Wed Jun 16 2021 08:23 -
davelumb wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 20:32 -
stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!

Thats what Im using on my bait catching days and the eels hook themselves easily enough on a 16. They kept bending the red drennans but a change to a Gamakatsu Hard Point stopped it.

Did you ever use a ha'penny on the spool and a steel hub cap underneath? Talk about wake the dead :laughs:

.
I'm too young to remember ha'pennies andsteel hub caps. :exit:

I used a penny!

:boing:

:lumby: :hammer:

.
'No Man Ever Fishes The Same River Twice, .... For It Is Not The Same River, .... And He Is Not The Same Man' Heraclitus of Ephesus
Kev Berry

Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Kev Berry »

davelumb wrote: Wed Jun 16 2021 08:34 -
Mike J wrote: Wed Jun 16 2021 08:23 -
davelumb wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 20:32 -
stubbojo wrote: Tue Jun 15 2021 19:19 -
Pinkie wrote: Mon Jun 14 2021 12:12 -
Nowadays I touch ledger for them because you can tell what they're doing with the bait more clearly. Often you get an aggressive tug tug and then a slow pull, to which I give a little line before striking. But sometimes you only feel vibrations and a little tug and then nothing. This can indicate that the eel is eating the bait without moving off, so I strike immediately to try to prevent deep hooking. Often it's a tug tug and you know the eel is on straight away, and since you're already holding the rod there's no delay in striking, by which I mean tightening up to the fish (not aggressively).
the last decent eel i had , took line off at speed to be honest i thought it was a pike a real screamer ...no tug tug just running ,
and that was on pike tackle size 4 and mackerel tail section and hooked right in the front tip of the mouth......didn't half put a bend in my rod .....
They do that when you're not fishing for them! :laughs:

I've tried all sorts of indicator set ups and now just fish off the baitrunner. Bigger eels usually give me enough time to grab the rod and strike. next step is fixed leads and two inch hooklinks!

Thats what Im using on my bait catching days and the eels hook themselves easily enough on a 16. They kept bending the red drennans but a change to a Gamakatsu Hard Point stopped it.

Did you ever use a ha'penny on the spool and a steel hub cap underneath? Talk about wake the dead :laughs:

.
I'm too young to remember ha'pennies and steel hub caps. :exit:

I used a penny!

:boing:
A rich capitalist as far back as that eh? :laughs: :wink:
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Sam »

About 15 years ago I bought 1000 brand new old school bottle tops from a plastic moulding company, so I use those for eels and any other light indicator application. Need more weight, put some mud in the handy lower recess...

Must admit, I used to put 3 on eBay for a 99p start and regularly get over 20 notes for them. Some people complained and said I was taking the p**s, at a 99p start it's not me driving the price up is it. Could have flooded the market but decided not to and keep the price artificially inflated. Gave a few free samples away and they soon came back for more, at an inflated price of course.

Bottle Tops, the crack cocaine of indicators for those hipster carpers desperate for some authenticity in their angling. Kerching! LOL!
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Fitas »

Kev Berry wrote: Sun Jun 13 2021 20:21 -
Lightest bobbins possible and long drop
Failing that zanderman rollovers
I use rollovers for my deadbait fishing but for worms im now using small bobbins with a very SHORT drop and off the bait runner and and now lip hooking the eels , Its a game changer if honest for me
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by KEEP »

i've made a sort of glow in the dark float. Drennan piker float (transparent) with the red paint sanded off and two tubes drilled inside it and epoxy'd in place so it's all waterproof, which takes two starlights shoved inside it, will let you guys know how it works providing i dont snag it in a tree
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Pinkie »

Touch ledger for me as I mainly fish the Thames and a float would be pretty useless. If done right you can feel every vibration and pluck as the eel takes the bait. Otherwise a standard bite alarm if my second rod is a quiver tip for bream/barbel.
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Re: what indicator for eel fishing works for you

Post by Solihullangler »

I used rollovers and before that monkey climbers on needles . Rollovers are good but it seems now that a bobbin on a 3 or 4 inch drop are the safest way to fish .

Couple the short drop with a 5 inch hook trace and you are fishing safely and it has a very good lip hooking ratio so excellent for fish conservation.
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