River eels

[Adibob78]

Does anyone target eels on rivers or is it generally little bootlace's so people head for stillwaters?

I have loads of river around me and stillwaters but the stillwaters are all syndicates or clubs with waiting lists for night tickets.

I'm guessing bigger eels do use the rivers for travelling to and from stillwaters at times.

I really want to start on eels, love everything about, I'm just stuck on venues, I'm a none driver too.

Any info as yes go for it or don't bother would be greatly appreciated.

[suffolk si]

Be mega difficult to target bigger ones on rivers IMO mate

[nicksuper7]

ever year I have a few trips on the Severn or avon in hope of a river 4lber. 3.11 my best. there are some good eels in our rivers but with small eels and lots of zander now my quest gets harder each year. seen pic of a guinue 5lb 5 oz from the river severn. Good luck. definitely worth a go.

[Sebas]

Had a decent one on spam a few years ago while after Barbel/Chub.

[Mike J]

Does anyone target eels on rivers or is it generally little bootlace's so people head for stillwaters?

I have loads of river around me and stillwaters but the stillwaters are all syndicates or clubs with waiting lists for night tickets.

I'm guessing bigger eels do use the rivers for travelling to and from stillwaters at times.

I really want to start on eels, love everything about, I'm just stuck on venues, I'm a none driver too.

Any info as yes go for it or don't bother would be greatly appreciated.

First welcome abaord
Somewhere on here is an eel wizard, Neil ? I think, Eel crazy, he even fishes through the winter, he is the guy who could answer your question.

Ive worked a lot on rivers and was once present when a redundant weir pool was dammed off and pumped down prior to filling in. The guys in the ground work team were all looking forward to getting a lot of eels from the empty pool and even had some buckets ready to carry the harvest away. Pumping didn't go as fast as thought and the pool was left overnight with a few feet of water remaining. Next morning the pool was drained and just one eel was found.
I was there to relocate any swan mussels that were stranded but there were many hundreds so the buckets were of use after all (its an ill wind and all that).

.

[gary j stockton]

Some rivers have good numbers of 2 to 3 lb eels with the chance of a 4lb plus specimen, fish the nearest larger river and savour those warm summer evenings waiting for the line to pour off the spool, give it a go you really never know.

[Fentiger01]

A good mate of mine with a very respectable big fish list told me a story of a big winter Eel he lost at the net following an insane battle on a big river 5 or 6 years ago. He reckoned it would have been a double!

[jack]

Hello Adi, if you want advice on catching eels then contact the NAC they're a good bunch. If I was you I'd concentrate on still waters using single hooks and a wire trace for starters. Don't wait for runs to develop,strike at the first indication.

[Oldskoolfool]

To build on the original question - how do you determine if a water has eels beyond actually catching one? A lovely local pit sits in valley near a river so you'd think it may contain eels but in all thr years I've fished it ever had one or see anyone get one. 1

[Adibob78]

Thanks all for the replies, I've spoken to a couple of eel enthusiasts and they say its definitely worth a bash for them.

[fenland piker]

We used to get plagued by semi decent eels 3-5lbs on some parts of the middle Thames when I night fished it as a youth for chub and barbel. I remember the weir pool at Pangbourne was full of them. To the extent of making meat a pointless bait as all we caught was eels. I can even remember people who used to fish around Maidenhead bridge at night with rod and line to catch them commercially before the Eel regs made that illegal. They would set up with rods against the road barriers and black dustbins full of water to store the catch live.
These days I would think deliberately targeting them on a river is much less likely to be successful as others have said. Populations of specimen eels are rare unless they get into an environment where there is plentiful food and limited competition, hence most large ones being stillwater captures.

[Wayneelman]

Occasionally..venues come under the umbrella of a a"Prison Water"the eels some how introduced become trapped and grow to prodigious proportions. An interesting theory.

[Wayneelman]

The river system's are a natural corridor for Anguilla to navigate to the open ocean on their final destination...the Sargasso sea.Barring any obstructions eels both large and small will make that hazardous trip.But as for targeting a specimen..you have to be in it to win it.A fantastic journeyman..worthy of any decerning anglers attention.Its why so few persue them.They are a species... most paradox .