winter eeling.

[nicksuper7]

going to fish for eels all winter. 1st one today. .

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

You are very brave or ......
Probably get pestered with pike, good luck to you on a rather hard task!

Cheers, Alan

[davelumb]

Good luck!

[jack]

Just daytime or longer sessions?

[nicksuper7]

over nighters and 24 hrs when I can fit it in .

[jack]

Nice one mate. Hope it goes well.

[Poots]

You've got more faith than I.
Baz McConnell book has his experiences shared, I think his longest session was 2 weeks down Cornwall way.
Good luck

[ouchthathurt]

Good luck, be interested to see how you get on

[stubbojo]

cant catch em in summer , only fishing for something else ...i catch one...the pike muscle in ....

[nicksuper7]

morning, just had 3rd eel of the night. fishing in 32ft of water. all liphooked aswell. fishing baitrunner and bobbins .

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

If you are that way inclined, it would be interesting to keep an eye on water temperature to see how the fish respond. Although the water is already quite cold its still Autum temperatures and in my part of the world we haven't had a frost yet so possibly why you are catching quite well. In an old book its written that in the depths of winter when the eels bury themselves in the mud, the otter turns its attention to specimen coarse fish.

Cheers, Alan

[nicksuper7]

I agree . but at 32 ft down the temps won't change I don't think. the eels feel really cold. water temp is 8 deg at the moment.

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

I agree . but at 32 ft down the temps won't change I don't think. the eels feel really cold. water temp is 8 deg at the moment.

Temperatures in the water columns can be quite dynamic and can be affected by wind even is 32ft of water.
When the surface temperature is 4C or less, you can be quite sure its a 4C on the bottom and so out if interest, a castable thermometer would be a good thing to have possibly?
I wonder what baits you are on?

Cheers, Alan

[nicksuper7]

Sea baits from now onwards . 1st session a few weeks ago on roach heads never produced a run. pike anglers getting pestered by eels on sardines.

[Bob Watson]

I agree . but at 32 ft down the temps won't change I don't think. the eels feel really cold. water temp is 8 deg at the moment.

Temperatures in the water columns can be quite dynamic and can be affected by wind even is 32ft of water.
When the surface temperature is 4C or less, you can be quite sure its a 4C on the bottom and so out if interest, a castable thermometer would be a good thing to have possibly?
I wonder what baits you are on?

Cheers, Alan

A question about castable thermometers;

Cast into 20ft of water at say 6°c then retrieve it back through warmer thermoclines and by the time you get it back on the bank it might be reading 9°c. Numbers picked at random but you get my gist.

Or am I missing something

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Im sure there is one that fixes the temperature it records???
The one I use I simply wind back quickly, and it shows with ice in the margins that at the bottom its still 4c.
I suppose we must allow for a little inaccuracy.

Cheers, Alan

[alanunthank]

Good luck Nick

[Mike J]

I wish you every success

Are you using circle or J hooks btw?

.

[nicksuper7]

morning. I hate circle hook. they work they way we are trying to stop with eel fishing. I.e. eel swolling the bait .

[nicksuper7]

December eel complete on 1st trip. not massive but at 1.12. I will take that

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

morning. I hate circle hook. they work they way we are trying to stop with eel fishing. I.e. eel swolling the bait .

Of all the species we fish for, eels are the ones that in theory suit circles the best.
When using any hook, we want the bait and hook fully inside the mouth and hook the fish before the swallowing process, so there is no difference there, only that circles should only be able to hook up as they "exit" the fish's mouth.
If you are hooking eels just nicely then no worries but circles could be worth trying in summer when takes are more common, they may possibly suit winter fishing more as the fish's activity decreases or visa versa? Maybe people have tried seriously for eels with them and gave up as they may not suit eels and the way they take/eject the bait but as said, the theory is a good one.

Cheers, Alan

[nicksuper7]

i have tried and hook up rate didn't improve one bit. and I still gut hooked eels from time to time. personally I don't think eels mouth are big enough for circle hooks to work.

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

i have tried and hook up rate didn't improve one bit. and I still gut hooked eels from time to time. personally I don't think eels mouth are big enough for circle hooks to work.

Fair enough!

Cheers, Alan

[nicksuper7]

out again for 48hrs. Will see what it brings.

[jack]

Stillwater or running?

[nicksuper7]

still water. 40ft deep. hopefully won't freeze

[ouchthathurt]

Good luck!

[nicksuper7]

this week's effort ended with lines frozen in the iced over lake. -8.

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

Admire your dedication.

Cheers, ALan

[nicksuper7]

out again tomorrow. slight change in the weather. -8. to 7 deg. . so we will see