MyFishFinder Forum

MFF US Northeast => New York => Topic started by: greensider on Jul 06, 2019, 06:32 AM

Title: Eel fishing
Post by: greensider on Jul 06, 2019, 06:32 AM
Hit a spot I have not fished in over 30 years we only managed one decent one not a monster like I have caught there but still a decent one
(https://i.postimg.cc/fkFdgxMR/IMG-2347.png) (https://postimg.cc/fkFdgxMR)

(https://i.postimg.cc/jL7fVLjQ/IMG-2348.png) (https://postimg.cc/jL7fVLjQ)
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: lowaccord66 on Jul 06, 2019, 06:34 AM
Looks like a good one.  Id skin it and throw that skin on a striper plug.  Smoke the eel and eat it!
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: rgfixit on Jul 06, 2019, 06:34 PM
Nice slimer!

Caught many an eel off shore at our family cottage on Lake Ontario in the 60's. Used to trade them to a Ukrainian lady up the road from us. I'd bring her eels ( which she prized) and she would bring us a small keg of Slivovitz plum brandy.....which she made.

Fond memories for sure.

Rg
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: jperch on Jul 06, 2019, 07:00 PM
Eels are not my favorite fish but they are interesting.  We also caught lots of them in Lake O, especially in the spring when bullhead fishing near Rochester.  We tried to eat exactly one of them and thought it was awful.  Twenty years ago around Oswego eels were very common and we encountered them frequently when snorkeling.  At the risk of being called out by the "eel police" I'll share a game we played while snorkelling.  We called it "eel tickling".  We snorkelled along the surface until an eel was spotted, usually they were in the cracks in the rocks.  You held your breath and dove down the 8 to 12 feet and attempted to touch the tail of the eel.  We made every effort to not grab the end that had the teeth.  Bonus points awarded for momentarily getting a grip on the eel.  Anyway, no eels were harmed.  The most interesting thing about the eels is that they seem to have all but vanished from our area.  I have no idea why.  There has been so many changes in the fish populations in Lake O during my lifetime.  Certainly the lake is a lot cleaner than when I was a kid, no doubt that has played a role.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 06, 2019, 07:08 PM
you put that thing in your  net  :sick: that's  as  bad as  netting a laker ......

jperch I was  wondering about that myself I was  wondering  could  the poison they use  for lapreys  kill them????
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: jperch on Jul 06, 2019, 07:39 PM
I don't know for sure trapper.  I think the lampracides are applied in streams to kill lampreys when they are in early development.  From what I  read many years ago our American eels actually spawn in the ocean.  Part of what makes them interesting!  If all that is true then it seems like the apparent decline in the eel population probably has a different cause.  Good question for a DEC fish biologist.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: ran7ger on Jul 06, 2019, 07:47 PM
don't american eels only spawn in the saragosa sea?
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: jperch on Jul 06, 2019, 07:54 PM
I believe that is exactly what I read many moons ago.  Pretty amazing.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: rgfixit on Jul 06, 2019, 08:27 PM
don't american eels only spawn in the saragosa sea?

That is absolutely true.

Rg
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: greensider on Jul 07, 2019, 05:07 AM
Cool stuff thanks for sharing and as far as the teeth although much smaller I will take a 10 foot Python bite over an eel and I have had both
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: Pequod1 on Jul 07, 2019, 05:59 AM
Growing up on the Island, we caught plenty of eels. I used to sell the smaller eels under 14” for a quarter to the local bait store.  The larger eels, we would speer with long trident pointed spears either from the boat in Great South Bay or through the ice in the wintertime.  Unfortunately, the baby eels of 3-5” long made the mistake of swimming to the mouths of the estuaries on the south shore.  They were so tightly packed you couldn’t see the water.  Two things happened. Estuaries are prime real estate and were completely drained, and are now marinas and condos. Also the Asian market payed big bucks for them.  The populations of eels were decimated during the late 60’s through the 70’s
Progress. :(
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 07, 2019, 05:59 AM
interesting  creature 
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: icejohn on Jul 07, 2019, 04:28 PM
While in the coast guard in Oswego there was a state trooper who had a pontoon boat with a generator and would shock the eels in the lake...take them live to Baltimore sell them and they would be shipped to Europe...I believe at the time he was getting $3.50/pound....that was in the early 80's.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 07, 2019, 04:46 PM
he  use to  do carp too
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: taxid on Jul 07, 2019, 04:50 PM
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/american-eel-is-in-danger-of-extinction/
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 07, 2019, 05:00 PM
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reviewed the status of the American eel in 2007 and in 2015, finding both times that Endangered Species Act protection for the American eel is not warranted.Dec 18, 2018

https://www.fws.gov/northeast/americaneel/ (https://www.fws.gov/northeast/americaneel/)
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: icejohn on Jul 07, 2019, 06:41 PM
That's interesting tax...on the discovery channels I've seen them net the glass eels but also saw that somewhere off the Hudson I believe....a fella traps adult eels...smokes them and sells them
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: filetandrelease on Jul 07, 2019, 06:46 PM
 As a young man I can remember the eel boats on lake Ontario
 The man that comes to mind was old man blood
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: touge30 on Jul 07, 2019, 08:43 PM
ray turner hancock new york .Iknew his old man
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: joefish1 on Jul 08, 2019, 04:51 AM
ray turner hancock new york .Iknew his old man
  Been there many times being it was only 26 miles from where I used to live.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: jperch on Jul 08, 2019, 06:06 AM
How did they commercially fish for the eels back then?  Netting somehow?
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: Raquettedacker on Jul 08, 2019, 06:32 AM
Use to love catching them when my dad kept his boat docked at White's Marina on the Hudson in New Hamburg.  The old guy in the boat next to us use to chum the water behind our boats.  His brother owned a restaurant that cooked them...
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: WalleyeWonder on Jul 08, 2019, 06:47 AM
Saw a jumbo floater in I-bay last week.... First one ive seen
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: old man river on Jul 09, 2019, 02:45 PM
I can remember going smelt dipping at port bay Wolcott many a moons ago
some nights the water was loaded with eels
the inlet was loaded with them ,swirling around .
ralph
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: Swampking89 on Jul 09, 2019, 06:39 PM
Believe it or not,the biggest eel I've seen caught was at the pond in Williamstown at the bridge at rt.13.we went there on opening day of trout season many times we would get theret, at midnight and caught some nice browns( up to23inches)then my bubbly says I got a biggen!!After a ten minute fight,we got our flashlight out and saw it was a giant eel!!this thing was pushing 3 feet!!my buddy was so upset he threw it up on 13 and then someone picked it up and took it home!!
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: greensider on Jul 09, 2019, 06:58 PM
Where i was Saturday night I have caught them as big as a mans wrist but my biggest was really bog from the Hudson River at least 3 feet a guy I know said he got a 6 pound eel in rondout creek part of Hudson River
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: jperch on Jul 09, 2019, 07:06 PM
Bobber, I accidentally caught an eel once while smelting.  I have also caught carp, bullheads, silverbass and lots of rocks.  Swampking I think most people would be surprised how big eels can get, I have seen some absolutely HUGE ones while scuba diving.  For some reason I never caught a big one while fishing.  When we were kids and accidentally caught one we would break the sinker off to save it and just cut the hook off near their mouth to release it.  Otherwise your rig would end up slimed.  They would put up quite a good fight though.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 09, 2019, 08:27 PM
isn't it said all we got to talk about are eels and carp  :(
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: taxid on Jul 09, 2019, 10:54 PM
isn't it said all we got to talk about are eels and carp  :(

 :rotflol: :rotflol: :rotflol:

Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: greensider on Jul 10, 2019, 04:06 AM
I am actually enjoying these threads not because I started them but because I enjoy catching the less commonly fished for such as gar and bowfin
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 10, 2019, 05:20 AM
i really am enjoying them  but it's all we got to talk about  lol 

what I am noticeing is more people fishing carp  and spending money to do it  rod racks and long carp poles.....the days of catching them and throwing them on the bank with hatred appears gone ........ I would like to see them utilized as a food fish ,I just don't want to be the guy that eats them .....

eels are interesting creatures 
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: filetandrelease on Jul 10, 2019, 08:46 AM

 Trapp koshered gefilte fish
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: jperch on Jul 10, 2019, 11:08 AM
I guess you're right Trapper, I'm looking forward to the fall perch fishing.  I was without my truck and missed the late spring rocky run.  Anyway, if anybody knows, I really would like to know how the local commercial eel fisherman caught their eels.  It must have been a slime fest!
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: taxid on Jul 10, 2019, 03:15 PM
Did you guys know they raise them in tanks in Europe? A big market for them.

(https://i.imgur.com/BFI5R6al.jpg)
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: greensider on Jul 10, 2019, 04:08 PM
My cousin went to itily he said the old woman would pull them out of a barrel at the market by hand
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: Swampking89 on Jul 10, 2019, 04:24 PM
Hey filet,gefilte is actually pickled herring.have seen them in jars and was almost enough to make me barf!!
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: Raquettedacker on Jul 10, 2019, 04:28 PM
Gefilte fish (/ɡəˈfɪltə fɪʃ/; from Yiddish: געפֿילטע פֿיש‎, "stuffed fish") is a dish made from a poached mixture of ground deboned fish, such as carp, whitefish, or pike. It is traditionally served as an appetizer by Ashkenazi Jewish households. Historically it consisted of a minced-fish forcemeat stuffed inside the intact fish skin. By the 16th century, cooks had started omitting the labor-intensive stuffing step, and the seasoned fish is most commonly formed into patties similar to quenelles or fish balls. These are popular on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays such as Passover, although they may be consumed throughout the year.[1]

In Poland, gefilte fish, referred to as karp po żydowsku ("carp Jewish-style"), is a traditional dish in some Polish homes (more commonly in the northern regions near the Baltic Sea), served on Christmas Eve (for Twelve-dish supper) and on Holy Saturday.[2]
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: filetandrelease on Jul 10, 2019, 11:21 PM



Description
Yehuda's original gefilte fish is produced from the finest ingredients and freshest fish in order to bring a healthy and most flavorful delicacy to your table. Yehuda gefilte fish can be served either cold or at room temperature directly from the jar. Savor the taste during the Holidays or any other time year round. Yehuda... perfecting tradition.
Features & details
Kosher for Passover an all year around.
All natural ingredients, no MSG, no egg yolk
Imported from Israel
Product information
Additional Information
ASIN: B00K4HQ2K6
Customer Reviews: 3.7 out of 5 stars 7Reviews
Best Sellers Rank: 177207
Shipping Weight: 2.65 pounds
Date First Available: May 4, 2014
Important information
Ingredients :
Water, carp, silver carp, onions, matzo meal, sugar, potato starch , salt, carrots, egg whites, pepper, carrageenan
Legal Disclaimer :
Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: myemmy on Jul 13, 2019, 09:50 AM
What’s the bait of choice for rod and reel fishers if your targeting them ?
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 13, 2019, 01:42 PM
you mean you actually want to catch them?????? why????
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: greensider on Jul 13, 2019, 02:19 PM
I used my catfish rods you really need to get them up and away from rocks fast and we used cut fish but the guts are best keep bait small usually about half hour after dark it starts at least in clear streams
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: fishfetcher71 on Jul 13, 2019, 05:25 PM
1 of the best eating fish.   they must come from a clean  stream .  trout stream is a good bet.    minnow or worm is  the go to bait.
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 13, 2019, 09:56 PM
best eating fish????  you need to try  yellow perch my friend
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: greensider on Jul 14, 2019, 04:00 AM
I will take eel over yellows anytime
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 14, 2019, 04:25 AM
i'll trade ya eel for good perch  ;D
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: fishfetcher71 on Jul 14, 2019, 09:23 AM
trapper,  i have eaten 1000s of yellow perch. eels are just as good if not better.  again  must come from  CLEAN water, and prepared properly
Title: Re: Eel fishing
Post by: trapper2000 on Jul 14, 2019, 10:37 AM
 why would you eat anything from dirty water ?????


I've had eel  I'm not a fan  smoked  fried and or in sauce ...... i'll take the  perch