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Eel - how to get it
A setup for eel, photo Asgeir Alvestad
| Eel fishing is bait
fishing with a rod. Most people choose the earthworm for
bait. Many keep several rods out at the same time, either
using floats, bells on the rods or electronic warning
devices that show when the eel is biting. The fisherman
can arrange himself comfortably in a good chair with full
view over his rods. The rest is often short lived. If an
eel has taken the hook, he rarely gives up without a
fight. Although «he» is not the right description in
this case. The most interesting eels for a fisherman are
the large and fat female eels. Often the eel takes the line into the branches and vegetation. It is therefore sensible to choose a fishing spot with a relatively clean bottom and tidy beach vegetation. An experienced eel fisherman is quick with the reel when the eel bites to avoid the eel going on an «excursion» after it has taken the hook. The eel prefers muddy areas with rushes and green bushes. The eel is rarely found in sandy and stony areas where there is too much light in the water. In the cold periods, the eel hibernates in the mud and when the water temperature rises to 5-6 degrees the eel generally becomes active. Eel fishing is common from mid April to the end of October. It is important to wait a while into spring for the eel to become fat and fine. The shallow waters warm up quicker and the eel will often be drawn there. The eel will generally eat small crawfish and little fish. It uses it's sense of smell to hunt for food. The equipment for fishing for eels is normally a 10 - 11 foot rod with a small open reel. The line will be 0.30 mm thick so it can easily pull up a five, six kilo fish. Depending on experience, one can put out several rods but this demands great alertness so that one can quickly jump up at the first hint of a tug. It is common to fish eel in depths of a half to three to four meters. It is common to combine a weight with an extra cast of 30 - 40 cm between the weight and the hook and bait. One can use sliding tackle or special eel tackle. Eel tackle is a bamboo stick that lifts the line up from the weight. It is particularly topical on soft or overgrown ground conditions. The bait in any case, should lie on or very close to the bottom. Another possibility is to replace the weight with a swim feeder. This is a perforated floating bait container which attracts those fish which use their sense of smell to find food and also functions as a weight at the same time. The eel bites best in the morning, evening and well into the night when it is relatively dark in the water. Experienced eel fishermen will cast feed onto the spot where they intend to fish sometime beforehand. The feed is generally a mixture of bread and mackerel or other fish.
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