EELS - Serpents of the Night

Fisherman across Pennsylvania have a love affair with night fishing. Many of them go after catfish. Regardless of whether they are trying to catch a monster flathead or a stringerful of bullheads, they are after a fish as American as apple pie. For fishermen east of the Appalachians, another fish is often caught while catfishing, the American eel.

I’ve caught many channel cats and bullheads during the day, sometimes in bright midday sunlight in clear water. Unlike them, eels seems to be totally turned off by sunlight. I would only try for them ­ and expect to catch them ­ after the sun has gone to bed.

The toughest part of eel fishing for this little guy is keeping his eyes open. You have to get out with the bats and nighthawks to catch eels.

There are two main considerations for catching eels, after the nighttime slot is established.

The first is that the closer you are to the saltwater, the more eels you’ll be likely to catch. Is it because the eels want to be close to the salt? Well, not really. It’s just a practical game of numbers.

The American eel spawns in the Carribean. They then go to the North American coast to grow up. Some will stay in the salt and brackish waters at the river mouths and estuaries. This is the reason, they are a great natural bait for stripers.

Many will travel upstream, sometimes many hundreds of miles. The further you go away from the salt, the more dispersed the eels will get as they divide into the tributaries. Also, more will travel a short distance than a long distance. For these reasons, the closer to the ocean you are, the more likely you are to catch more eel.

The next consideration in eel fishing is the exact location to be fished. They love murky water. They love cover. The best locations are muddy, slow-moving waters with a lot of weeds and snags.

A deep hole carved by high water in a clay bend is great. Add undercut roots and you’ve got a winner. By contrast, you’ll find few (if any) in clear water, hard-bottomed, trout streams. Good bullhead water with a definite and direct connection to Chesapeake Bay is an excellent starting point.

Eels aren’t picky eaters. I’ve taken them on chunks of beaver meat in the Deep South. They will eat night crawlers, crayfish, cut bait and minnows with gutso. Any bullhead rig will work. A slip rig, bottom rig, or bait-under-the-bobber will catch them. Depending upon the bait, use a baitholder hook from a #10 to a #4 in size. If you can get away with just a few splitshot for weight, that would be a good decision.

A lot of fishermen, and other folks, don’t like eel because they seem like slimy snakes. Well, snakes aren’t slimy and eels are definitely fish. They have gills and have about the same oxygen-requirements as catfish.

One thing to keep in mind when fishing for eels: They are great eating!