American Eels in the Ohio

[JD7.62]

Any one catch these guys or specifically target them? I enjoy catching the oddball fish every now and then. Plus I hear they are mighty tastey! Any tips?!

[ugglyotter]

I have caught eels in the Kentucky River don't think I would eat one. You can't even hold on to one they are so slimy. They will wrap themselves complete around your arm when you grab on to it. Good luck

[HoosierDon]

Years ago I used to fish with my wifes uncle up around Cloaverport and we would catch them on trot lines. My first experience with them was the two of us running the lines. He would take the fish off the line and I would string them. He was throwing them in the bottom of the boat and I was stringing. All of a sudden I looked down and there was this big eel. I almost left the boat. He didn't unhook the eels. He would cut the drop line off the trotline and when we got home he would tie the drop line on a tree branch, cut around the head of the eel and using an old piece of newspaper he would peal them like a banana and cut them up. My mother in law was really enjoying a piece of fried eel until Hubert told her what it was then she left the table..........

[JD7.62]

Ugglyotter, quite the contrary eels are tasty, though Ive never had American eels Ive eaten some eel fried and some raw and both was it is fantastic, I am just not sure what kind of eel it was.

HoosierDon, that is a great story! What did you use for bait and what type of water were the lines set up?

[Webby709]

Back in the 80's we ran trot lines around Westport, Ky and used to get these daily during the right time of year. Very tasty… Not sure I’d target them because they are starting to become very rare. We used shad from cast netting and crayfish tails from seining small creeks

[riverrat12]

Back in the 80's we ran trot lines around Westport, Ky and used to get these daily during the right time of year. Very tasty… Not sure I’d target them because they are starting to become very rare. We used shad from cast netting and crayfish tails from seining small creeks

Yes when I fished 18 mile island alot I'd catch several. Funny this area has alot of them, great bait to. And Jason 18 mile creek had all them mudpuppies in it in the winter time.I'd catch them both on globbed up minnows and crawlers. Chuck

[apb]

Eels make excellent striper bait in the surf. May be I need to be thinking about eel imitations for the river

Andrew

[RoadToad]

Eels make excellent striper bait in the surf. May be I need to be thinking about eel imitations for the river

Andrew

I'm going to Delaware in two weeks, and we'll be using live eels and spot fishing for stripers in Indian River Inlet. We'll catch the spot, but the eels I'll buy. Then before we go out, I'll put each one in its own ziploc sandwich bag (they're tough little buggers, and can survive for days in there with no air if you keep them cold) and throw them on ice. Then when you go to use one, you just hook it right through the bag, then rip the bag off, and you don't have slime all over your hands.

American eels have a very interesting life cycle:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/american_eel.htm
which is part of the reason they're on the decline.

They have one in the "trout stream" inside BPS in Clarkesville. She usually hides under the "beaver dam" right by the bridge, but if you watch for a few minutes, you can usually catch a glimpse of her. Her name's Rosy.

[RoadToad]

Any one catch these guys or specifically target them? I enjoy catching the oddball fish every now and then. Plus I hear they are mighty tastey! Any tips?!

The only tip I would give you is don't try targeting them using a rod and reel. I've caught them in salt or brackish water when I was fishing for something else, and they're a real pain. By the time you get one landed, your line will be one big giant ball of slime, and you'll have to re-rig. I'm sure there's some kind of trap out there you could use. When I was a kid we used to pull them up in our crab traps all the time.

[JD7.62]

Thanks for the responses guys, and yes, the American Eel is an AMAZING fish. They travel thousands and thousands of miles from birth to death.

I see Rosy every now and then at BPS, always at the same spot in the beaver dam. I wonder if/when she reaches sexually maturity her drive to mate and return to the sea will be so strong that she leaves the "creek" and ends up mummified in BPS somewhere!

I like eating fish pretty much as much as I like catching them and keeping them in aquariums and because I didnt see anything about them being protected as of yet, I might have to get out there one night and see if I cant catch one of these slime balls for the frying pan!

[HoosierDon]

We were fishing on the Ohio River just down from Cloverport, Ky. Hubert had his own recipe for doughballs and they worked great. We were actually fishing for catfish but you might find anything on the line......

[RoadToad]

I might have to get out there one night and see if I cant catch one of these slime balls for the frying pan!

I commend you for being adventurous! If you do catch and eat one, please do come back and let us know how it goes. Just be warned that all that slime makes them REALLY hard to handle, alive or dead, and it's going to end up all over you. And removing it is not easy, either from the fish or your clothes. Me, I'd love to try it some time, but I think I'll get mine from a fish market