INDIANANGLER

Hi friends!!
This is my very first post here. Can you just tell me what do i use if i have to fish the eels???

Welcome to the forum Salman.

They are probably amongst the easiest fish to catch but they fight semi decently and are apparently quite tasty. They are damn ugly and hard to unhook though.

There are two sure shot ways to catch eels.

The first and the most effective one is to simply bottom fish with worms.

If their are big predatory eels around using livebait (chilwas) is also quite good.

Why dont you post a thread in the introductions section so that we can all welcome you aboard and get to know you?

Welcome Salman.

Yeah Ali is quite rite. But when thing that I have tried and is quite sucessful is using dead bait. Cut the Chilwa or small fish into 2to3 Pieces depending ont he size and put a piece on the hook. The head part of the chilwa is the most effective.

And yes eels are one of the best table fish around.

Hey Salman!

Introduce yourself in the right place before you get pronged.

About the Eels. We call them baam up here. And they are very sought after by the locals as they are good to eat.

Here is how they catch them.

Location - the eels hang around rocks, broken banks and other places where they can hide.

Tackle - very fine hook. a bit of fixed weight about 6 to 10 inches form the hook. Drop the line close to the rocks (there is n o use casting out) and jiggle the line every little while. If you don't get a bite in the first 15 mins then move about a few feet.

Bait - try and use worms. Or use a bit of chilwa (the head and a bit of gut works best) Or a bit of rotten fish.

The last point is that I have always seen the locals put their line in and then step away from the spot. This is coz baam are very wary fish and even the slightest noise or movement makes them hurry back into their hole.

This is all I have observed. Never really went out looking for Baam. Hope this helps.

Ken, a pain in the baam is what they are
Regards
Owen

Owen ,
those fish are for eating

Jude

Stop skinny dipping Owen!!!
Keep those chaddis on.

thanks ali..i'll surely post in the introduction section

thanks mahaseerken..i'll definitely try your tips.

Hi friend,
Never caught an eel with worms, out here in the hills the locals make it a point to use dead bait of small brook trout(they say nothing else will do), and the hooks are unusually large made from high tempered steel wire manually.
I dont know if all this is not true but the locals sure do catch a lot of eels this way.




bijay

When in Rome, do as the Romans do

I caught an eel accidently-bugger decided to come and hook himself on my bait-The bait was RAGI!
Owen, you better follow the advice of the esteemed members of the 'baam society'

Best
Axx

Brook trout as bait for baam Well, i would never like to use an esteemed game fish like trout as a bait for something like baam. Secondly, there must be huge size baams in your area, otherwise, one may need smaller size hooks and not large strong hooks. What do you say?
Cheers
Sualeh

Sualeh,

The reason for the larger hooks are usually needed because of using dead bait or live bait. But i think a number 1 hook should do fine

Shaphan,
You are aware of my fascinations for trout. I will never used it as a bait, for anything.
Regards
Sualeh

MKens' method works... try rocky areas in the evenings... eels mainly come out in low light conditions!!

I saw people catching Baam with Small shrimps and earthworms in hyderabad.

I am out baam fishing this weekend.

Sorry to bring back this thread.

i agree with Sualeh. It would be quite ok if one could bait with an eel for a trout, instead.

Cheers

dragonfly nymph!!

dragging this post back, we normally use a second rod for eels and just cast it further up the bank and leave the rod by our hand,,, but you have to sit still as the eel is very sensitive to vibration... for bait we would use maggots or worm, but if eels are your actual target we would buy a tin of smelly cat food, the smellier the better, and to unhook them try laying them on their back...doug

I dun know about freshwater eels. But here's how I catch saltwater eels.
Go Bait fishing, set up a rig to catch Grouper, mangrove jack, snapper or other such fish.
Cast. And there............. an eel instead.
Keep some extra rigs ready as they totally screw it up.
And in some time you should be able to catch a lot of eels.

I always wanted to catch a moray eel from the harbor, to keep in my aquarium.. But never got one .. The locals who caught them often, used to curse them, and kill them by tying a slip knot around its neck.. But they are indeed a true beauty ..

Regards,
Binu

as sanju says binu the best wat is not to try find them at all for they will surely find you... and most anglers curse them because they slime up your end tackle often rendering it useless... but i can never understand anyone who could deliberately kill something and not eat it... sad people..
but moray eels well they are another story i fear the sea angler will no doubt have a tale or two abot them...

I have seen 2 kinds of eels where i go fishing in kerala one is the Indian mottled eel and the Spiny eel. Both are good to eat. As far as i know the mottled eel eats pretty much every thing from worm to cut bait anything as long as it stinks . I usually catch them on fresh water snails and earth worms. The Spiny eels i had caught was on earth worm and small fish. Sine they live in holes and between rocks it is pretty hard to retreave them.... Once they they take the line between the rock make sure you pull the line out carefully as the line may rub against the rock and snap.

Wish you tight lines

can somebody tell me what a chilwa is, better still can someone post a pic

Chilwa is a minnow. Any small fish is called a chilwa. The trick it to find the ones that will be readily taken by predators. From what I have seen the ones with no spines and that are fleshy work better. The most common one is a Putiya or Tinfoil barb, easily identified by the dot near its tail.

Indian Gypsy help! You know most of them by name.

so ken after you have your chilwa how would you present it...lip hooked or thru the dorsal...then floatfish it or ledger it...is it more productive live or dead???

If you want your chilwa to be alive and kicking then through the mouth or very carefully just below the dorsal fin. I prefer this one but you have to make sure that you do not damage the lateral line, spine or organ. snipping off the tailfin is another good idea as it gets the chilwa to swim funny.

Dead bait. I find the cutting a minnow into two and using the head is a better option.

the morte productive of the two is the live chilwa. Dead bait gets a lot of catfish and eel.

lol... salman will be happy then, thats what the thread is about... catching eels
how deep would you fish the livebait... its not allowed in england,as far as i know... and would you use a heavy float to keep the bait up in the water?

That depends. In most place I fish live bait without any weight (maybe just a little if there is a flow) and let the tailless fish do the work.

When it comes to Sol/Murrel it is better to have the bait a foot below the surface.

thanks ken... good advice for us novices to indian waters...

There are numerous species of bait fish found in the sub continent; the most commonly used are:

1) Rosy Barb (Puntius conchonius): Local names are Putthiya (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttranchal), Poothee in UP, MP and Bihar. It can be found just about everywhere in India from small roadside ditches to major rivers. Not common in the mountains though. Prefers slow moving water.

2) Gaint Danio (Devario aequipinnatus): Like the rosy barb, found just about everywhere. Larger in size than the barb. Only problem is it does not survive too long on hooks. Known as Kheengar and Dana in the North.

3) Chilwa (Aspidoparia morar ): Found in just about all hill streams. By far the best bait to use. Will not die that easly on the hook, but mis handling the bait will easily kill it. Readily taken by just about every carnivore in the water. Best way to tell if you have a chilwa in your hands is by the copius amounts of its silvery scales that easily rub off. In waters where the chilwa works well, one should also try the silver toby. When you put them side by side, you'll understand why.

4) Fresh Water Goby: There are over 2300 species of the Goby, but there is only one that is found in fresh water in the subcontinent. Have not been able to figure out the latin name so far (have not come across a latin speaking goby). Known as Chunkad in the North. Best when used around rocks. Has a tendency to keep sitting motionless on the bottom. Twitch the line with your finger every now and then like you would when using earth worms.

5) Himalayan Loach (Botia almorhae): Sold as the Yo Yo loach in the Aquarium trade, these little critters (more like critters than fish) also make awesome bait. Found at the bottom of just about all streams and nalas. Has a tendency to hide in nooks and crannies. Use in the same manner as the goby.

6) Baby Snake Heads: Any baby snakehead max 4 inches in size makes a brilliant bait no matter on what kind of water you are. Know as Solley/ Dolu in the north. Can be found everywhere. Best way to get them: give a village kid 10 bucks and some candy. They keep very well in a 'ghada' earthen pot for storing water, and can survives for months in captivity. Very tough bait. Big winner when it comes to being taken by Sol, mulley and mahseer.

The above are my favs. There are many more like the glass fish, dwarf gourami etc., but they make lousy bait. Furthermore, if nothing seems to be biting, just fry the bait. All except the goby and the loaches are brilliant when curried. Anchovies anyone?

Cheers,
IG

Great info Gypsy!
All those trips with you and Ken paid off and its great to see this info being put out for the IA punters too
Best
Axx

IG...Thanks for that,

Indeed a very useful Info...

yes gypsy great stuff perhaps one should consider collating all the info into a little handbook for beginners...lol

Thanks IG! Keep it coming.

HI
Here I have time tested bait for Eels. Eels are scavengers and eat anything which is stinking. The best bait I used to catch was ………. Buy medium sized shrimp/prawns one day before your fishing trip. Keep them in a cover completely covered and they begin to rot. Keep them out side your home. The better way is hang the cover outside and the neighbor may complain of the stinking smell Take care of them. Next day, before going fishing preferable 1 hrs before to start, open the cover and take a news paper and place one by one on the paper under sunlight. The wetness on the shrimps subsides. Take 10-15 shrimps and make it a liquid like consistency in a mixer grinder for dipping the bait

Take one shrimp and peel the shell. Cut the shrimp into small pieces double the size of the hook. Put the piece to the hook completely covering the hook and dip it in the liquid already made. The Eels may not take the shrimp if any visibility of the hook. Tip: Nodding of the fishing rod attracts the eel fast and it can’t resist the stinking smell of the shrimp.
The eel completely gulps the bait and sometimes you need to cut the line to keep the eel live till the time you cook it, other wise you need to forcibly unhook it and it may die and the taste of the eels may change.

Great one Chandra, that will definitely work.

You are a brave man. Let me introduce you to VickramBora, he breeds maggots at home.

welcome to the world of 'saada'... another effective one is bait fish which have been left to rot for a day... hence the term saada- to 'sadao the fish'. Any small bait fish would do!!!

Need quick saada and don't have time to let it rot for a day: put fish/prawns in a air tight zip loc bag and place it in the engine compartment of your vehicle; the long drive to the fishing spot will be enough time for the engine heat to spoil the fish. the juices leach out into the zip loc bag and can be used to coat the bait if it gets too dry. The best part about instant saada is that the muscle tissue has not rotted enough to slip off the hook.


Cheers,
IG

IG, Not an air tight zip lock bag. that is way to complicated. the original method is newspaper. This has advantages. Namely the extra juices that the fish churns out get absorbed so the saada gets nice and firm and stays on the hook for a long time. Best for this method is a fish called Bata.

I had a Maruti Gypsy that smelled so bad the pollution control guys refused to give me an OK sticker. haahahaha

Take 10-15 shrimps and make it a liquid like consistency in a mixer grinder for dipping the bait




Ken is this guy married ?, divorced ?,,, has mistresses ?.... what ??? --- "liquid like consistency " - this guy surely must be a chef to use nomenclature like that ---

Or his middle name must be "Loony " for sure

Way to go Chandra --- this ones for the die hard fans - Love your guts Mate .. but im NEVER going to try it at home ,, and that too in the wifeys mixer grinder for gods sake -- i like my sex tooo much

Ditto Freddie ditto!


WARNING! ATTENTION! CAUTION!
None of the above are allowed in my car. EVER!

And Gavin. No more of that f***** groundbait.

.

Hi Fred, Your gues is right. I am a good cook but not by profession.

Chandra, I am sure you are a great cook. But I'l stay away from anything that's been blended.


hahahaahah Happy fishing!