An 8lb Eel in a Season You Can Only Dream AboutI WAS BACK at the water that had recently produced enormous eels for both Wol and me. It was a very humid with the mosquitoes being an absolute pain, but despite the prefect conditions I had just one bite.
Almost instantly I knew that I was attached to another huge eel as it banged the rod about and refused to come in, taking line from me on several powerful runs – or should that be reverses, as eels fight be swimming backwards! When I eventually drew the fish over the 72 inch arms of my landing net 7 or 8 minutes later it was obvious that the fish at the other end of my line was enormous, being both long and with an massive girth. I measured her length at 43 1/2 inches and her girth was 11 inches, and I then breathlessly weighed her at a staggering 8 lb 2 oz. For the third time this season I was looking at a simply enormous eel and once again it was a different fish. Wol and I had both speculated that we might well get an 8lb plus fish and now here was one in front of me in my landing net on my unhooking mat. The following night Wol joined me and we both had nice eels early on that each weighed 4 lb 14 oz and I managed another fish in the early hours which went 5 lb 8 oz. Three nights later I was again on the water, fishing in a different swim slightly further up the bank.
The night was again very humid with the mosquitoes being a real pain and again I had only one bite late on. This fish gave me the hardest fight I have ever had from an eel and I was convinced that I had hooked the mother of all eels. As I drew the fish over the net I was surprised that the fish was not bigger but I could hardly be disappointed as she went a massive 7 lb 4 oz. Wol and I have been enjoying the most amazing season, including Wol having eels to 7 lb 15 oz and bream to 16 lb 12oz, a fish that was caught in a night that saw him catch two other 16’s. I’ve had five eels over six pounds including two sevens and my new PB of 8 lb 2 oz. I’ve beaten my perch PB by two ounces with a fish of 4 lb 13 oz and have had bream to within an ounce of my PB with fish to 16 lb 4 oz. It’s been the stuff of dreams. To catch the big eels I was using double lobworm hookbaits fished in conjunction with a large PVA bag full of maggots. Rods were 3lb TC Harrison Ballista Slims coupled with Shimano XTE 10000’s loaded with 20lb Power Pro braid. Rigs were 2oz watch leads running on John Roberts large run rings buffered by an Enterprise tackle Protecta Bead against a swivel attaching 12 inches of 35lb Kryston Quicksilver with a size 4 Drennan Carbon Specimen at the business end. |
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