Freshwater eels for shark bait

[Robofish]

Hi Raiders,

i enjoy my beach shark fishing and have heard that freshwater eels make great baits - can anyone tell me where I can either catch or buy some?

thanks in advance.

Dave

[masterfisho7]

Mate why not use mullet easer to get

[frankS]

I have a idea why fresh water eels may be appealing to sharks. Fresh water eels travel many miles out to sea to breed. Now if you soak a freshy in salt water you will notice the slime on the fish sorta melts away and you end up with a smooth skinned ( although tiny scaled ) fish that is easily handled. It is my feeling that this slime acts as a berley for the sharks and therefor attracted to the eel. The baby ell known as glass eels are almost totally transparent and tiny and make their way back through salt rivers etc to fresh water where they transform into the long finned eel.

Good eating BTW and best smoked.

So to answer your question. Anywhere there is fresh water, dams rivers impoundments from top of Queensland to Tasmania and now starting to get into South Oz waters and maybe even as far as West oz.

Frank

[Plethora]

The best way to catch eels is using a steel coat hanger - straighten it out, make a handle at one end a loop at the other end with a bit of 150lb wire trace with a hook on it.  (using this you can just yank them out of the rocks) you go down to Heathcote creek with a bit of smelly fish on it and wave it around the rocks down there - it wont take you long to get their attention

[masterfisho7]

1 hour ago, frankS said:

I have a idea why fresh water eels may be appealing to sharks. Fresh water eels travel many miles out to sea to breed. Now if you soak a freshy in salt water you will notice the slime on the fish sorta melts away and you end up with a smooth skinned ( although tiny scaled ) fish that is easily handled. It is my feeling that this slime acts as a berley for the sharks and therefor attracted to the eel. The baby ell known as glass eels are almost totally transparent and tiny and make their way back through salt rivers etc to fresh water where they transform into the long finned eel.

Good eating BTW and best smoked.

So to answer your question. Anywhere there is fresh water, dams rivers impoundments from top of Queensland to Tasmania and now starting to get into South Oz waters and maybe even as far as West oz.

Frank

That's sounds good advice from my advice from top post  I have never used Eels  plus I have only got sharks outside fishing from boats with baits Frank has put you on a good lead.

 

[Toilor]

I remember reading about the "Shark Men of Tathra Wharf" using freshwater eels exclusively as bait. They had sewed them up in a particular way to present them on a hook targeting XOS bronzies, tigers and ad they referred to them "white death". Pretty sure there was an article in a 70's edition of the Anglers Omnibus. 

[fragmeister]

Just now, Plethora said:

The best way to catch eels is using a steel coat hanger - straighten it out, make a handle at one end a loop at the other end with a bit of 150lb wire trace with a hook on it.  (using this you can just yank them out of the rocks) you go down to Heathcote creek with a bit of smelly fish on it and wave it around the rocks down there - it wont take you long to get their attention

Now there's one I have never heard before!

[noelm]

Stingrays are a far better bait for Sharks off the beach than Eels.

[dirvin21]

A bit of 30lb mono will stand up to eel teeth, a strip of steak is your best bait, make sure you have plenty of hook exposure and give them plenty of time to swallow the bait

On a side note the short fin and longfin eels have different size limits, make sure you check the regs and how to tell them apart

[Robofish]

Thanks guys for all the advice, ver much appreciated