Workaday Armor

[mariusgmioc]

Very interesting! Had no idea that you spear the eels and not catch them with a normal fishing hook.

[Rick]

Well, here we also catch them in eel pots; the smaller ones wind up on a hook, but as live bait for Striped Bass in season.
No one spears them much in Summer anymore around here.
They'll spear them in the cold weather when they have gone into the mud for the winter. There is still a good demand for them during the Holiday Season.

Eels have a very interesting life cycle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_eel

[Jens Nordlunde]

In Denmark they were cought by night, going out in a boat with a light in front, and a man armed with an eel iron - like shown above.
I think it is now forbidden to fish eels in Denmark as there are too few.

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Very interesting! Had no idea that you spear the eels and not catch them with a normal fishing hook.

you CAN catch them on a hook. i caught one fishing for bass on the lake behind our house on long island once as a teen. it's outlet was only a hundred yards or so from the great south bay. about as fat around as my wrist. nasty slimey thing wrapped itself around my line then in a ball, was rather difficult to get the hook out. granma happened to be watching and cam e out and claimed it before i could throw it back. she thumped it once and it departed for other realms. musta weighed 5 pounds. she gutted it and cut it into about 2 inch sections and fried it. tried to get me to eat some, i ran. she jellied it and ate the whole thing over a couple days. she took great glee in sucking on the head in front of me with gusto. she was originally austo-hungarian from galetia. now part of poland.

[Jens Nordlunde]

It has a very fine tast cooked or smoked - I especially like the smoked version, but I have also heard that many find them snake like, so they wont eat them - what a pity for them :-).

[Rick]

Originally Posted by kronckew

you CAN catch them on a hook. i caught one fishing for bass on the lake behind our house on long island once as a teen. it's outlet was only a hundred yards or so from the great south bay. about as fat around as my wrist. nasty slimey thing wrapped itself around my line then in a ball, was rather difficult to get the hook out. granma happened to be watching and cam e out and claimed it before i could throw it back. she thumped it once and it departed for other realms. musta weighed 5 pounds. she gutted it and cut it into about 2 inch sections and fried it. tried to get me to eat some, i ran. she jellied it and ate the whole thing over a couple days. she took great glee in sucking on the head in front of me with gusto. she was originally austo-hungarian from galetia. now part of poland.

Hey, I got a bite!
And you reel in a living bowline knot..