Catching/Trapping Eels

[Dan J]

Not something i know much about as most of the fishing i do is at sea.

Quite like the idea of building a trap of somekind.

Has anyone done this??

Heard the best time for eels is around september or around the full moon. Is this true??
Any advice or ideas would be great!! Dan

[Adze]

Legered lobworm, after dark, just about any river in the South of England and you'll get eel after eel after eel. The only real trick is to pretend you're barbel fishing and not after eels at all - then it's more or less guaranteed

[Bushwhacker]

I'd rather see eel fishing discouraged. They're on a slippery slope at the moment and numbers are fast becoming low.

[munkiboi182]

im pretty sure its illegal to catch/trap eels without a specific permit due to massive drops in the eel population. make sure you check this ou first

[wattsy]

you can catch them all day thats not illegal i think you need a permit to take them. i always like to put them back anyway i read somewhere that one 2 feet long will be over 20 years old. pretty epic migration they do as well

[nutz]

I saw this on some Tv programme, tried it twice and it worked both times.

Get an old t-shirt, put some bait in it (fish heads, guts etc.). Tie up the sleeves, neck and waist so there's no holes. Chuck it in the water and stake it firmly to the bank and leave overnight.

I don't get the logic of why it works but the buggers chew a small hole and get in, but can't seem to get back out.

[Adze]

Just to clarify further - since 2010, any caught by rod and line MUST be returned to the water.

[forestwalker]

"Critically endangered" (the next step is "extinct in the wild")

http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/60344/0

I love eel, but will no longer eat it (ok, actual survival emergency is a different case).

[Native Nathan]

Do you get eels in the sea along the coastal regions?