Hi what bait should i use to catch eels & what weight line should i use

Eels are easy and fun to catch. Firstly get a chunk of meat, can be a old roast bone ect. Tie a rope around it. Throw in a a bit of berley to get the eels excited (I use rotten eggs). Leave it for 10-15 minutes.

Now drop the meat into the water and the eels would start grabbing and tearing at it. They often rotate very fast to rip the meat off. Once one has a good bite start pulling it in, they sometimes let go but many don,t. (At home we left them 4-5m above the water and they do not let go)

Once out of the water, scare people with them ect...

I personaly do not feel a hook is required. They are not difficult to catch but a hook is difficult to remove.

Summer time is best when the water is warmer. During winter they go into a state of semi-hibernation. I would go down and check my local creek now but it is stagnant and hard to see into the water.

If I go down to my local creek in Summer I would probably see a eel every meter. During winter I rarely see any.

try a little Lambs or Calf's liver soaked in tuna oil - works a treat.

Just a note. If you keep them live and then decide to return them to a creek pond etc. Make sure it is the same place they were taken from if not they will be killed straight away by the local family group. When and if they migrate to samoa etc they return after all those miles to the same family group at the same river etc. freaky aye. (I can get lost in malls)The large ones can get to 50 plus years old. They never eat their own family so you can see little fingerlings and large mumas swiming amoungst themselves...  

Yeah they love brackish water. Just bring along something stinky to encourage them out.

If you are from a warmer part of NZ, it might be worthwhile trying for eels at the moment. We were looking in a pond in our creek today and my father spotted a eel. So a few are still active down here in Marlborough.

If you do target them. I still recommend a no hook approach is the best option. It is heaps of fun and makes catching them just a little bit more challenging. The eels also like it more.

Badfish - pilfer an old stocking of the mrs, mum or whoever and stuff it with some old meat, the more bloody the better. The eels sandpaper teeth get stuck in the stocking when they chomp on it, then ya just drag them in, good fun!

Alex - eels are dirty fighters mate, they'll crawl into a hole or under a log so the best rig is to use a heavy as handline and drag those suckers in as quick as you can. If you use hooks to catch em then theyre a real b'stard to get off the hook, theyre slimy and writhe around like a virgin - would recommend trying the stocking method man on a good strong handline.

Muslin cloth (Mutton cloth) works too....

get a panty hose and simply shove some raw bloody meat in it and when the eel grabs it all you need to do is pull it up onto the bank as it's teeth will get caught in the panty hose.

i have caught eels on line before but they are a real ***** to unhook and tangle up your line easily. they will also wrap around you hand while trying to unhook them which makes it even harder to do because of their tough jaws.