snake eels?

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    Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 6:59am
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so what do we know about these crazy looking creatures? anyone caught one?

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote KingfishSi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 8:19am
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Nope, never caught one...

But here are a couple of facts... They belong to the Ophichthidae family, they are related to the moray eel, there are nearly 200 species worldwide, instead of a flat tail for swimming they have a pointed tail used for burrowing into the sand. They also have a lack of fins.

And as the picture shows... they do have one of those
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kerren Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 8:23am
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hahaha.....good one Kingfishsi!

apprently rather common inhabitants of the Manukau?.....take it away Smudge the Snake-Eel Rangler!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote KingfishSi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 8:29am
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Hehe... he ain't the Great Gurnard Guru but maybe that's what he is Kerren... the 'Great Snake Eel Wrangler'... Sorry Smudge
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 9:20am
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Well the way I see it ... why mess around catching ordinary everyday fish like snapper when there are beauties like that in the sea?

Yes I have caught a snake eel while trying to catch piper at Whatipu and yes there are a few in the Manukau. I have seen a pic of one that was about 2.5 - 3 metres long. Although the one I caught was probably about a metre long. I see them regularly at night although once again they arent more than a metre long. One was caught during the Gurnard Guru, winning the angler a rod and reel I think.

They look and swim like a snake with a pointy head and a huge mouth but same sort of colouration as a freshwater eel. A one metre long snake eel is about the diameter of a pencil or a little bigger.

Any other eel info anyone want?????

My dream is to one day catch a hagfish....

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kerren Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 9:24am
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OMG.......Smudge the Hagfish Hunter!!

A man of many talents!!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Mars Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 10:52am
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Snake Eels. Never caught one, but was on a charter in the BOI when a lucky? punter pulled one in. Evil looking things, and it was bigger than the ones you describe Smudge. At least 2 metres long. The regular deckie wasnt on the boat for that trip, and the skipper thought it would be a great joke to throw it in the livey tank, to surprise him in the morning! Dont know the outcome of that....
Stick to Gurnard hunting Smudge. Hagfish are over-rated.   

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Peter da Squid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 5:25pm
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Plenty of Blind Mullet in the Manukau - no not Blind Barrie, mainly seen down towards Pukatutu Island ...  common name Turd .

P.Squid- the man who talks blind mullet..

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Theres an eel like that called a silver conger that lives in holes in the sand but their diameter is about half what a normal big conger would be for its length. The mouth looks about the same as on the one my neighbour caught at xmas.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2003 at 10:39pm
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Hahahahahaa ....I just read my post on Eels in reply to a question by Lollipop..... 28 November 2002
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Have seen these guys while diving, mainly around the Mercury islands in 50+feet. Don't know how long they were 'cause they've just got their heads poking out but they're necks would be the diameter of a beer can- maybe slightly less. Wicked dentition- wouldn't want to wrestle one.

At the bookcase lives a whole 'school' of them- half a dozen or so.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote sweet tooth#3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 2003 at 10:04pm
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caught one at onewhero bay over sand , its the bay on the kent passage side of the brampton reef if u no where that is, in th boi.

reel long skinny thing,

T nui

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we used to get whole runs of the bloody things in about 150m along with the blind eel - even more of a pain buti ve never seen a small one they were all 2-3 m long we also caught blennys with them -  theres an unusual fish bet you fullas aint seen much???
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote KingfishSi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2003 at 8:39am
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Tobes, what are blennys?
Keep knockin', nobody's home.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2003 at 9:43am
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Blennies ....little fish that live around rocks.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote 1000PA Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Aug 2003 at 7:34am
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Just returned from Rarotonga, there's plenty of Snake Eels there. I'll post a photo when they're developed.

Ross

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Aug 2003 at 11:42pm
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When Toad and I were kahawai fishing we saw several ... probably just two of them swimming back and forth one about 30 cm long and another maybe twice that so they were only babies. They swim right on the surface snappiung at things that cant be seen. I tried to talk Toad into picking one up but was a little too slippery....

Hiya Rosscoe ..... catch any tuna over there?

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote 1000PA Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Aug 2003 at 9:27am
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No Smudge, My wife and I were too busy with other arrangements for that but next time........

We watched the deep sea boat catch a tuna right in front of us off the reef. They were no more than 500 metres away. It gets very deep immediately the reef ends. Then they tacked around and repeated the whole process. From no flag up to tuna flag and the repeat flag in 30 minutes!

Next day another boat catches a sailfish in the same place, right in front of us. Oh boy if only we'd had a video camera. The whales also jumped and splashed for us each day.

Didn't need to fish, what with all that and the diving with 50+m (yes metres) vis I just couldn't believe everything I saw.

Funniest thing I ever saw was a woman waiting to catch a bus with three tuna tied up in a tree and the bus comes along. Woman enters and sits down and bus driver fetches fish and lays them in the isle. Woman gets to stop and driver helps her unload fish! Thats where I want to retire to.

Photos of snake eel soon - mine don't look anything like Kerrens though!

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote 1000PA Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2003 at 1:48pm
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There you go, it's called a spotted snake eel. Taken in 2 metres of water. Quality poor as I was surprisd to see one in daytime in the open!

Ross

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Toad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2003 at 11:20pm
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To tell the truth I dropped that baby snake eel accidently on purpose. Smudge told me that snake eels were perfectly safe to handle, that they don't bite, even though they look like miniature sea serpents. Straight after telling me this the snake eel swam directly to me. It was easy to pick up, but I did not try very hard to keep hold of it. I think Smudge wanted it for a livebait. 
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