Freshwater eels
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Diving
Forum Name: Spearo's Corner
Forum Description: Free-divers & spearos chat about their sport
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=75559
Printed Date: 10 Jun 2026 at 9:25am
Topic: Freshwater eels
Posted By: Diver Dan
Subject: Freshwater eels
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 7:39pm
| So, freshwater eels - should they feature on the NZ records list? Why, why not? |
Replies:
Posted By: case
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 7:44pm
| the huge ones are getting pretty rare . |
Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 7:45pm
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Conger, moray, blind and snake aren't on the list, so why consider a freshwater eel? |
Posted By: kolt45
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 7:47pm
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Pros: Better than records for noxious pests a.k.a. goldfish, koi, grass carp, and german carp (sorry Herby) Cons: Fisheries Status - "Declining/At Risk" UJ beat me to it - no conger record
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Posted By: JamesHB
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 7:52pm
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The big ones 'are not' the breeders im pretty sure? I read somewhere they get big due to not going off to spawn and they stay put.
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Posted By: Troy Tempest
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 8:03pm
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Not good to answer a question with a question ( or 2!), but...
Are there set criteria for why there are or aren't records for fish?
If not why not?
And then, by default, Freshwater eels either fit or not.
------------- ·.¸¸.·´¯'·.¸¸·´¯'·.¸¸.·´¯'·.¸ ><((((º> .¸¸·´¯'·.¸¸.·´¯'·.¸ ><((((º> Just quietly getting on with it... |
Posted By: sAsLEX
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 8:06pm
They breed off Tonga and die there, hence if they are here they have not bred, why would they protect the bigger ones if they were not going to breed? They are protected in some lakes and waterways (Lake Rotoiti for example) which are far inland and have older populations. They are rather fatty in places and don't taste that nice - the one we cooked was out of an old Kauri dam and the water was pretty stagnant. |
JamesHB wrote:Posted By: JamesHB
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 8:17pm
"The really big eels are reputed to be infertile females that never returned to the sea or perhaps couldn't." http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/biggest-eels-in-nz_topic67668.html?KW=eel - http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/biggest-eels-in-nz_topic67668.html?KW=eel |
Posted By: BOC
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 8:33pm
| what UJ said |
Posted By: Crippy
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 9:07pm
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Did you shoot a big fresh water eel DD?
------------- Go hard or die trying. |
Posted By: Kinabal Lector
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 9:09pm
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I go eeling lots you have to know how to prepare em. They vary a lot from place to place. I have got some big ones lately in a secret spot that have smoked up awesome. On sat I took my 4 year old son out and tried to go upstream to have a go. I enquired in a farm house as to access for my son and I. The guy said definitely not theres a crazy old lady who tells everyone you cant eel there and aparently feeds them and has a couple of big pet ones in there. Come to think of it two large ones came right up to my burley and were very friendly before I gaffed em. Ill have to thank the old girl next time I see her for fattening them up for me. |
Posted By: Diver Dan
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 10:12pm
Hah! Good question Crippy! No, I wouldn't. One of our young up and coming divers who may have choked from a winning position after the first day at the Nationals may have speared one. Not saying who though.
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Posted By: sAsLEX
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 10:57pm
Interestingly I was at Lake Rotoiti when they were doing the night diving for the Discovery Channel bit, had gone down to feed them some rabbit but they wouldn't eat it at all, tried a number of times but they don't like fresh rabbit, but ham on the bone they go into a frenzy over!
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Posted By: The Jackal
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 10:59pm
| A cattle beast's lung does the trick |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 11:47pm
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I believe the current theory is that the big long fins do in fact go off to breed. They just take a while to do it. The large long fins conservation status is "At risk, declining" so probably not a good idea to encourage the spearing of them. Although the commercial take and habitat destruction is the main cause for their decline. Eels are probably the most speared fish in the country. I would stick to only targeting the common Short Fin eels, and see no reason why they should not be included in the New Zealand records. |
Posted By: Unclejake
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2012 at 11:53pm
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ThomasW, that is a well considered post (and unfailingly moderate, as all your posts are) but I would have to question the statement that eels are probably the most speared fish in the country. I imagine butterfish hold that heady title, but I have no evidence at all to back that up. Perhaps flounder come second?
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Posted By: TheSnapperWhisperer
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2012 at 7:54am
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I think they should be on the list. Lots of people take eels for food - they would have to be one of the species which has the longest history of being used for food in this country. I am not sure if there is much glamour in holding the eel record, but the same can be said for congers and drummer. Regardless of whether it is on the list or not, you are not giong to see a flood of divers wiping out the waterways to get a record eel, so I don't think fishery conservation status is a consideration. I assume we have rules about how much of a diver you must be to spear a record fish - presumably fully immersed is the rule?------------- http://www.facebook.com/TheSnapperWhisperer |
Posted By: kolt45
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2012 at 2:41pm
| I can go along with that TSW. Fully submerged, sort of. I imagine the record would still go for a yellowfin tuna shot from the surface as he's crashing through a bait ball. |
Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2012 at 2:46pm
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I shot a snapper standing on a rock a wee while back while sorting my floatline out. Man, I'd have been gutted if it was 16kg and the record claim had been rejected because I wasn't fully submerged.
Lucky for Pat I didn't have to punch him out, because it was only 7kg.
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Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2012 at 3:31pm
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Why is being fully or partly submerged any more sporting then spearing one from the surface? Is wading up to your waist partly submerged, how about wading up to your chest? I suppose the spearing record would not make much of a difference for the survival chances of long fins, although the truly big ones are now very rare so would be a shame if they were specifically targeted. |
Posted By: SharkBite
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2012 at 4:45pm
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We could just say "..eel must be taken while spearfishing underwater..." the idea being that you have to physically get in the water to spear it, definitely not just walking along holding a spear above the surface like people do when spearing flounder (and eels). On the question as to whether standing on a rock while shooting a snapper constitues spearfishing I would say that if your gun was above the surface when you fired then it doesn't count. Same if your head was above the surface when you fired, that wouldn't count as spearfishing underwater either so yeah one way or another you are going to be 'partially submerged' but 'partially submerged' is not an adequate definition in itself ------------- "There goes another moocher" |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2012 at 6:10pm
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Why should it matter wither the eel is speared with a hand spear, pole spear or gun? The end result is all the same. Just sounds like elitism to me... Spearing a fish with your head above water probably takes more skill because you have light distortions to deal with. |
Posted By: Kinabal Lector
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2012 at 7:03pm
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you guys making the job of catching a feed decidedly complicated. I usually get my eels with a machete. If I want a record Ill vie for the olympics against other humans |
Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 7:33am
Speaking of eels...  |
Posted By: Flymike
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 8:08am
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I do a little bit oh bow fishing as well as hunting. A big eel was on my todo list afew years back, untill I started looking in to it and found out the ages that thay need to get to to get big. It takes around 80 years for one to get up to what I was lookong for (8kg+), Decidid that id feel abit bad harvesting an animal that could be almost 3x my age, and never left an area. But I have been looking to see if I can find one (not to shoot, just like to know it is possible) around the north auckland area, I now feel that just finding a biggie will be as good as catching one. The new zealand bow hunters society has a record section for eel http://www.nzbowhunters.co.nz/records_eel2.html - http://www.nzbowhunters.co.nz/records_eel2.html but its not used very often. Better to be able to see what could be a century old animal I feel....
I know a few spots were some sizable inhabitants live (5-6kg) and enjoy taking my nephew out to feed them the odd bunny or possum. Im not realy intrested in getting a biggie any more
Just my view
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Posted By: KeriBOI
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 10:16am
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No, leave them for the 4 year old kids to catch on a line. They aren't a sport and an easy target. Let them be.
------------- Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes; after that, who cares?! He's a mile away and you've got his shoes! |
Posted By: TheSnapperWhisperer
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 11:07am
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When did we change the rules to ban records for fish that YOU call 'not sporting' and 'easy targets'? ------------- http://www.facebook.com/TheSnapperWhisperer |
Posted By: SharkBite
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 12:04pm
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A slight deviation from the main topic but has anyone ever wondered why above-water animals endemic to NZ are mostly protected species but those sub-surface are mostly not protected? ------------- "There goes another moocher" |
Posted By: chalkeye
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 12:11pm
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Guess: Because land-based native species face a massive threatfrom introduced species. ------------- float like a crowbar, sting like a bee |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 12:24pm
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Yes, I have wondered that at times. I have to agree with the previous poster, the land creatures and birds are more vulnerable then much of the marine life. |
Posted By: KeriBOI
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 1:18pm
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I thought he was asking if we should add them. I reckon no. It not asking to ban a record. ------------- Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes; after that, who cares?! He's a mile away and you've got his shoes! |
Posted By: Crippy
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 5:39pm
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FlyMike some classic photos on that bowhunting site. I think eels should not be considered for records, just my opinion. ------------- Go hard or die trying. |
Posted By: case
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 6:53pm
| what about giant kokapu |
Posted By: Flymike
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 7:02pm
I think thay might be protected?
|
Posted By: JamesHB
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 10:48pm
| White bait record? |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2012 at 10:55pm
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Illegal to spear I suspect. |
Posted By: JRDO
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2012 at 11:50am
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Is this what spawned this topic DD?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=313228408724644&set=a.190301684350651.45382.190119634368856&type=1&theater - http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=313228408724644&set=a.190301684350651.45382.190119634368856&type=1&theater
What was your decision in the end, to include or not to include? ------------- BANNED from doing anything about anything anymore. |