Specimen Fishing Tips | The best bait and rig for big eels - Daniel Woolcott
IF LOTS of smaller species are present in the venue, then I’d use either roach or squid sections to target the eels.
If the lake doesn’t contain nuisance fish, then lobworms take some beating, but I’ve also done well on snails, slugs, maggots and lamprey.
Eels are scavengers with a diverse diet, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
A 6lb 2oz eel, they are real scavengers so don’t be afraid to experiment with baits
There are loads of rig options to try, but to avoid deep-hooking, I use one that incorporates a short hooklink made from 4ins-5ins of 50lb snag leader and small barbless hooks.
My go-to set-up is a ‘snig twig rig’, which has a section of plastic boom threaded on to the hooklink and held in place with two float stops.
This ensures that the eel doesn’t swallow the bait, and I fish it free-running to keep resistance to a minimum.
My ‘snig twig’ eel rig
Specimen Fishing Tips | How to track down big eels - Rich Wilby
A specimen eel is a truly impressive sight but very few anglers head out targeting them. One man who does, is 2019/20 Drennan Cup Champion , Rich Wilby. Here he explains how he tracks these rare beasts down and what bait catches them…
One of the best ways to find waters that hold these elusive creatures is to keep your ear to the ground for anglers who have caught them by mistake, such as carp fishermen.
The angry head of a big eel
That’s how I found out about a certain water near me last year, and on my first night at the venue I was lucky enough to catch 15 eels to a best of 5lb 2oz.
A 6lb 9oz specimen eel
If you haven’t got any tip-offs like this to follow up, then my advice would be firstly to find a water that has previous form for the species, then seek out the deep areas. As the year progresses, big eels seek refuge in such spots.
Once you’re on a water that you think holds them, try using high-attract baits, such as half a roach or big bunches of lobworms, and to fish at night, which is when eels are at their most active.
Just part of an incredible haul of big eels
Specimen Fishing Tips | Five rigs to try in 2020 with Dai Gribble
YOU need to have full confidence in the rigs you use. Big fish are generally thin on the ground – that’s one of the main reasons why they are big, and on occasions you can be waiting days or even weeks for a bite. You don’t want to slip up now!
In such circumstances you will be more focused if you believe you are using the right rig for the job. Here are five rigs that I use a lot and can recommend without hesitation.
1: Helicopter Rig
This rig has a short hooklink that spins around the mainline. It is my first choice for stillwater feeder fishing as it very rarely tangles and is very efficient at turning bites into hooked fish. Invariably the mainline is under slight tension due to undertow caused by wind, and this makes it difficult for fish to eject a bait once they have taken it.
2: Flatbed Method
No rig presents a bait better than the flatbed Method feeder, as the hooklink is completely buried within groundbait and this groundbait draws fish directly to the hookbait. It is ideal for fishing inert baits such as pellets, corn and boilies. Try different liquids in the groundbait and use Sonubaits Lava Rocks to draw fish to the feeder.
3: Korum Running Rig
I use this rig for nearly all my barbel fishing with both leads and feeders. The rig casts really well without tangling, thanks to the clever design which pushes the feeder or lead away from the hooklink. I always use hooklinks with a loop, as the quick-change swivel allows you to change them in seconds by sliding the tapered sleeve off.
4: Simple link leger
Very often simple is best, and rigs don’t come much simpler than this – a leger bead with a piece of line with shot attached, stopped by a couple of float stops and the hook tied direct to the mainline. By adding or removing SSG or AAA shot it is really easy to get the perfect presentation for the swim you are fishing, making this rig perfect for much of my chub and perch fishing.
5: Bolt rig for eels
One of the biggest challenges facing the eel angler is avoiding deep hooking while at the same time not missing runs. When eels are feeding on small baits such as maggots the bolt rig is the solution. A small, strong hook baited with
a bunch of maggots on a 3ins braided hooklink combined with a 2oz inline lead has served me very well, with few dropped runs and every eel I landed hooked perfectly in the bottom lip.
