"Perch follow eels on hunt" - Jack Perks
Underwater cameraman and angler Jack Perks has witnessed Britain’s many fish species doing some amazing things. We asked him to shed light on some of these hidden behaviours…
Perch follow eels on hunt
“When I’ve observed good-sized eels going along the lake or riverbed, digging in rocks looking for crayfish or bullheads, they’ll often be flanked by larger perch of about 1lb or 1lb 8oz.
Eels unwittingly help big perch to find food
“As soon as the eel goes under a rock, it sends smaller fish up in the water for the perch to feed on.
“This is really interesting because it’s learned behaviour. We tend to think of fish as being stupid, but this is a form of anticipation on their part that shows intelligence.
“I’m not saying I’m the first to discover this, but I’ve not seen or read about it anywhere else.
“I first saw it on the River Test and then again two days later on the Hampshire Avon. I’d imagine that it happens wherever there’s a good eel population.”
Perch know eels will uncover food for them
Help fund new fish film
Jack is currently crowdfunding to produce a free film called Britain’s Hidden Fishes, narrated by Jeremy Wade. To help get this project off the ground, visit Britain’s Hidden Fishes.
Switch to bolt rig helped me catch my PB eel - Ian Hannaby
“I’d invited Phil Ringer to fish a guest ticket on my syndicate lake for bream and, although I’d managed to net a few, he’d had 10 to a best of 12lb 6oz.
“While the bream fishing was slow I decided to bait another spot with dead maggots in the hope of catching an eel, but I started off with a free-running rig and had several dropped runs.
“To stop this from happening I switched to a bolt rig with a 2.5oz lead and a size 2 longshank hook baited with two half lobworms and 10 dead maggots.
“I cast the rig back out to its spot and within a couple of hours I received a screaming run and struck into what felt like a big eel.
“After a short fight I netted what turned out to be a new personal best at 4lb 5oz – get in!
“It was hooked perfectly in the lip too which the bolt rig had definitely helped to achieve.”
Ian Hannaby and his new PB 4lb 5oz eel
Schoolboys bank the eel of a lifetime!
TWO schoolboys have underlined the sheer unpredictability that fishing can bring with the capture of this impressive 9lb 8oz eel while fishing a day-ticket lake for carp.
Frankie Moody and his friend Lee Chandler were targeting the margins of an undisclosed Hertfordshire water when they connected with something big – although according to Frankie’s dad Terry, a giant eel was never on their minds.
He told us:
“Frankie and Lee had just cast out a size 8 hook baited with six maggots when a bite registered on the rod and Frankie struck into a powerful fish, but a carp is all they’d ever thought it would be.
“You can imagine how shocked they were then when this monstrous eel came to the surface – It was certainly the last thing they had expected!”
Frankie and Lee’s remarkable catch is the second largest eel reported to Angling Times this season – falling just 10oz short of Steve Pitts’ 10lb 2oz specimen.
Frankie Moody (right) and Lee Chandler with the 9lb 8oz eel.
Long campaign for specimen eel pays off
A year-long quest for a big eel paid off in fine style for Mason Whitaker with this specimen weighing 6lb on the nose.
Targeting a stillwater in North Yorkshire, Mason had to put in some serious graft before he was richly rewarded for his efforts.
“I fished every corner of the lake on different pegs and swims in search of a big eel but never managed to catch one,” he told us.
“There was one swim I had always wanted to fish though, with a bunch of lily pads that seemed a good holding feature. I presented a roach head on a Dyson rig 3ft off these and was rewarded with this beautiful fish!
“All my hard work and persistence paid off.”
Mason Whitaker and his 6lb eel
'Eel man' catches second giant of the season!
JUST a fortnight after banking a colossal 10lb 2oz eel, Steve Pitts continued his fantastic run of form for the species by slipping his net under a 7lb 2oz cracker!
Targeting the same low-stock venue as his previous capture, the 62-year-old eel fanatic baited an area of light weed with molehill soil laced with dead maggots, oils and liquid attractants before casting out his rig.
“At 12.30am I had a 4ins rise on the bobbin and struck into an eel that gave me an awesome fight,” Steve says.
“It managed to back into heavy weed but, as I applied steady pressure, it broke up the weedbed and successfully netted the fish after four attempts.”
Steve Pitts and his superb 7lb 2oz eel
Are big eels making a comeback?
ELS could perhaps be described as the Marmite species of the fishing world. Some anglers love them, while others go out of their way to avoid them.
Yet since the lockdown was lifted and we all returned to the banks, the Angling Times newsdesk has been inundated with an unprecedented number of catch shots of specimen eels. This summer, dozens of reports of 5lb, 6lb and 7lb-plus fish have been sent in by readers, leading some to predict that 2020 could prove to be one of the most prolific years for the species ever recorded.
This notion was given further impetus a little over a week ago when Leicestershire angler Steve Pitts banked a 10lb 2oz monster from a gravel pit, one of the biggest eels ever caught by design in the UK.
Steve Pitts and his 10lb 2oz monster eel
EELS THRIVE IN THE HEAT
So why has this year seemingly been so productive for big eels? According to lifelong National Anguilla Club member Barry McConnell, who recently banked six eels between 4lb 1oz and 7lb 8oz in a single session, there have been a couple of contributory factors, with the prevailing weather conditions arguably being the most influential.
The 63-year-old told us:
“We had an especially hot spring this year which meant water temperatures rose quickly and encouraged algae to grow at a rapid rate.
“This growth in turn encouraged hatching flies and invertebrates to become active, and these are what small fish feed on.
“Of course, eels eat the small fish and I’ve enjoyed some of my best eel fishing when the fry have been ravenous.”
Eels thrive in the heat
While many anglers continue to target the conventional summer species of barbel, carp, bream or tench, Barry also believes there have been more people targeting eels this year, as they offer a fresh challenge.
“With a large percentage of UK workers still placed on the Government’s furlough scheme, the fact that more people are fishing has also led to an increase in the number of big eels being caught,” he added
“Some anglers have grown bored with the norm and fancy a step into the unknown. Eels are mysterious creatures, and once you’ve bought into how to catch them, fishing for them becomes an addiction.”
According to Barry, the fight a big eel puts up is one of the biggest draws.
“Eels fight harder pound for pound than any other species, which is largely due to their ability to swim backwards.
“Once you’ve experienced the buzz of catching your first eel, you’re just hooked.
“I’ve landed more than 30 freshwater eels over 10lb in New Zealand and Australia, and I’ve yet to fight anything stronger.”
Eels fight harder than any other species
UK’S GIANT EEL POTENTIAL
Steve Pitts’ 10lb 2oz effort is one of the top 10 largest freshwater eels ever recorded from British waters and is a fish that he reckons is at least 80 years old.
Yet despite Steve’s catch and the glut of other reports of big eels, the truth is that numbers of European freshwater eels have plummeted over the last 40 years, and according to marine and freshwater biologist Paul Garner, it’s this very decline that could have helped individual eels reach huge sizes – leading to the large number of catches made recently, which could be distorting the overall picture.
He said:
“Eel populations are definitely reducing with an estimated 95 per cent decline in numbers across Europe.
“As with other species, though, a decline can also mean that the remaining fish have less competition and so have the opportunity to grow larger.
“When you add in the explosion of crayfish in many venues and the abundance of silverfish in commercial fisheries, it’s really no surprise that eels have managed to grow to near-record sizes.”
A decline in competition is making the remaining eels larger
The enduring APPEAL
Despite the grim prognosis, anglers like Steve Pitts, who has fished exclusively for eels over the past 40 years, are encouraging others to get out there and take advantage of what is undoubtedly an exceptional year for the species.
“They’re truly fascinating, wild creatures with a real mystery about them,” he said.
“They can end up in any body of water and go unnoticed for years, packing on the pounds in the process.
“But arguably the most appealing part of being an eel angler is the challenge. I like to fish for them on neglected non-commercial venues and, although the fishing can be extremely hard at times, your next bite could produce the fish of your dreams!”
Steve Pitts with the fish of his dreams!
Giant eel taken just 30 minutes after casting out!
ANGLERS targeting big eels by design often have to endure many blank nights before they taste success – but not Ian Pryke, who struck into this 7lb 12oz specimen just half-an-hour after casting out a deadbait!
When the Felixstowe all-rounder arrived at the Suffolk stillwater he had earmarked as having big-eel potential he could never have envisaged that he would land one of the heaviest of the season before he’d even settled into his swim properly.
Ian tells us:
“Just 30 minutes after setting up I had a slow run, picked up the rod and leaned into what was clearly a very heavy fish. It made several powerful runs that were difficult to stop, and I knew that it could only have been a huge eel on the other end.
“My legs were shaking when it surfaced and I brought it towards the bank – I had to stay calm to get it safely in the net. I was still shaking as I put it into the sling!
“When the needle on the scales edged round to 7lb 12oz I was in shock. It was the specimen of a lifetime.”
Ian’s eel demolished his previous PB of 3lb 8oz and took a roach tail fished on a size 6 barbless hook and a running leger rig.
Ian Pryke with the giant 7lb 12oz specimen eel
Brutal fight from a PB eel - Alan Rio
“I’ve found that hot and sticky nights during July and August are the best times to catch eels, so I set my sights firmly on a Surrey club lake to try and nab a big one.
“Targeting the marginal shelf, I baited up with five pints of dead maggots and chopped prawns before flicking free-running twig rigs over the top with gudgeon deadbaits.
“I usually use worms, but the perch tend to be a nuisance!
“In the early hours my right-hand rod signalled a bite and I struck into a powerful fish which shook its head all the way to the net.
“At times the fight was brutal with the clutch wound to maximum! When I got the beauty in the net and weighed it I was elated – a new personal best eel at 5lb 4oz.”
Alan Rio – 5lb 4oz eel
‘Eel Man’ takes season’s best with 10lb 2oz giant
ONE of the top 10 largest eels ever caught in the UK has been banked by a specialist eel hunter at a whopping 10lb 2oz.
Steve Pitts and his monster eel of 10lb 2oz
62-year-old Steve Pitts caught the giant fish while targeting an undisclosed low-stock water which he believed held specimens of the species, but nothing could prepare him for a catch that he’s described as the Holy Grail of eel fishing.
Best known to his friends and fellow National Anguilla Club members as the ‘Eel Man’, the Leicestershire-based angler told us he’s been targeting eels since 1979, with this fish now the highlight of 40 years of hard work.
“My previous best was 7lb 9oz, which is the fish of a lifetime, but this fish left me truly gobsmacked,” he said.
“It put up an amazing fight and took me five attempts to get it in the net due to the sheer size of it. Normally I have no trouble handling eels, but this was so powerful and thick that I couldn’t grip it.”
The huge eel had a girth of 12ins
Steve’s new PB measured an astonishing 48ins long with a 12ins girth and fell to an Arma Mesh bag packed with chunks of chopped fish and threaded onto the hook. Fishing these baits on tight lines with short hooklinks ensured a firm hook hold.
The 10lb 2oz eel was 48ins long.
“This method is something I’ve perfected over the years and has always given me a high lip-hooking ratio and enabled me to hit twitchy bites,” Steve adds.
“It’s difficult to determine the age of this fish, it is possible it could be 80-years-old, but I’ve found that the older eels are generally longer with no girth.”
Steve’s remarkable catch falls just 1lb shy of the current British Record of 11lb 2oz, taken by Steve Terry in 1976.
It is possible the eel could be 80-years-old
Mega eel haul topped by 5lb-plus specimen - Nick Duffy
“Recently I enjoyed one of the greatest eel sessions ever, landing 16 fish with the best two pulling the needle round to 4lb 11oz and 5lb 4oz.
“I’d started fishing a Midlands syndicate water this year and decided on a 48-hour weekend session to gauge its potential for producing big eels.
“By fishing single lobworm sections on size 10 barbless hooks and semi-fixed bolt rigs over a bed of dead maggots, I managed to keep the bites coming steadily.
“Most of the fish were 2lb-3lb, but when the 5lb 4oz eel picked up the bait I knew that it was in a different league. It registered a one-toner on my alarm and put up a huge fight.”
Nick Duffy – 5lb 4oz eel
Huge river eel banked!
Paul Codman was left stunned during a recent session on the River Kennet, when what he thought was a good barbel turned out to be a large 6lb eel.
He told Angling Times:
“I’ve been fishing the River Kennet hard for the last few weeks in search of barbel and chub, and found some success in the form of a few barbel to a best of 9lb 8oz.
“During my most recent session I fished a few swims in daylight with no success, which was hardly surprising really as the sunshine was brutal. So I decided to fish through the night and settled into a deeper swim.
“One rod was cast mid-river, and I lowered the other into the margin. Both featured running rigs with luncheon meat on the hair.
“The night turned out to be uneventful but that all changed at dawn when the mid-river rod simply smashed round!
“The fish moved downriver quickly but as I gained line and began to bring it back towards me it felt odd – not like a barbel should. When it broke the surface I was shocked to see it was a huge eel, and I hurried to manoeuvre it into the waiting landing net.
“It was hooked perfectly in the bottom jaw and went a massive 6lb on the scales!
“It was a really unusual fish to catch in the river but a pleasant surprise nonetheless. The hardest part of the whole experience was holding it up for the camera!”
Paul Codman and his 6lb River Kennet eel
Perseverance pays off for large eel
AFTER a run of 18 sessions trying to catch a big eel, Daniel Woolcott was rewarded for his perseverance when slipped his net under a personal best weighing 6lb 4oz.
The Kent-based specialist caught the specimen from a deep margin swim on a southern gravel pit.
He said:
“At 4am I bent into a proper one which put up a great fight.”
The fish fell to an air-injected lobworm fished over a bed of dead maggots and groundbait.
Daniel Woolcott and his 6lb 4oz eel
Birthday eel haul includes 7lb 8oz monster!
BARRY McConnell treated himself to a 10-day trip to celebrate his 63rd birthday and ended up catching six specimen eels to a best of 7lb 8oz!
The Derby rod targeted the margins and silt gulleys on two difficult Midlands gravel pits and found success from the off, as he explained:
“I spent the first two days fishing an easier water and caught the two four-pounders, before moving on to a much harder 100-acre pit.
“The 7lb 8oz fish, which is my fifth over the 7lb mark, came the day before I was due to leave and I knew from the moment I struck into it that it was in a different league,” said Barry, who used lobworm and dendrobaena worm balls.
Barry’s other fish weighed 4lb 1oz, 4lb 4oz, 5lb, 5lb 13oz and 6lb 5oz - what a session!
An eely good birthday present for Barry McConnell in the shape of this 7lb 8oz eel
Water with no history of big eels produces massive specimen
A STILLWATER with no previous history for big eels has yielded this 5lb 12oz specimen for tattoo artist Charlie Coppolo.
The 33-year-old made the impressive catch during a 24-hour session at a lake in his home county of Essex after first extensively researching its past form.
Charlie says:
“I was positive that nobody had targeted them intentionally on there, which is what I look for in a new eel water. Venues with no real history for the species tend to throw up one or two really big fish.”
During an eventful night Charlie suffered his fair share of dropped runs, before something tore off with his deadbait offering – a section of rudd presented on a John Sidley rig.
“The fish properly beasted me, and fought really strongly all the way to the net. In the net, I was staggered by its girth, but still assumed it was just a high four-pounder. Safe to say I was delighted when the needle spun all the way round to 5lb 12oz!”
Charlie Coppolo and a 5lb 12oz eel from a water with no history for the species
My second monster eel of the season - Paul Faint
“Following on from my 7lb 3oz PB eel a few weeks ago I decided to have another session targeting them and managed this impressive 6lb 2oz fish.
“I was fishing a large southern gravel pit when I had a take in the early hours of the morning and connected with what I knew right from the off to be a big, powerful fish.
“It’s a very deep pit, and just two rodlengths out I had 17ft of water, so this is where I chose to fish. Three lobworms were the winning hookbait, presented off the bottom.”
Paul Faint with an impressive 6lb 2oz eel
Research key in another big eel capture
Ian Petch was rewarded for doing his research on big-eel venues when he slipped his net under this new personal best of 6lb 7oz.
Having heard reports of eels being caught accidentally at an undisclosed southern stillwater, the Horsham, West Sussex rod embarked on an overnight session with the goal of beating his old best of 3lb.
Using a small roach head on a free-running rig, Ian took the fish in the early hours.
“I knew when I peered into the net that my years of chasing a big eel had finally come good,” he says.
Ian Petch with his new PB eel of 6lb 7oz
Biggest eel of the season banked!
A DOUBLE lobworm hookbait fished to a gravel plateau helped Paul Faint land the largest reported eel of the season so far in the shape of this 7lb 3oz beauty.
Paul, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, was fishing a 48-hour session on a southern gravel pit when he had a screaming take at dawn on day two.
“The light was just starting to show when I had a single toner,” Paul tells us.
“After striking into it an epic battle unfolded, but I was able to pull it to the net soon afterwards.
“I could tell it was a new PB and when the scales read 7lb 3oz my adrenaline was running sky-high!”
Paul Faint and his huge 7lb 3oz eel
Target achieved with 5lb-plus eel - Simon Baker
“I’d set myself the target of catching a 5lb-plus eel before the river season kicked off on June 16, so I planned a 48-hour trip on a Lea Valley gravel pit which held a specimen or two.
“Eels love worms and dead maggots, so I fed a deep spot a few rodlengths out with a finely-chopped mixture of both. I thought a nice juicy lobworm fished over the top would fetch me a bite, and it turned out I was right. I had only six bites in the two days, but three of those were from big eels weighing 3lb 14oz, 4lb 2oz and 5lb 6oz. They fought like stink, especially the largest one, which was a PB.”
A new PB eel at 5lb 6oz
Top tip:
Eels drop the bait if they feel resistance, so use a free-running rig with a heavy lead.
15 year wait for biggest eel
FOUR lobworms fished over a bed of dead maggots helped Roman Vann catch one of the largest reported eels of the season in the shape of this 5lb 12oz specimen.
Roman Vann with his new pb 5lb 12oz eel
The fine catch, which was recorded during a 24-hour session on a southern gravel pit, was a moment of pure joy for the Hampshire-based specialist because it meant that he’d smashed his previous eel best of 4lb 15oz after 15 years of trying!
“This pit has a reputation for eels and I’ve caught a few smaller ones from there recently, although I just knew there were bigger to be had,” Roman told us.
“After Spombing out the dead maggots to my chosen spot, I fished four lobworms on my trusty Dyson rig over the top and it didn’t take long to work!
“The fight from the eel was extremely hard and it had my sturdy carp rod buckled right over, with the clutch of my reel ticking as I tried to wind it in.
“There’s just no way a 5lb carp or tench would have done that to that rod.”
The 5lb 12oz fish wasn’t the only eel to be caught by the 28-year-old during the trip either, with a four-pounder also falling to his Dyson-rigged lobworms.
Worms are a deadly eel bait
Roman adds:
“The Dyson rig has been a revelation for me this season because every single eel has been hooked square in the top lip, as opposed to being deep hooked.”
The Dyson rig is great at catching big eels
Eel best smashed twice in the same trip - Rob Knapp
“Over the last few years I’ve targeted eels but struggled to catch anything over 4lb. This year I started on a new southern gravel pit and on my first session I baited a clear spot at 50yds with dead maggots, chopped worm and 2mm Krill pellets, planning to fish it three nights on the trot.
“To avoid deep-hooking the eels, I used a bolt rig with 10 popped-up dendrobaena worms, which I soon discovered worked a treat! On each night I had a few line bites, but at least one screaming run which resulted in an eel. The first was a new PB at 4lb 6oz, but on the second night I smashed it with another at 5lb exactly.
“I was delighted to have beaten my 4lb milestone and have two PBs in two fish, but the capture of a 4lb 1oz eel on the last night really was the icing on the cake.”
Rob Knapp with his new personal best eel of 5lb exactly