Pictured above: Allowing a live eel to drift with an out-going current drew the strike from this big September striper.
Eels are the ultimate live bait for surfcasters. They stay alive out of water, so they can be easily transported from car to beach. They cast easily, and they attract strikes from giant striped bass.
The Locations And Conditions
Surfcasters can catch stripers on eels just about anywhere, from deep inlets to shallow bays, but eels work best in calmer water with slow to moderate current. Since they are unwieldy to cast under any conditions, fishermen usually leave the eels at home when there is an onshore wind.
The Technique
When it hits the water, an eel darts to the bottom, so it’s important to give it a few seconds to swim into the strike zone. In areas with rocks and weeds, eels will seek shelter, so it’s important to keep tension on the eel to keep it out of the debris and in the open where a big striper can find it.
One effective retrieve involves lifting and dropping the rod tip. The lift pulls the eel out of cover, and the drop sends it scurrying back to the bottom. Both actions are likely to entice a big striper.
Another effective retrieve is constantly pumping the rod while reeling slowly. This is a more aggressive retrieve that keeps the eel away from the bottom.
Some surfcasters believe that the simplest retrieve is the best. They reel painfully slow, with no rod motion, when fishing an eel. The eel’s struggling is often enough to attract a bass on its own.
No matter the retrieve, it’s important to hold the rod high so that when a strike happens, you can drop the tip to give the bass a second or two to eat before setting the hook. Simply dropping the rod tip usually provides enough time for the bass to fully engulf the bait, but on some nights, bass will short-strike the eel and require a longer drop-back. If you miss a couple of fish, adjust how long you let it eat before setting the hook.
The Hooks
An eel hook needs to be thick enough to handle big stripers, but not so thick as to tear through the eel. Short-shank hooks are favored over long shanks, and while boat fishermen do just fine using circle hooks with eels, J-hooks are still preferred in the surf.
The Rod
Odds are, you have a rod that is capable of fishing eels in the surf. The most important quality of a good eel rod is a moderate action. A fast-action rod is more likely to “cast off” an eel, while a slower rod cushions the eel on the cast and helps keep the hook from tearing through the bait’s skull.
Many fishermen also prefer a 9- or 10-foot rod for throwing eels, as opposed to an 11-footer, because the shorter rod allows more control over casting and retrieving the bait.
AT 4 BUCKS AN EEL ILL THROW PLUGS ALL DAY LONG !!! AND THE MONEY I SAVE I CAN SIP A PINT OF 100 PROOF CAPTIAN ALL NITE LONG.
Where on earth are you buying your eels from!?!?
Eels are getting expensive. When I started using them in the 60’s they were $1.00 a dozen.
I’m turning 72 in 4 weeks and I never Surf Fished, going to start within the the next week. I guess the bait shop will tell me how to treat the eels. Is there any size preference? RAY
Here’s my opinion Raymond. For eel size, you want anything 8″ to 16″ which is 90% of the eels you will be sold. You want an eel that is big enough to be noticed but not so big that you loose fish because they aren’t engulfing the whole eel. Stripers will eat an eel of any size, just make sure it is big enough to get noticed and worth the effort of pursuing. Also, if you feel like fishing with large eels 16″+, give the fish an extra second or two to get the hook in its mouth. Again this is just this dumb linesiders opinion. To each their own.
Hi Ray, Good for you. I just retired myself at 68. I’ve been fishing for stripers with eels now for 25 years. 2 things will kill your eels before you get to use them – 1) HEAT, 2) DROWNING. I found this out the hard way.
The 1st striper I caught with an eel was at night on Coast Guard beach in Eastham, MA. Stripers were thick in the first wave behind the breakers. It was around midnight. I was having great success and caught 2 decent stripers slinging live eels. It was a very hot night in August. So hot I only had on my swimsuit – way too hot for waders. Well – I didn’t realize that eels needed to be kept cool to survive. After the 1st 2 fish, the rest of my eels died from the heat. Then the stripers wouldn’t touch them. A good solution for overheating is to include a freezer pack in with the eels just to keep them cool. Do not pour ice over them because of problem #2 – drowning. I tried this. What happens is that eels generate a liquid slime on their own. When the ice melted, that, combined with their slime, covered the eels and there wasn’t enough oxygen for them to survive. More dead eels. If you don’t have a frozen ice pak, seal some ice in a locking plastic bag so it won’t leak. That will work as long as the bag is sealed so no water will get out. This is all based on my experience. OTW had a recommendation to put the eels in a small container with holes in the bottom. Put the small container in a larger container but the small container has to stay above the bottom of the larger container. This will let the slime drain out of the container with the eels. Ice could be kept in the bottom of the larger container. I have yet to try this but it sounds like a good idea. I have a small soft cooler bag with a strap I use to easily carry the eels in. When eeling, you’ll want to walk the beach so mobility is important. Also bring some rags you don’t care about to grab the eels with and wipe your hands on. Eels have to be the slipperiest things I’ve ever try to hold. It’s almost impossible to hold them steady with a bare hand. Using a rag will allow a good purchase on the eel and keep the slime off your hand. Unfortunately, for Coast Guard beach and all the other Outer Cape beaches, surfcasting by daylight has been destroyed by the accursed seals. The only hope is to fish at night with eels , bait, or plugs. Probably other areas you won’t have the seal problem. I had fished the Outer Cape for decades and know it well. That has all changed now so I have to reset my fishing places.It’s so bad now that I might even have to fish the canal – which I hate. But fish go through there and not the seals.
Good luck! – Fred
Sorry, Ray. You asked about eel size? Avoid the smallest ones. Medium ones are good. You could ask for a couple of big ones. Supposedly they will attract the biggest striper. I caught my biggest striper on a medium size eel. I was drifting the eel off Billingsgate Island in Wellfleet in my boat during the day. Everything was biting that day because the wind was from the east blowing against the incoming tide causing small choppy water. OF course, that was before the seal curse.
They may be a bit expensive but they often outfish standard lures. I tested this with my brother many times by fishing right next to him as he casts various plastic/ wooden lures. On many nights the lures will go hitless while the eel gets a hit on every cast. And when we switched rods, the pattern continued. (So it wasn’t fisherman error.) Its definitely the best way to get a huge picky/lazy bass to strike. I prefer them on dark nights but have done well on cloudy days. Ive had multiple 40″+ fish on a single eel! Also, don’t throw away a bluefish chopped eel. My two biggest eel caught bass were both caught on a half eel. Don’t forget a good rag to handle the nasty things.
What is the best way to fish live eels on a open beach (sand bottom) at night?