# Keeping eels alive.....



## lil red jeep

Open to suggestions. The local tackle shop is expensive as heck on eels so I don't want them to go to waste. The first time I bought some I had them in a bucket full of water and used a pretty big aerator but in the a.m. before I left to fish they were all dead. I want to take some south to Jennettes next week and would like them to be swimming as they meet their doom! Thanks.


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## ORF Pete

Heard a lot of different theories and opinions on the subject. One is to just keep them moist and let their slime drain away so that they don't suffocate. I've heard too much slime covering the gills is what you want to prevent with this method. Just take a bucket and poke some holes in the bottom. Stick the eels in there, and stick it in a larger bucket. The holes let the eel slime drain away. Stick a wet rag on top of them with some ice cubes on top of it, or just poke some holes in the bucket lid and stick a block of ice on the top to keep a drip of water going on the eels. Another theory I've heard is that chlorinated water (tap water) is not good for them, but I know people who use tap water in their big live wells and keep eels alive for weeks, so I dunno about that one.

I think that bucket method is only good for a few days. If you want to keep them alive longer than that you need a bigger live well than a 5 gallon bucket and plenty of aeration.


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## landlocked

Dont know how long you are trying to keep them but for a days worth of fishing iI would put them in a plastic bag and put them on top of ice, not in the water. When they warm up they are good to go.


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## lil red jeep

probably looking to buy on Sunday and drive to Jennettes on Monday morning and fish thru Tuesday evening.


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## jbrady14

i have always used a wet rag ontop of ice and set them on the rag and then put another wet rag ontop of them. i have kept eels up to 3 days this way.


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## fishinforfish

why dont you just get some eels down in the obx at one of their local tackle shops?


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## tylerhb

I use a 3 bucket method. They are the 2 gal chum buckets you buy from the tackle shop. The bottom bucket has nothing done to it. The middle one has small holes drilled for draining, this is where the eels go. Then the top bucket also has small holes drilled so i can put ice in there that will melt and keep the eels cold and wet. Would work better if i could fit in a cooler b/c the ice melts fast. 

When im lazy or my garage is too hot i just throw them in a plastic bag and put in my outside fridge with it turned down lower than normal. Had them in there for about 4 or 5 days and only 1 or 2 died out of abt 8 eels.

On the road i just put them in a plastic bag and throw in the cooler, not directly on the ice if possible.


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## obxrules

I agree with the above post buy them on the Outer Banks. Both T.W.'s the one in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head carry them.


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## Fishbreath

What's worked for me in the past if you don't have 3 buckets to use is a small cooler, place a frozen icee in the bottom of it, cover it with an old wet towel and place eels on the towel...cover them up with another moist towel. They'll keep fine as long as there is no water in the bottom to drown them. 

HINT: If you keep them cool, they'll be sluggish and easier to handle when it comes time to use them. They warm up quickly when they go into the water.


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## lil red jeep

Fishbreath said:


> What's worked for me in the past if you don't have 3 buckets to use is a small cooler, place a frozen icee in the bottom of it, cover it with an old wet towel and place eels on the towel...cover them up with another moist towel. They'll keep fine as long as there is no water in the bottom to drown them.
> 
> HINT: If you keep them cool, they'll be sluggish and easier to handle when it comes time to use them. They warm up quickly when they go into the water.


Thanks! That sounds like a keeper idea there. Lots of good ideas, but that just seems more like what I can pull off with what I have to use and no holes need to be put in my buckets. Thanks guys!


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## surf rat

All they are going to be at Jennetts is shark bait if you fish them on bottom... You are much better off pin rigging a bluefish or spot. eels are good striper bait in the bay or in front of an inlet and good cobia sightfishing bait in the bay... The Ocean Cobia I see usually wont even eat an eel...A live spot is the ticket...Or a bucktail.


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## Caught Myself

surf rat said:


> The Ocean Cobia I see usually wont even eat an eel...A live spot is the ticket...Or a bucktail.


The cobia I catch at the structure off of VB like eels, but they love white bucktails! And bucktails are a heck of a lot easier to carry in a kayak than eels.


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