Bloodworms, Live Eels or chunked eels?

[beeze455]

So I live on Merrymeeting Bay and just started fishing. I am new and learning quick. Getting the hang of my part of the bay because I do not have a boat and fish almost every night--mainly catch catfish, eels and white perch. Neighbor showed me a few spots on the kenne the other day and got a friend coming down tomorrow. Everybody seems to love bloodworms, but see a lot of people talk about eels. I have found chunking an eel will bring a bigger cat and works just as a good as a bloodworm. Many people talk about live eels too, but everything eel i catch is 12"+.

What are your thoughts on eels live and chunked? Price is no big deal because I can catch them for free.

[JakeF]

I'd fish a live eel over a 'chunked' eel any day of the week. No comparison between the two when it comes to striped bass. By the way, 12" to 18" eels are perfect for stripers (or even larger when big fish are around).

If you're going to fish with dead eels, I'd recommend hooking them WHOLE on a wobble head tin and fishing them like a lure instead of 'chunking' them.

Wobble head tin

[Stripersurg]

If your truly fishing the bay, and not one of the rivers, no need for eels. Use chunked Mac or Sand/Blood worms. If in fact you do make it to a river, without a boat I would stick with the baits that I just told you about, or maybe even throw some tins or plastic. My experience fishing the Kennebec, has shown that drifting live Eels over structure produces the best results. Good Luck

[beeze455]

Thanks for the tips. I live on the bay, but go into the kennebec when trying to grab stripers. I live a little below the mouth of the cathance and do not think stripers come over here, but eels do. Neighbor is going to let me use one of his many eel traps, so I think I will trap those and use them live. Seems likes live eels are better and will save me money. Guy at Johnsons said to hook the tail with a 6/0 octupus hook, but a guy on the river said go throught the jaw. You guys using the 3way swivel with something like a 2oz and slowly retrieving it in or do you just let the eel swim aorund.

[Stripersurg]

Live Eel, 3-way swivel, a couple of ounces (maybe 3 depending on current), bouncing bottom, drifting in a boat. Off shore, no weight, just the Eel itself. You need to ice down the eels, but keep them out of any melted water, or they will drown. Use some of those blue cooler ice packets, place them inside a small 6-pack cooler, place a shop towel rag over the ice, then put eels on top.
Once you ice them down, they will become lethargic, grab one by the tail, and hit it a few times over a solid object ( a rock for instance). Hook it through the bottom jaw, and out one eye, throw the eels and retrieve slooooowly. Good luck