advice needed on moray eels

[scar]

Yesterday morning, while hunting in 20 - 25 feet of water, I came across a moray eel. this was my first eel ever and I landed a near-perfect shot using a four-prong at the tip. All four prongs went through, parallel to the eel's body, about 3 inches behind the head. I admit that I have no experience regarding dispatching this prey and my first reaction was to dispatch the eel with my stinger between the eyes. Unfortunately there seemed to be enough room for the eel to make rapid and aggressive turns in all possible directions whenever I tried to approach it with the stinger, ready to nip off my fingers. I couldn't hold it steady with my left hand either, and so I figured out that the best way to dispatch it in the most humane possile way was to abandon the hunt, swim back to shore and chop off the head. The flesh was so compact that it took some trouble and several cuts to retrieve the prong after the head had gone off. It was also very hard to slice through.
What is the best and most humane way of dispatching an eel like the moray without having to abandon the hunt? Any suggestions from experiences?

 

[Murat]

dude there is some threads about morray hunting and you can find your answer there if you try "search" function.

But in general, i don't see the shooting morray eel with 4 prong safe method since it can rip off from spear. Try to use single flopper tahitian or hawaian. For killing it humanely, you should use sharp knife. You have tu cut off his head or the spine to be sure that she is dead...

 

[scar]

Oh I see, ok Murat, thanks for the info mate, will perform a search on the subject too. A VERY SHARP knife it has to be!!!

 

[greendiver]

Yesterday morning, while hunting in 20 - 25 feet of water, I came across a moray eel. this was my first eel ever and I landed a near-perfect shot using a four-prong at the tip. All four prongs went through, parallel to the eel's body, about 3 inches behind the head. I admit that I have no experience regarding dispatching this prey and my first reaction was to dispatch the eel with my stinger between the eyes. Unfortunately there seemed to be enough room for the eel to make rapid and aggressive turns in all possible directions whenever I tried to approach it with the stinger, ready to nip off my fingers. I couldn't hold it steady with my left hand either, and so I figured out that the best way to dispatch it in the most humane possile way was to abandon the hunt, swim back to shore and chop off the head. The flesh was so compact that it took some trouble and several cuts to retrieve the prong after the head had gone off. It was also very hard to slice through.
What is the best and most humane way of dispatching an eel like the moray without having to abandon the hunt? Any suggestions from experiences?

Hey scar, see I am not the only guy wih this moray problem... :duh , look at my thread, it is called "murenas"....
Greetz....

 

[Acqua Man]

See my reply under the murenas thread.

 

[Ericht]

I didnt know people hunted morays. Good job. I hate those things

 

[Pastor]

Don't hate these predators of the sea, I bet they are as frightened of you as you are of them, just don't .........

 

[azapa]

Here we have Congrio, or conger eels. They are slimy, thrash around, wrap around your spear and line, bite etc. They do taste good, but not good enough for a 30 minute slime fest each shot. I pass em by. Can you even eat Moray? They would seem to beautiful to kill in my book...

 

[Acqua Man]

There is no reel way to remove the eel from the spear. I usually have someone on the boat when hunting and I had it to him for removal when I come up. He uses a club to remove & kill the eel and then cuts the head. When bye my self I go there rocks to bang the head and remove the eel. Cutting the head is really hard to do in the water. I know it is not the most humane method but that is how I do it.

 

[spaghetti]

Here we have Congrio, or conger eels. They are slimy, thrash around, wrap around your spear and line, bite etc. They do taste good, but not good enough for a 30 minute slime fest each shot. I pass em by. Can you even eat Moray? They would seem to beautiful to kill in my book...

we eat moray in the Mediterranean, but I'm pretty sure it's not the same species you have in the Pacific Ocean.
Our moray is Muraena Helena , never as big as the ones I've heard about from tropical people, and not affected by ciguatera.
So we europeans don't have the two dangers of becoming the prey, or of being poisoned from eating them. Careful with those Pacific murenas...