Eel Hunting..

[catman]

In Portugal, morey eel itsn't one of our priorities, but sometimes we catch one or two.
I know of two ways to spear them, one is with a single tip spear, right behind the eyes, this makes them much calmer since it its the brain. They will always wrap themselves around the spear, by this time use your knife and split the lower jaw in two this will avoid bites. The other way is to use a mutitip spear, i have a cluster tip, this has one advantage, it keeps her head "loocked" and we can destroy her teeth.
One word of precaution their mouth is filled with bacteria and will get infected, their bite is painfull.

As for conger eel you have plenty of time to aim so shoot behind the eyes and always try to have someone with you for a second shot, they are very strong especialy the bigger ones and will bent a 7mm spear if shot head to tail or sidways. If you it the brain pull him out of the hole as fast as you can to avoid that he curls inside the hole.

With both of them, don´t miss the shot they might come back at you.

 

[jwells1989]

thats what worried me when i saw one, he was big and i knew that if i missed him he would be after me, but also even if i did hit him and it did not kill him then he would still be after me but it would be worse as he would be attached to me so i decided to leave him, has that happened to anybody, shot a conger and its come back at them.

 

[Huw]

This is the type of thread that gets me so in the mood for taking one on. I really wanted one this whole summer, but couldn't find one after countless hours looking! Typical... I was petrified of them when i started spearing, and hated going through the weed incase i bumped into one!!!! How things change!
Still looking for them each time i go in!
Huw.

 

[Spaniard]

A conger will always bite a carelessly placed hand especially when you've just shot it. I don't think they are necessarily going to 'go after' you but it's a reaction to live/die situation. Morays I think are a bit more evil and I have heard of bigger ones attacking divers but again, normally defending the hole they live in. You won't ever get attacked by a free swimming moray or conger in the same way that a large predator like a shark might. I prefer not to shoot them now because it can turn into a nightmare and end up with you damaging your equipment and/or losing the fish. It can also cause you to waste valuable oxygen as you struggle to get it out of its lair which in turn could lead to shallow water blackout. This unfortunately happens a lot in the Med with guys trying to 'unhole' grouper.

 

[jwells1989]

i saw this video clip a while ago and just remembered it, its on youtube, this scuba diver is feeding a big morey eel and it actually takes his thumb off, pretty grusome, mind you i would not like to get that close to one knowing what they are capable of.
it happens like 3:20 into the clip.
have put the link in.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM61dYixwSM]YouTube - Moray Eel Attacks Scuba Diver[/ame]

 

[catman]

I've seen that video and i'm sorry but it was a well given bite, this is called "fish feeding" (i've never seen a ell eating a sausage as her main food). Hopefully this will be forbiden worldwide. It hapened beacause the eel saw he men's finger and it looked lika a sausage. If you cath a octopus, cut one of the tentacules and let it sink close to a nearby eel and watch them eat, thats their most wanted food.

What can hapen is that a conger or moray get close to you because of fish blood smell.

 

[hyeparis]

I speared both eels and a morray eel . With eels - I use a trident, or sometimes borrow a special custom-made multi-pronged because eels are quite powerful and you need several prongs to pierce their body - otherwise they wrap themselves around the shaft and tear themselves away and escape. With morray eels - I didn't have a multi-prong with me so I aimed at a spot at the back of its head, knowing that it can bite, the shot paralized the creature - so I just dragged it on line to the shore.

 

[Geoff]

I use a "Guillotine" spear tip, (my design) to chop their head, "Clean off!".

 

[hyeparis]

I use a "Guillotine" spear tip, (my design) to chop their head, "Clean off!".

Hot damn! Can you post a pic of that "Guillotine" ?

 

[jwells1989]

yeah i would be interested to see this guillotine you made, sounds like a safer and more effecive way of catching eels.

 

[sciencemike]

Next time i see one Im going to Polespear it. Ill bring my camera out to show my relatives how lost my fingers.

I have 3 tips i was thinking about...
1.... is a nice solid steel 5 prong trident tip. Razor sharp points and barbs.

2..... is a tricut breakaway tip with double flop.

3......is a small rock point tip with double flop (I could barb and sharpen the floppers for the mouth shot).

I know i easily have the power to put through one, i use a custom made monster powerband on it, We call it the Oddeseus band.

I was just thinking should i send it up the mouth? Or instead right behind the head and down through the body.

The mouth shot would remove any chance of it biting me, but it could be quite a battle, and a real pain for removing from my polespear. The head shot could take out the spine or even stone him, but missing the spine or brain on this could result in him biting me or worse off bending the heck out of my spear as he holes up.

I will bring my pony for this adventure for sure.

 

[Geoff]

Hi again, Sorry for the delay, Re, "Guillotine Spear Head". Yes, I will post a pic, but my camera is playing up!. when I sort it, I'll post,...... Geoff.

 

[jwells1989]

hey science mike sounds like you have really thought about it which is good because one wrong move and things could get messy, let us know how you get on when you have tried out you proposed tactics and good luck.

 

[sciencemike]

After months of waiting i finally was able to shoot a couple eels. I shot a small 2 footer to see if they are edible, then later i shot a large one. Unfortunately i wasnt able to share the adventure with my dive buddies here in cali whom also wanted to try eel. I killed a big one (5 footer) in about 10 foot of water. It was impossible to kill. 3 shots through the head with a 3 pronger and over 6 stabs through the head with my dive knife, finally died. Definately the most difficult thing i have ever killed. We skinned it and boiled/stewed 1/2 of it and the following night we bbq'd the other half. They are absolutely amazing bbq'd, but boiled the fat is annoying.


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/ScienceMike/IMG_4173.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/ScienceMike/IMG_4223.jpg

 

[sancarlos]

Its seens not a good idea to use trdient. Even if you shoot it from head it will take off quite easily. I don't mind what can a wounded eel do to you.

Right on, Murat. My son shoot a big murray eel last summer in San Carlos, Mexico with just old Russian (30 yrs and still working!) phneumatic gun. We have been warned by local spearos not to use anything by 3-5 prongs on them since they tend to attack you when wounded. I have to cut his head off 3 hours later when I return from my hunt and that beast was still alive!. I cannot fathom how that guy manage to cut the head of murray eel being bitten and ungerwater. Either he was\is greater diver of all or stress kicks in and adrenaline helped...
Murray eels are testy, like some kind of cross between fish and chicken.
On another occasion I had fun retrieving the same shaft, which my son get into the hole with two eels. They weren't happy and quite aggesive. Took me 10 dives to manage it - I almost gave up - too much risk, but I don't think I can buy shafts for that gun anymore and I was starting to hunt with it in Black Sea, so it was hard to part from... Be carfull around eels!

 

[willloomy]

Check out this big boy eel
Hawaii State Records - Detail

 

[Geoff]

WOW, what a monster!. Thanks for posting this.This must have looked absolutely "enormous", considering fish & the like look 30% bigger in water. Dont think I would have messed with it.

 

[ReefTroll]

Bloody hell!!! That thing is enormous!

 

[Salehthefish]

I shoot Eel here in Dibba Khorfakkan twice times with no use the shaft never penetrate them!!! But good it did not penetrate since i never knew they may do all this harm otherwise i would have lost my finger now!!!

I saw an area in khorfakkan full of eels in the same area maybe i spot like 5 or 6 of them and some of them are long type...

Thanks for the info guys...

 

[sjwpjw]

At the start of the summer I really wanted to spear a conger but there is another thread somewhere on dp where the boys talk about conservation etc.. I passed up on two this summer for the conservation reason and also because my buddy has shot two and described it like flying a kite underwater, ie, the conger at one end and holding the other!! He said both times his spear was bent.

Have tasted them before so not curious.

First one was in 10 feet of water just as I got in and I let it go because I didn't want to miss out on other stuff due to bent spear etc.

Second one was lying in 15 feet of water beside a harbour wall with lots of kids jumping in blissfully unaware! I let it go because I was with my kids on a family day out and didnt want to have the hastle.

Both were decent size 3 foot plus.

In my experience harbour walls where fishermen chuck their waste is a good spot to try, even in the daytime. My mate shot one of his two in a reasonably busy harbour.

I thought they would have been more camouflaged but against kelp they stand out.