Ever Caught An Eel While FF?

fadeaway263

fadeaway263

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Prof and I were fishing Rocky Run in Delco Sunday and I spotted an 18 inch eel lying in some low water. Thought it was a strange place to find an eel given the size of the stream. I've heard of people catching eels with night crawlers but never on a fly. I did a search of the website and did not see eels mentioned. Learned something though. The Delaware River has the largest concentration of eels of any waterway in the US becuase the river is not dammed up that much.
 
fadeaway263 wrote:
Learned something though. The Delaware River has the largest concentration of eels of any waterway in the US becuase the river is not dammed up that much.

Also, one of the only remaining commercial eel weir dams is in operation just downstream of the Cannonsville Res.
 
Nope, never caught one FFing.
Eels are neat critters and under appreciated ('cept by striper anglers who love 'em for bait).
 
I have never caught one but weirdly enough the only one I have ever seen fly fishing was a dead one in Chester Creek not far from Rocky Run . It was a pretty big one too, in the 24 inch range.
 
fadeaway263 wrote:
The Delaware River has the largest concentration of eels of any waterway in the US becuase the river is not dammed up that much.

Yep. The Delaware has eels and shad runs because environmentalists defeated the Tocks Island Dam.

 
Eels - mmmmm - good eatin'
 
I've seen a few in the brandywine and one in a VERY small tributary, but have never caught one flyfishing. They will take nightcrawlers though.
 
No eels on flies, but something called an Eels pout in the mid-west on a popper, they 're called burbot here.
 
I've never caught any either.
But I've had a few startle me pretty well by swimming between my legs while fishing the delaware
 
I saw a water snake swim out from riprap,come back a few minutes later with an eel in its mouth.Couldn't help feeling sorry for it.
 
Well, the only eels I've caught while flyfishing were lampreys attached to fish. It's happened a handful of times. Each time, I cut the eel off and threw it up on the bank, and released the fish, hopefully to live.

I have "legitimately" caught eels back in my baitfishing days, usually on minnows. Also, a number of mudpuppies and 1 hellbender, lol.
 
We caught an eel in Middle Creek in Lancaster last summer. The county watershed specialist wasn't sure if it migrated up or was a baitfish released. Either way, the only other time I caught eels were in the bay below the dams or in Octorara watershed, part of the D's watershed with no dams.
 
Since eels don't rise, I've never caught one. I've been told them are tough fighters. I see them most years on Ridley, and I consider them a sign that the watershed is pretty good. The Tulpy has some old eel weirs above Water Street. I've stepped on eels in the Beaverkill, and there used to be a commercial eelery (sp?).

tl
les
 
Slay, Middle Creek is there in the summer!? I thought the stream disappeared after temps got into the 80s ;-)
 
This is gonna sound like a fishing story, but I actually caught an eel while bass fishing with a plastic worm in Springton Dam in SEPA - back before it was closed down.

What I don't understand is how an eel made it into a dam like that since I think I read they all spawn in salt water only. I guess maybe a bird dropped a fry or something like that, but there's no way it could has swam up into there.
 
I once caught an eel as a kid in NJ on a lake. We took it home put it in a hot pan and watched the dang thing jumping in the pan while it cooked. Tasted pretty good. That lake would have been Delaware drainage too, Browns Mills.
 
Used to be a dock, somewhat across the river from the ski club on the Skukie near Reading, that was THE place to catch eels in October. Not sure if I remember the month correctly but I can still picture the dock.
 
I was fishing the Saucon about 5 yrs ago. I'm nymphing, the line stops, and I raise up. Snag. As I start to pull it in I thought a felt a few wiggles. Then I realize I've caught someone's old line. I figured I'd do the next guy a favor and get this trash out of the stream. I'd say there was about 50 ft out. As I'm pulling it in, I feel the wiggles again and now I know there's something there. Sure enough its an eel. Apparently its "leash" was long enough for it to move around the hole and still eat/live.

Its a shame that someone was 1) using bait in the ALO area and 2) they decided to cut this off so far from the hook
 
My dad often told me there were eels in Duck Harbor and Upper Woods pond in Wayne County.

Found this neat article/book about it too. I'd be interested in checking out the stream b/w Upper Woods and Lower Woods pond.
 
I have never caught one, but have seen a few on the broadhead.
 
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