3 Foot EEL Caught In The Lehigh River w/pics

[justme]

Hi I just figured i would share this I went out tonight for a little and cought some cats & almost a 3 foot eel, I usually use chicken liver and night crawlers, but they were out so I had to buy BEEF LIVERS .... Well They worked out great !!!! I was constantly getting hits ... the Beff Liver was great and it stayed on the hook perfect .... also i included a pic of the 6 in minnow in its gut .... lol

[wishiwasfishin]

what a shock:big_smile:

[justme]

what a shock:big_smile:

Well it was a shock for me ... Never caught an EEL that big but I guess not everyone will think it is a big deal ........

[pk_powell]

I thought those critters were saltwater species. I'd been shocked too!:roll_eyes:

[splitshot]

Ive never caught an eel either, thats a nasty looking critter.

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

Nice catch Bill! I have never caught an Eel. Are you going to eat it? Thanks for posting the pics!

[kaleigh]

I got a few that big on chicken livers.Got them in Easton at the dam at the end of the Lehigh where it dumps into the Delaware.Do you eat them or what? I have always heard they taste great,just never learned how to clean or cook them.Any tips would be great!!

[justme]

I got a few that big on chicken livers.Got them in Easton at the dam at the end of the Lehigh where it dumps into the Delaware.Do you eat them or what? I have always heard they taste great,just never learned how to clean or cook them.Any tips would be great!!

Hi Well with the eel my buddy smokes them , You pretty much just clean them like a trout ... Yea they sell smoked eel at the store and its not cheap ..... everyone who i know eats them loves them therey say there not bony at all . Im going to try it .... I never ate them before but ill let you know .... Usually people use a smaller long hook to catch them but i was using a big catfish hook with a big piece of beef liver and there he was .... thanks everyone ... Bill

[buddah]

I keep "eels" in my home aquaria and thats not an eel. It has pectoral fins and true eel species do not have "flippers" of any kind, except the rudder-like tail. Might be tropical or just some type of native fish I have never seen! I have caught river "eels" on trout worms up the crick (creek) but they don't look like that! Very cool! Congrats!

[truckin4x4]

well what ever it is it sure is a nice catch.

[jrm11]

Makes Great bait !!!!!!!!!

[kycatman01]

I caught a eel once, myself. Man, those things are ugly. Thanks for sharing!!

[teaysvalleyguy]

Wild, thanks for sharing the pics.

[peewee williams]

It looks like the American Eels that I have been catching in South Carolina and Georgia for over 50 years.Also look like the ones that I saw and caught in Europe while in the navy.My Grandfather and a Friend use to like them so I saved all that I caught.I cleaned them just like a cat fish and cut them up in 2 inch pieces.If you slit them down each side of the back bone,you won;t have a pink look to the cooked flesh and juice along the backbone.They ate them fried as you would a Catfish.They are good Catfish bait,and good bait for many saltwater fish.A American Eel has a fin on each side of its body right behind it's gills.A similar looking creature called the Greater Siren is a giant salamander and has 2 legs up front instead of gills.Please release these as they are rare,harmless and taste bad.They will bite and hold on like a blame turtle.The different Ells that I have bought for my freshwater aquariums over the years turned out to be Ell looking fish when I looked them up in the books.peewee-williams

[kaleigh]

That is an average size for the Lehigh and Delaware.Lets get together and go fishing!:big_smile:

[copycat]

The American fresh water eel you have there is one of the finest catfish baits you can come by. Chunk it and put the chunks on a hook, my last trip out I caught 6 catfish on the same chunk of eel, it will not come off the hook! Eel will be just as good even after being frozen, I vacum seal eels and they will stiil be great bait even after refreezing several times.

[gcarlin]

Ugly looking things

[SeedTick]

eewweehh. I hope I never catch one. Just looking at the picture gives me the willies.:crazy:

st

[serb]

My buddy caught one the other night in high water... those things creep my out

[Scott Daw]

i havent caught an eel since the early 90's. (then again thats the last time i went) theyre so fun to try to unhook...NOT!! i should try it again sometime.

[tbartek]

I keep "eels" in my home aquaria and thats not an eel. It has pectoral fins and true eel species do not have "flippers" of any kind, except the rudder-like tail. Might be tropical or just some type of native fish I have never seen! I have caught river "eels" on trout worms up the crick (creek) but they don't look like that! Very cool! Congrats!
I used to catch eels that look exactly like that out of the Juniata river below Raystown dam. Of course that's before the dam was actually there. Haven't caught any out of there in a number of years.

[buddah]

Ok, here is my Eel "Morris". He is actually an elongated tropical fish.
Also, I stand corrected. The American Eel is indeeda freshwater eel.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v672/buddah101/IM001530.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v672/buddah101/IM001698.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v672/buddah101/IM001698.jpg

[delawareriver]

yep like the toher said a american eel. ive caught 100's of these of ther last few years in the delaware river. they love liver but normaly large peices with large hooks keep most of them away. if you catch a small one use it for striper bait.

[Pastor E]

i havent caught an eel since the early 90's. (then again thats the last time i went) theyre so fun to try to unhook...NOT!! i should try it again sometime.Iknow thats right about un hooking them they are all so good about rolling in your line:crazy:

[kaleigh]

i WANT TO KNOW HOO CLEAN AND COOK THEM!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD LOVE ANY HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!:waaaht:

[kaleigh]

i WANT TO KNOW HOOK CLEAN AND COOK THEM!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD LOVE ANY HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!:waaaht:

[tbartek]

Kaleigh, we used to pound a nail through their head into a tree. Slit them around the body right behind the gills and skin them with a pair of pliers like you would a catfish. After they're skinned just slit the belly and empty out the entrails.:smile2:

[catfisher43]

i caught one yrs ago when i was a kid.they really put up a fight.i cleaned it like a catfish and cut up in 3to4 inch chunks.good eating.not alot of bones like every one thinks.thx for pictures.

[delawareriver]

i just remembered that i had a high school prank planed that included a bucket of eels after catfishing all night and my high school swimming pool. but i figured it wasnt worth getting in trouble over.

[cjb10876]

I caught 3 out of the lehigh this year, but they were all around 24", none that big. I did catch one that size in Nocamixon a few years ago. One of the guys there said his father would clean them like has been described and slice it thin so they looked like fish "potato chips" and would pan fry them until they were a litle crispy. I haven't tried it though so if it tastes like crap don't blame me!

[kaleigh]

We catch ells all the time in the Lehigh And Delaware rivers all the time.They range from 2 feet to 3 1/2 feet long.I have heard they taste great,I just do not know how to prepare them!!!!!!!