removing pike eels

[the gecko]

Is there some trick to this, or do we all just cut the line and rerig?

I had 4 or 5 on the line last session. They sure love mullet. Angry fellas too. After they knot themselves up the line, its hard to cut near the hook, so I lose the whole leader, sinker and hook. Its not expensive, but it is time consuming to tie the leader on again.

Any bright ideas out there?

cheers
Andrew

[hooknose]

Just cut em off mate, to much drama to try anything else, hows the teeth on them ugly critters and they grow awful big too, hate to get bitten by one !!!

[Luc]

Definitely cut the line. It's the safest option.

Quite some years ago, in the broadwater, a couple of fishos pulled a big one into their small tinny.

They ended up in the water, used the anchor rope to pull the boat to shore and ended up turning the tinny on its side to get the pike eel to sliter out & back into the water.

Made a mess inside.

Luc

[onerabbit]

Definitely better to loose a hook than a finger or toe,

Fishing at the Martin St ramp at North Creek once, I had one about 5ft grab just the edge of my blundstone boot, I couldn't get the mongerel off, in the end I had to stick my knife between it's jaws & it was still a struggle to make it let go.

Muzz

[5cougarsthanx]

I quite often take the kids down to the Redland bay boat ramp and have a fish for bream at night.In the past 6 months about the only thing we catch are pike eels one after another they seem to have invaded the area nasty buggers to. and upto 5ft long definate cut the hook off job
Cougarman

[Feral]

Cut the hook of alright! But make sure it is over the side of the boat!

The smaller ones also fall straight through the old style landing nets, my 8YO thought it was pretty funny in the BFO classic last year when his eel did exactly that, straight onto my bare feet! Those mugs on "you think you can dance" had nothing on me I can tell ya!

[onerabbit]

That's not a good scenario Feral.

Muzz

[Pistol_P]

The are a pain in the back side....
I once lifted one up onto the bank I was fishing off and they seriously try and have a go at you....this thing was massive too.....I never have moved so fast!.....
Cut the line and get rid of em!

[Blue_Escape]

I find the new Shimano Pike Eel De-Hooker quite effective.....

[fishphile]

They watch everything you do. Have had one jump about a foot and slice my thumb to shreds, Mate got done on the hand last week. Rigs aren't worth the pain and serious danger.

Dave.

[Fat Chilli]

Yep, cut the line. have known of two people to get bitten by them, one of them was me! Bloody horrible things, but I still retrieve my hook if I can.

[kingtin]

Is there some trick to this, or do we all just cut the line and rerig?

I had 4 or 5 on the line last session. They sure love mullet. Angry fellas too. After they knot themselves up the line, its hard to cut near the hook, so I lose the whole leader, sinker and hook. Its not expensive, but it is time consuming to tie the leader on again.

Any bright ideas out there?

cheers
Andrew

Surprised that no-ones picked up on this. Mate, if they're knotting themselves up the line they ain't pike but moray. Pike eels are too intelligent to knot themselves up. Like fishpile says, they watch everything that you do and as soon as they can have you, they will. If you're in an area where you think you'll catch 'em (and if you want to keep 'em for shark bait) then always have a wet hessian sack with you. Snip off your leader and drop 'em into the sack and they'll stay quiet and alive.

Never had a pike eel knot itself up yet. Some days I have fished for them exclusively and I don't think their physical characteristics allow 'em to do it. A moray or some other eel for sure, but not a pike. Correct The Verminator if he's wrong

kev

[fishphile]

Caught one once with a treble in its Arse, A 6/0 in its stomach and a 7/0 hanging out its mouth! There was line hanging out of it everywhere. They are unbelievable and voracious scavengers. Search and destroy stuff. You get used to the way they fight though so you don't get too excited. I think Kingtin's right on it, They don't seem to spin or wrap themselves up in knots like other eels.

Cheers Dave.

[rick k]

Grants says favoured by Asian epicures, and they do taste nice, but full of Y shaped bones.

What you do is drop them under the seat of a tinny equipped with a floor, but as it is under the seat, where there is no floor, on one of those summer jack fishing nights when a storm has put a few mm of rain into the boat.

Then they launch out from under the seat and above water level, and latch onto the cuff of your mate's strides :-)

[the gecko]

Well Im not sure what species they are now. They have a head and jaws like a pike fish, so I guessed they were pike eels, but I could be wrong. Some knot up more than others, some are angrier than others, but they all look a grey color, and avg 3-5ft. I reckon Kev knows more about vermin than most of us!! They dont have the markings of Moray, but they are the same shape. I actually thought they were Moray the first time I caught em, maybe they have no color or markings as juveniles? Is there a third species of eel we havent thought of?

Yeah, I knew they were dangerous. A mate told me theres not a boat built, thats big enough to hold a man and a pike eel. He found out by experience.

I was thinking about carrying a hession bag in the boat, not for shark bait, but just wondering if I could get the eel off and save rerigging time. I guess its not worth it, and theres no magic secret.

I now start with a rod length of leader, and try to lost it in short bits if possible. Now I can get 3 eels to the leader, and just cut off 2 ft at a time. So I only need to rerig the hook, and not the whole leader knot.

I guess Im on the best option already. Thanks for the feedback guys.

cheers
Andrew