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Angler abandons traditional baits and banks lifetime best eel

by Freddie Sandford |

Published on16th May 2026 at 8.41am

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Eel anglers usually put their faith in worm or fish baits, but having noticed that carpers on his lake were catching big eels using boilies, Craig Ball followed suit and landed this fish of 6lb 13oz.

It measured 40ins long, with a ten-inch girth, and was caught from a southern carp syndicate where Craig has recently been targeting the resident eels.

Interestingly, British Record eel holder Steve Ricketts had his 11lb 3oz British best on a pellet hookbait, as he too felt that the fish were capitalising on carp anglers’ feed at the venue he was fishing.

Craig suspected that a similar thing might be happening at his water, having only landed smaller eels whenusing deadbaits.

“I think the eels in there are tuned into carp baits, and I fished my boilie on a short hair and a bolt rig, which avoids deep-hooking, alongside a PVA bag,” Craig told Angling Times.

“It’d been a quiet day, but when I eventually had a run, I lifted into the fish and saw the rod arc over.

“I thought at first that I’d hooked a carp, but then suddenly it felt like the fish had come off.

“In fact, it had swum towards me, and soon after I regained contact, I saw a huge eel surface and was blown away by the sheer size of it.”

Craig with the superb eel

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