When it comes to catching big eels, most anglers will tell you that the south of England is the place to be.
But Neil Hardy proved they can be also found much further north by landing this impressive fish of 7lb 3oz from an East Yorkshire pit. The Wakefield angler has spent the last 15 years targeting the species, and took this one on a gudgeon deadbait at around 7.30pm.
“Usually, I catch them at night, so couldn’t believe it when I connected with this fish so early in the evening,” he said.
“It gave me the best fight I’ve ever had, but at first I thought it might’ve been a carp, as I didn’t feel the characteristic ‘bangs’ down the line of an eel. The fish surged off before kiting round and surfacing – that’s when I realised it was an eel, and a good one too!”
Neil admits he had a job netting the fish, which measured 3ft 8ins long, it would be tough to get in any net with their power and ability to swim backwards.
“I use old-school tactics, sitting right by the rods and using Fairy Liquid bottle top bobbins,” he explained.
“If these move at all, I strike. To draw eels into the swim, I feed maggots, which attract other species that stir the bottom up, which then draws in the eels."
“Like any eel angler, I go through a lot of blanks, but there’s nothing to beat fishing for them,” he added.
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