Eel records gone no confirmation on weight yet but i have seen a photo its huge !! 47'" x 12" caught by Steve ricketts i believe.
In reply to Post #1
Complete respect to that man, well done
I've always fancied a go a big Eels, your not just up against the fish but the trawlers actually leaving any in the 1st place, very sad state of affairs, but this catch gives us hope!
Complete respect to that man, well done
I've always fancied a go a big Eels, your not just up against the fish but the trawlers actually leaving any in the 1st place, very sad state of affairs, but this catch gives us hope!
Gotta be the longest standing record I think.
In reply to Post #3
45 years by the looks of it in the link below. Beaten the record by 1oz...hmm...hell of a Eel either way!
Click here
45 years by the looks of it in the link below. Beaten the record by 1oz...hmm...hell of a Eel either way!
Click here
In reply to Post #4
Wow, just seen it....borderline Conger that thing!
Wow, just seen it....borderline Conger that thing!
In reply to Post #5
I showed it to the guy in my local tackle shop and at 1st glance he thought it was a conger (they do a lot of sea gear for fishing in the estuary and off the sea wall locally). Not my cup of tea eels, but absolute respect for the capture, it's an awesome fish
I showed it to the guy in my local tackle shop and at 1st glance he thought it was a conger (they do a lot of sea gear for fishing in the estuary and off the sea wall locally). Not my cup of tea eels, but absolute respect for the capture, it's an awesome fish
In reply to Post #4
Weighed on 3 sets of scales including the NAC record officers scales, nothing to 'hmmm' about
Weighed on 3 sets of scales including the NAC record officers scales, nothing to 'hmmm' about
In reply to Post #7
Weighed on 3 sets of scales including the NAC record officers scales, nothing to 'hmmm' about
I know your not psysic but the hmm wasn't in reference to the 1oz being legit more from my perspective the need/want to claim a record for 28.35g, if it was a good 1b over then fair enough.
Reminds me of my father in law catching a 49lb 15oz saying 'can't you put a few boilies in it's mouth for the 50', bit desperate.
I'm sure the captor is very happy, his name will probably be against that 1 for a VERY VERY long time, as I said, hell of a fish, not meant to distract from his happiness.
We all have different opinions, that is mine
EDIT, as he targets monster Eels he's most likely the chap to break his own record, good luck to him
Weighed on 3 sets of scales including the NAC record officers scales, nothing to 'hmmm' about
I know your not psysic but the hmm wasn't in reference to the 1oz being legit more from my perspective the need/want to claim a record for 28.35g, if it was a good 1b over then fair enough.
Reminds me of my father in law catching a 49lb 15oz saying 'can't you put a few boilies in it's mouth for the 50', bit desperate.
I'm sure the captor is very happy, his name will probably be against that 1 for a VERY VERY long time, as I said, hell of a fish, not meant to distract from his happiness.
We all have different opinions, that is mine
EDIT, as he targets monster Eels he's most likely the chap to break his own record, good luck to him
In reply to Post #8
Fantastic fish either way and there's him and Barry McConnell (I think)who targets big eels,Barry I believe is the only angler to have a brace of 9's on one session which is an amazing achievement as well,I remember seeing a dead eel 2 years ago in my local canal and it was at least 3' long.
Fantastic fish either way and there's him and Barry McConnell (I think)who targets big eels,Barry I believe is the only angler to have a brace of 9's on one session which is an amazing achievement as well,I remember seeing a dead eel 2 years ago in my local canal and it was at least 3' long.
In reply to Post #9
There are plenty of eel anglers around fishing for nothing but specimen eels . Eels are on decline for a number of reasons so this fish is very special .
There are plenty of eel anglers around fishing for nothing but specimen eels . Eels are on decline for a number of reasons so this fish is very special .
In reply to Post #9
Can you imagine that brace
Can you imagine that brace
What a truly amazing fish and capture.
IMO it's great to see the record going to someone actually targeting the species, rather than a carp angler fluke.
IMO it's great to see the record going to someone actually targeting the species, rather than a carp angler fluke.
In reply to Post #12
IMO it's great to see the record going to someone actually targeting the species, rather than a carp angler fluke.
You can only imagine the work that's gone into that fish, let alone the time, respect to that man. There's a good book waiting to be written there I bet
IMO it's great to see the record going to someone actually targeting the species, rather than a carp angler fluke.
You can only imagine the work that's gone into that fish, let alone the time, respect to that man. There's a good book waiting to be written there I bet
Think there's 3 well known guys doing it
Steve ricketts
Barry McConnell
Steve pits
Steve Pits apparently went from a PB of 7lb plus to a whopping 9 plus imagine that where would you go after catching something like that,certain people must be in the know of whereabouts of big eels
Too 50 eels
Up to 2020
https://anglingtrust.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Eel-Top-50-July-2020.pdf
Steve ricketts
Barry McConnell
Steve pits
Steve Pits apparently went from a PB of 7lb plus to a whopping 9 plus imagine that where would you go after catching something like that,certain people must be in the know of whereabouts of big eels
Too 50 eels
Up to 2020
https://anglingtrust.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Eel-Top-50-July-2020.pdf
In reply to Post #14
Alot more than that i was a member of the national anguilla club for a number of years prior to moving to scotland where fishing for eels is now illegal. Its a fascinating fish full of mystery and a fantastic club .
Alot more than that i was a member of the national anguilla club for a number of years prior to moving to scotland where fishing for eels is now illegal. Its a fascinating fish full of mystery and a fantastic club .
In reply to Post #15
I had Barry McConnell's book years ago and left it down south when I split up with ex partner,have you seen how much they are selling for now £140 plus 😮 although I did see one for £70,it was a good book and very interesting.
Looking at the list I posted yesterday there's one on there from the grand union canal in 1998 at 9lb plus,9lb !!!!! A monster of an eel and to get one from a canal up to a 5lb would be a good fish but 9lb is just crazy,
Massive respect to any angler that puts in massive amounts of time for maybe 1 bite a year at best.
I had Barry McConnell's book years ago and left it down south when I split up with ex partner,have you seen how much they are selling for now £140 plus 😮 although I did see one for £70,it was a good book and very interesting.
Looking at the list I posted yesterday there's one on there from the grand union canal in 1998 at 9lb plus,9lb !!!!! A monster of an eel and to get one from a canal up to a 5lb would be a good fish but 9lb is just crazy,
Massive respect to any angler that puts in massive amounts of time for maybe 1 bite a year at best.
Fantastic... 
In reply to Post #16
Yeah i have his book crazy money now.
Yeah i have his book crazy money now.
In reply to Post #4
Fek me that is huge, well done that man, and really nice to see it caught by design being a member of the National Anguilla Club
Fek me that is huge, well done that man, and really nice to see it caught by design being a member of the National Anguilla Club
In reply to Post #18
Lol, I sold his book about 6 weeks ago, £150 on ebay
Lol, I sold his book about 6 weeks ago, £150 on ebay
In reply to Post #15
I remember reading about Barry going off piste in the Highlands after eels, getting destroyed by the midges but catching a few decent fish, and sid he lost an absolute beast. He wa fishing old tarns only accessible to eels by climbing up waterfalls etc. Real pioneering stuff
I remember reading about Barry going off piste in the Highlands after eels, getting destroyed by the midges but catching a few decent fish, and sid he lost an absolute beast. He wa fishing old tarns only accessible to eels by climbing up waterfalls etc. Real pioneering stuff
In reply to Post #21
Yeah the midges are horrendous at the min warm wet conditions ideal for the little *******s. My biggest eel 6lb 8oz came from a small scottish loch whilst tenching some 20 years ago !
Yeah the midges are horrendous at the min warm wet conditions ideal for the little *******s. My biggest eel 6lb 8oz came from a small scottish loch whilst tenching some 20 years ago !
In reply to Post #1
Amazing fish
Amazing fish
In reply to Post #20
Good God
The pioneering bit sounds very interesting.
Good God
The pioneering bit sounds very interesting.
Just stumbled across this on YouTube so thought I would share
In reply to Post #25
That's going to be a good watch
@post 12, so much for that, caught when not targeting them, the gods were having a larf
That's going to be a good watch
@post 12, so much for that, caught when not targeting them, the gods were having a larf
I remember living down south from 2007 to 2014 and there was a lake that was day ticket fishing during day and to do nights you had to have a membership and they had eels to over 9lb in there as well as some big tench and a 40lb carp,not sure if the big carp was still in there.
On another note looks like it's been accepted as a new record by 1oz once again congratulations to that man it's got to be the fish of the last year or possibly last decade,doubt it will be beaten for a long time again.
Also other records that have been accepted
Roach 4.3(knocked back from 4.4)it now shares the record with 2 others
Catfish 143.14 first cat to be accepted since 2000
Pike 47.5 from February
On another note looks like it's been accepted as a new record by 1oz once again congratulations to that man it's got to be the fish of the last year or possibly last decade,doubt it will be beaten for a long time again.
Also other records that have been accepted
Roach 4.3(knocked back from 4.4)it now shares the record with 2 others
Catfish 143.14 first cat to be accepted since 2000
Pike 47.5 from February
In reply to Post #1
Fantastic capture and perfect to hear its Steve who has been lucky enough to get the record.
Funnily enough i was speaking with Lloyd who caught the record Pike earlier in the year a few weeks ago prior to the eel capture and was discussing with him what he wanted to target next, discussed the eel record but he was of the impression that it was a record that may well never get broke due to the unfortunate demise of the species over the last few decades
Fantastic capture and perfect to hear its Steve who has been lucky enough to get the record.
Funnily enough i was speaking with Lloyd who caught the record Pike earlier in the year a few weeks ago prior to the eel capture and was discussing with him what he wanted to target next, discussed the eel record but he was of the impression that it was a record that may well never get broke due to the unfortunate demise of the species over the last few decades
In reply to Post #28
Got to agree with him given everything you read and the odds against them. I'd love to know how old that Eel is, imagine it's life journey, that's one very lucky Eel to survive to that size.
Got to agree with him given everything you read and the odds against them. I'd love to know how old that Eel is, imagine it's life journey, that's one very lucky Eel to survive to that size.
If ever anyone deserved that record it's him, the Mrs was even smiling at the end of the film. Some of those fish, that black Eel was stunning and some of the different head shapes.
What a great little video and nice guy. Hope he does catch the bigger one that's in there 👍
In reply to Post #31
Haven't watched it yet watching it hopefully tomorrow night after work with my brother should be interesting and hopefully he will catch the bigger one
Haven't watched it yet watching it hopefully tomorrow night after work with my brother should be interesting and hopefully he will catch the bigger one
Well done that man
https://youtu.be/w7fwtw7C6fo?si=O87ss7b8W7Gv2jja
Iceland carrier bag, love it
https://youtu.be/w7fwtw7C6fo?si=O87ss7b8W7Gv2jja
Iceland carrier bag, love it
In reply to Post #33
Just watching it now and a bit of Googling has found me a group of waters (near'ish to me) which fit things he says and bits I have seen in the footage. Hopefully these places don't get overrun.
Sometimes I think the film makers need to be a bit more respectful of anglers. Especially after the dedication put in...and I'm guessing he hopes to continue fishing the water(s)
Just watching it now and a bit of Googling has found me a group of waters (near'ish to me) which fit things he says and bits I have seen in the footage. Hopefully these places don't get overrun.
Sometimes I think the film makers need to be a bit more respectful of anglers. Especially after the dedication put in...and I'm guessing he hopes to continue fishing the water(s)
great fish, was reading about it yesterday, brought back memories of an article i read years ago in the old course angler mag.
was about a guy from newzealand who was a eel fisherman, same species as ours but these things were in to the 20's!, he fished a river down stream from a slaughter house and baited up with chunks of dead cows.
was about a guy from newzealand who was a eel fisherman, same species as ours but these things were in to the 20's!, he fished a river down stream from a slaughter house and baited up with chunks of dead cows.
In reply to Post #36
I remember the times or mail did a feature on New Zealand or Australia and they go over 50lb plus there (different species but still freshwater and impressive)and they had one in a cage and a guy went to take it out of the cage and they told me to be careful in case it tries to attack,also I read that they used to have BBQ's on boats and cut all the food like fish up at side of the big lakes and all the guts leftovers etc went in the edge by the moored up boats,and they used to use terrapin or turtle meat as bait as well.
I remember the times or mail did a feature on New Zealand or Australia and they go over 50lb plus there (different species but still freshwater and impressive)and they had one in a cage and a guy went to take it out of the cage and they told me to be careful in case it tries to attack,also I read that they used to have BBQ's on boats and cut all the food like fish up at side of the big lakes and all the guts leftovers etc went in the edge by the moored up boats,and they used to use terrapin or turtle meat as bait as well.
In reply to Post #36
The globetrotting angler Tony Davies Patrick wrote about fishing for large Eels in New Zeeland too in one of his books. These were all in running water and not in lakes like in the UK. Very interesting read, but then again all of his stuff is ...
The globetrotting angler Tony Davies Patrick wrote about fishing for large Eels in New Zeeland too in one of his books. These were all in running water and not in lakes like in the UK. Very interesting read, but then again all of his stuff is ...
In reply to Post #38
That takes me back, used to love reading his articles in Carpworld, inspiring
That takes me back, used to love reading his articles in Carpworld, inspiring
In reply to Post #39
Same here
I've still got some carpworld magazines stored away
Same here
I've still got some carpworld magazines stored away
In reply to Post #34
Be sad if they get rammed out, hopefully not
Be sad if they get rammed out, hopefully not
In reply to Post #41
Glad a few others are thinking this too. I know there arent that many specialised Eel anglers out there (in comparison to other species) but I'm guessing there are enough to make 'special' waters very busy. I'm also guessing by releasing the film he knew it'd attract 'attention'.
Glad a few others are thinking this too. I know there arent that many specialised Eel anglers out there (in comparison to other species) but I'm guessing there are enough to make 'special' waters very busy. I'm also guessing by releasing the film he knew it'd attract 'attention'.
In reply to Post #42
Not to mention that number plate ...
Not to mention that number plate ...
In reply to Post #43
I liked it
His plate looked like it was meant to read, some of these plates nowadays are like hieroglyphs, I just think why, but I guess those who buy them are happy and that's all that counts. I'm guessing I fell lucky with mine.
I liked it His plate looked like it was meant to read, some of these plates nowadays are like hieroglyphs, I just think why, but I guess those who buy them are happy and that's all that counts. I'm guessing I fell lucky with mine.
In reply to Post #44
It'll be easier for the Eel Bounty Hunters to know where he's fishing, so even less likely that any of the waters he is fishing will stay quiet for long ...
It'll be easier for the Eel Bounty Hunters to know where he's fishing, so even less likely that any of the waters he is fishing will stay quiet for long ...
In reply to Post #45
If he's a secret squirrel of any kind I doubt very much he'll have those plates on display if at a secret water, however if he does your not wrong...sad state of affairs.
If he's a secret squirrel of any kind I doubt very much he'll have those plates on display if at a secret water, however if he does your not wrong...sad state of affairs.
As I point out in post 34, I found the water within 2 mins of some googling. No number plates required.
In reply to Post #1
I see Steve won the Drennan Cup for his capture, well deserved if you ask me
I see Steve won the Drennan Cup for his capture, well deserved if you ask me
In reply to Post #48
Very well deserved and respect for his commitment as well
Very well deserved and respect for his commitment as well
In reply to Post #48
I didn't know that, but well done that man and thoroughly deserved, a very special fish
Scare the **** out of me that
I didn't know that, but well done that man and thoroughly deserved, a very special fish
Scare the **** out of me that
In reply to Post #50
Fishing for big Eels would be mega, so rare!
Fishing for big Eels would be mega, so rare!
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