After receiving a string of full-blooded runs that resulted in missed strikes, Paul Elt tweaked his rigs and reaped the rewards when this fine 7lb 3oz eel graced his net.
Fishing a stillwater in his home county, the Cambridgeshire specimen hunter originally planned to target the big bream that inhabit it.
He kicked off by feeding five pints of dead maggots, three pints of casters, plus chopped worms and fishmeal groundbait to a gravel plateau at range.
Over the top, he cast feeder-fished worms, but as darkness fell, he was plagued by a series of screaming runs but with nothing on the end. Knowing these were likely to have been caused by eels, Paul cut down his rigs to aid their hooking properties and switched to using worm kebabs on the hook, rather than whole worms.
The changes paid off when the next run resulted in him hooking a powerful fish, and after a memorable fight the eel finally surfaced ready for netting.
At 7lb 3oz it’s Paul’s new PB, which he followed up with another eel of over 3lb soon afterwards.
USE THIS RIG IF YOU WANT TO CATCH SPECIMEN EELS SAFELY!
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