Mike89 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 (edited) Hey guys - wanting to know if eels are ever worth keeping for the table, even just to try once? If so how would you prepare them? I hooked a few of the larger variety before winter, only ever managed to land one. I quickly took a couple of photos (attached) and set him back into the water for release. A couple of my Korean friends suggested this would have made a nice meal! Pulled out a nice short-fin eel last Monday night on what was otherwise a pretty dull session. No picture as my hands were covered in slime at the time! It was good fun bringing him in (they really are pure muscle) to get a good look before setting the net down to watch him swim off. Again my mate suggested we take it home to his place and stir-fry it. Another night I may have given it a go. They have a pretty pungent smell about them! Have you guys tried eel you've caught yourself? Can anyone confirm the ID on this one as a long-fin eel? I wasn't sure. Cheers! Edited October 9, 2015 by Mike89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwood1980 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 That's not a short fin eel mate, those ones have sharp teeth, short fin has no teeth and you can just grab them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike89 Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 (edited) The one in the picture is one I caught earlier in the year - so that is a long-fin eel then? If I remember it right it did have teeth. The one last week I'm pretty sure was a short-fin, it was smaller, a much more consistent greeny colour and had a pretty gummy mouth. Edited October 9, 2015 by Mike89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinfisher 4.9 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Smoked, eels are delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smasher Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 (edited) Smoked, eels are delicious. Thats what I came here to say. I used to catch them when I was a teenager. Night time, wire trace, chunk of raw steak on a small strong hook. They tend to wrap themselves around logs or go down holes when they're hooked up so you often get snagged. From memory the ones under 1 meter long tasted better. If where you're catching them from is muddy, you can put them in a bathtub of fresh water for a day they will spew out heaps of mud and they'll taste less like 'dam water'. The meat is quite rich, you'll find you cant eat a lot of it. I used to feed the rest to the dog. Edited October 10, 2015 by Smasher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffb5.8 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 (edited) My Dad caught a silver belly eel 10yrs ago at Budgiwoi, he skinned it, removed the good sized mullet from its guts and did some steamed, some fried and smoked so and it was a good feed, smoked and fried was my pick and from memory it had a nice strong flavor. It was about 1mtr long, not sure if silver belly is the correct name but it's what he called it and said they taste less muddy than other eels. Edited October 10, 2015 by jeffb5.8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 The one in the picture is one I caught earlier in the year - so that is a long-fin eel then? If I remember it right it did have teeth. A bit hard to tell, as the head is not clear, but could it be a pike eel? A clear picture of any fish's head helps with an I.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike89 Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 Unfortunately that's the only picture I've got! It looked quite similar to the greeny one I caught last week but more mottled in its colouration. Not sure if it would be a pike eel as I remember it looking more like the long-finned ones I can see on the Australian Museum website. I don't think the head was as pointed as the pike eels' heads are. If anyone is familiar with the eels that you find in Sugarloaf Bay perhaps that could be a pointer? Both were caught there and were pretty abundant in the waters there around April and May. Sounds like they'd be worth a try though I am a bit put off by the smell and the prospect of a lot of strong-flavoured meat. Not too crash-hot on sitting an eel in the bathtub for a day, though. Presumably you mean dead, right? Thanks for the tip! Reminds me, Korean friend told me her grandmother would buy them live and then throw an eel in a boiling pot of water still squirming. She said she can remember the eel still struggling to swim up and out of the pot for the first minute while it cooked. A bit cruel for my tastes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dav Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 From memory the ones under 1 meter long tasted better. If where you're catching them from is muddy, you can put them in a bathtub of fresh water for a day they will spew out heaps of mud and they'll taste less like 'dam water'. Great tip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antonywardle Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 might as well try eating them, they can't play leage at all! sorry couldn't resist.. I have heard that smoked is quite good but not tried it myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad_tate Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Pretty sure Smasher was putting his eels live in the bathtub for a day. These are seriously tough critters and can crawl across land when needed, regularly moving from river to dam or dam to dam. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smasher Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) Correct! If you're catching them in the harbour, I would say that you won't need to flush them. I was catching them in a muddy freshwater creek... It was either them or carp. I don't think I would go out of my way in catching them now... Don't think the missus would be happy about eels in the bathtub either LOL Have a read of this article: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/a-very-fast-drain-to-the-south-pacific-20111105-1n11j.html Seems unbelievable doesn't it! Edited October 11, 2015 by Smasher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike89 Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) Correct! If you're catching them in the harbour, I would say that you won't need to flush them. I was catching them in a muddy freshwater creek... It was either them or carp. I don't think I would go out of my way in catching them now... Don't think the missus would be happy about eels in the bathtub either LOL Have a read of this article: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/a-very-fast-drain-to-the-south-pacific-20111105-1n11j.html Seems unbelievable doesn't it! It is pretty impressive that they spawn way out there and make the journey across the ocean to our rivers and water systems. Pretty amazing, they must be hardy and well adapted creatures! I would have thought that if you put them live in a bathtub they'd be able to slither out somehow. Don't think I'll be trying that soon! Edited October 11, 2015 by Mike89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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