Eel and eelskin lures are not strictly artificial lures but are included in this book because they are very effective lures and many anglers would like to know how to rig and make them. Besides, they are used like artificial lures—being cast or trolled and given action in the water. Also many of these lures make use of metal parts besides the eel itself. Eel and eelskin lures are used mostly in salt water to catch such fish as striped bass, bluefish, snook, and marlin.

The most difficult part about making eel and eelskin lures will often be obtaining the eels themselves. The eel usually used is the so-called "common eel" found from Labrador to Brazil along the Atlantic Coast. The females reach a large size and live in fresh-water rivers, streams, and lakes. The males are much smaller and live in salt-water bays, sounds, and tidal creeks. These are the ones usually used for bait.

Live eels are caught with eel pots baited with dead fish, small baitfish, crushed clams, or crabs. These pots, which are similar to minnow traps, are wire cages with funnel entrances on both ends. The eels enter through the funnel holes, but once inside have trouble finding their way out. Live or frozen eels can also be purchased from many fish markets, bait dealers, and fishing tackle stores. The size will depend on the fishing tackle you use and the fish you want to catch. Small eels from 8 to 12 in. long are best with light tackle such as spinning outfits; the larger eels from 12 to 20 in. are used with heavier surf outfits and for trolling for big fish.

To rig an eel you will need a long needle such as an upholsterer's needle. It should be anywhere from 12 to 14 in. long. You can also make your own needle, using a brass or copper rod about 1/8in. in diameter. One end should be filed to a point while the other end is given an eye or a slot to which a line can be tied. You also need some 6/0, 7/0, 8/0 or 9/0 hooks, again de­pending on the size of the eel. The larger the eel, the larger the hooks re­quired. Light tackle and lines need smaller hooks than heavier fishing tackle. The O'Shaughnessy pattern of hook is usually used for rigging eels, but some anglers prefer the Siwash or salmon pattern and still others use Eagle Claw hooks. Whichever type of hook you use, it should have a ringed eye. Finally, you need some linen or nylon fishing line testing from 45 to 60 pounds.

There are many ways to rig an eel, but the method described here is one of the most popular and produces a rigged eel which stands up well. The first step is to tie about 18 inches of the heavy line to the eye of the needle, and tie one of the hooks to the other end. See Fig. 108. Next, insert the needle into the underside of the eel at the vent (the small opening about 4 or 5 in. from the end of the eel's tail) and push the needle through the eel inside of the body until it emerges from the mouth. Then pull the needle until the line also comes out of the eel's mouth. See Fig. 109. The hook shank is then buried inside the eel by pulling on the line. Now, double back the needle and push the point into the eel's mouth and force it out at the neck or about two inches from the nose. Pull the needle out through the hole the needle has made (see Fig. 110) and untie the line from the needle. This leaves a loop of line protruding from the mouth and the end of the line emerging from the eel's neck. Tie another hook to the end of this line and pull on the loop to bring the hook shank inside the eel.  See Fig. 111.

The final step is to provide a bridle. Take about 4 or 5 in. of thin, flex­ible brass wire and run one end into the eel's mouth and out the gill opening on one side. Pull more wire out this opening, run it over the top of the eel's head, push the end through the gill opening on the opposite side of the head, force it out through the eel's mouth, and tie the two ends of wire protruding from the eel's mouth around the loop of line several times. See Fig. 112. You can also use fishing line instead of wire to make a bridle.

The eel can be used as it is with the fishing line attached to the loop pro­truding from its mouth. Or you can attach a barrel swivel to this loop, since the eel has a tendency to spin if reeled fast. Some anglers also tie some line around the body of the eel where the hooks emerge, to reinforce it. You can also tie some around the eel's mouth to close it tightly so no water can enter.

Instead of using fishing line or cord to rig an eel, many anglers like to use a brass chain such as the type used for windows. The chain is very strong and is preferred when there are bluefish around. These sharp-toothed fish will bite through ordinary line or cord, but the chain holds them. And, of course, chain doesn't rot or weaken like cord or line.

A rigged eel works fairly well with nothing else attached, but many salt­water fishermen also rig them with various gadgets and weights to give ac­tion, or weight for casting. One way to do this is to attach a small metal squid at the head of the eel, as shown in Fig. 113. You need a small, wide metal squid which has an eye in the middle of the body to which the line leading to the hooks is attached. Or you can drill two holes in the metal squid, tie the line to them, and rig your eel in the same manner as described above. To attach the metal squid you force the hook through the neck of the eel and out on top, then tie the line protruding from the eel's mouth to the eye on top of the squid or to the two holes—whichever the metal squid has. Finally, tie several turns of thin fishing line around the eel's head, lashing it to the metal squid.

An old-time method of adding weight to an eel is to make an eel bob as shown in Fig. 114. Here you cut off the eel's head, pull the skin back for about two inches, and cut out the meat.  Then you rig the eel with one or two hooks in the regular way and insert a cylindrical lead weight into the skin. The lead weight should have a hole through the middle so that the line or chain used in rigging can be run into it and out in front. After this is done the skin of the eel is tied ahead of the lead weight, concealing it and keeping it in place.

Such an eel bob can be made any length using most of the eel or just the head portion.

Another way to rig an eel and provide action and weight at the same time is to add a metal wobble plate at the head, as shown in Fig. 115. The metal plate can be made from copper tubing or pipes, the diameter depending on the weight you want and the size of the eel. A copper pipe about 5/8 in. in diameter is a good all-around size to use. You cut off about 3 in. of this pipe, then flatten half that length in a vise, bend it in the middle, and curve the upper end as shown in Fig. 116. Drill one hole near the end of the flattened section, for the fishing line, and another hole where the pipe is round, to hold the hook. Then the eel is rigged in the usual manner and the head is in­serted into the hole of the wobble plate together with the hook eye in the eel's mouth. A cotter pin or bolt is then run through the hole in the pipe, through the eel's head, and through the eye of the hook. You can also tie the line leading from the body of the eel to the pin or bolt. You'll find it easier if you first pierce the eel's head with an ice pick or awl before you try to insert the pin or bolt through it. To further reinforce the eel, tie cord around the eel's neck and lash it to the shank of the hook.

Instead of using the entire eel, many salt-water anglers use just the skin to make effective lures. (You catch the eels and skin them yourself or you buy the skins already packed in jars.) The simplest type of eelskin rig is made from a copper or brass tube or pipe. See Fig. 117. The diameter of the tube or pipe will depend on the size and length of the eelskin you want. The small-diameter tubes are best for shorter skins while the larger ones are used for longer, wider eelskins. Cut off about 11/2in. of the pipe and drill holes at both ends. If you use a shorter length of pipe you need only one hole, in the middle. With a triangular file, file a groove all around the pipe at one end. Now get some brass chain and attach two hooks to the chain. The length of the chain and the distance between the two hooks will depend on the length of the eelskin you use. Now get a couple of sets of bolts and nuts. The bolts should be long enough to fit through the holes drilled in the copper pipe. Start one of the bolts through the front of the pipe, slip a barrel swivel on the bolt inside the copper pipe, and complete the bolting operation. See Fig. 117 again. Then run the other bolt through the holes on the other end of the pipe. But before you complete this bolting operation, slip the last link of the chain on the bolt inside the pipe. The final step is to slip the eelskin over the two hooks, piercing the skin and allowing the points and barbs to protrude. Then tie the eelskin to the copper pipe with fishing line, making certain that the line rests snugly in the groove you filed.

Another type of eelskin rig uses a weighted head similar to the heads used in making jigs. See Fig. 118. You can mold such a head in the same way as described in Chapter 7, except that, when casting a weighted head, you at­tach another hook to the eye of the first one, using stainless steel wire. The wire is wound through the eye of the first hook and loops beyond it for four or five inches. See Fig. 119. You don't have to attach the second hook before pouring the metal head—all you need is the wire loop to which the hook can be added later. After the head of the lure is molded, solder a ring around it so that the eelskin can be tied to it. Such metal rings can easily be made from brass or copper pipe or tubing by cutting off sections at lA in. intervals. A small pipe cutter can be used to do this very quickly. Then file a groove around the ring so that the eelskin can be lashed to it. See Fig. 120 for the details of such a ring, and how it is attached to the head.

You can also use similar rings to make an eelskin squid, as shown in Fig. 121. To make such a lure, use almost any metal squid with a swinging type hook. Smaller metal squids will, of course, require smaller rings than larger ones. The ring is slipped over the metal squid and is sweated on with a sol­dering iron held against the ring. You can also drop some solder where the ring lies against the metal squid. To finish the lure, slip an eelskin over the hook and the rear of the squid and tie the skin around the ring.  You must  puncture the eelskin so that the hook protrudes, as shown in the illustration.

Eelskins are also used over plugs to give them a more natural look. Here you have to remove all the hooks and slip the eelskin on, then replace the hooks. The eelskin is tied in front and at the rear with fishing line to make sure it stays in place.
Lures made with eels will last a long time if you keep them frozen or in a container filled with heavy brine. Eelskins also keep a long time in such salt brine in an air-tight glass jar or similar container. However, many anglers prefer to rig their eels or eelskin lures fresh before each fishing trip. A freshly killed eel is tough and will take more abuse and stand up longer. Eels that have kept for any length of time in salt or are frozen tend to rip and fall apart after being used for a short time.

Rigging eels or eelskin lures is often a messy job and not much of a plea­sure. But they are very effective, especially when surf fishing or trolling for big striped bass. So it pays to know how to rig such lures so that you will be prepared to try fishing for the popular and much-sought striped bass.

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