I have just seen eels available as dead baits at my local tackle shop supplied by ammo baits. Is this ok keeping in mind the state of the eel stocks?

It's not ok jono, and ammobaits certainly aren't the only bait company that are still selling eel as pike baits. There was a good bit of debate between some of the NAC committee and a certain Mr Fickling either at the end of last year or earlier this year about the selling of eels as bait.

For my own small effort with regard using a tackle shop who sells eels for bait. Well my answer is that I will not part with my money over the counter of that shop. Might mean that I could miss out on buying some tackle. But I can wait until I find a shop which does not sell eels for bait.

This will set you saints off but here goes - I am in total aggreement with all actions or policies with regard to the stopping of illegal netting or collection of eels .I also applaud the NAC and other organisations for its work in eel conservation matters.BUT people will eat eels - no idea why they taste awful and they will be on sale for bait.With regard to the Neville Fickling issue - at least he has control on what he sources for bait and sets a limit on the size of eel used.I use eel baits for pike when I can be arsed fishing for them - but I have no issue at all in using them as fresh bait - caught and killed for zander or even eels.Stop the commercial threats,illegal netting,immigrant eat as you catch and get real - or will you stop using deadbaits for eels?

Trouble is it is bait/food suppliers that drive the market. Also it doesn't matter if said baits are from farmed sources etc because they still have to come from wild stocks ie elvers originally. I used farmed Trout as deadbaits for my eel fishing.

The eels in question were whole, green and around 14-18inches, 4 to a pack.

Hmm Eels as bait is a contentious thing. I personaly wont use them as there is no sustanable supply, they all come from the wild and untill some clever person can discover a way of breeding them they will always come from dwindling wild stock. I have no probs with those who use them its just my personal view. I use most other course fish when available but prefer Gudgeon as my top eel bait. does this make me number one enemy in the Gudgeon catching club. At least we can farm just about every other species. As for Mr Fickling he is just trying to safeguard his bussiness interests. Mark is right in that we should stop the netters, illegal`s and the like but someone has to start the ball rolling and by not using them every is my bit towards conservation.

As one of the few members of the 'Gudgeon fishers association' I would urge you to use an alternative bait in your quest for eels.

are gudgeon on the Cites list?

of course they're not...

....and this is the problem, we're not taking a moral high ground. we're trying albeit in a very small way to help conserve stocks of a C.I.T.I.E.S appendix II listed species. http://www.cites.org/eng/news/press/200 ... _eel.shtml

Neville suggestes that his eels come from sustainable sources...which is a joke in itself. I like Nev but he will spout any old crap if theres a quid in it for him.

Nick,

This came in earlier this year!

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scot ... 80419_en_1

It's a little unclear, but there is a strong possibility that this applies to recreational fishing for eels too. I totally missed this one slipping under the radar last year.
I guess this means that I've been breaing the law all year!!

just dropped Richard Lochead and e-mail asking for clarification.... will let you know the outcome.

Sorry Mingle. but thats not controversial enough.
I fished for eels for 16 years. I stopped fishing for them because I could not be a hypocrite and say I wanted to save the eel within the ECS and then fish for them knowing i may be eventually killing them.
If anyone cares about the eel and is so worried and jumping at eels for bait. then DON'T set your hook in their mouth by design.
Its also very easy to say the numbers caught by eel anglers don't matter. thats rubbish as well.
Either don't be so touchy or go the full distance and stop fishing for them.
I did.

Calm down eelfreak - can't see why you stopped but thats your life not mine.I don't have a problem using eel for bait or any other fish to catch eels,zander.pike,perch,catfish etc etc.As for eel anglers killing eels by catching them - its new to me - could be yout the wrong side of the pennines my friend.Any how I wish you luck in what ever floats you boat.

I made a conscious decision not to get drawn into this type of debate following the Pike and Predators forum disagreement with Neville Fickling a while back. It seemed to me to be a battle not worth fighting, and I decide to focus my efforts toward influencing eel conservation through the EA, Angling Trust and similar organisations, rather than trying to convert groups of anglers who were motivated only by self interest. However, when such a controversial post appears on an eel fishing forum I find it impossible to resist! The eel is an endangered species. Anyone with half a brain who has taken the time to conduct even the most rudimentary research into the current situation must accept that. Even Neville agrees that something is wrong. Elver recruitment is at an all time low, and getting worse. There are areas where eels are prolific, but these are isolated, and these eel populations are fish that are mature (7 years old plus). Elvers are not returning to our shores, and we need to act now. We do not know why the situation is so dire, and there are many factors involved in the decline, but one thing is sure – a dead eel cannot reproduce! To use the argument “the few that I take for bait will not make any difference” is a selfish cop out. If 1,000 predator anglers use that argument each year and each takes 6 eels for bait, and if we accept that elvers’ suffer a 98% mortality rate prior to entering estuarine waters, then it doesn’t take a large IQ to work out that using eels for bait makes a difference to eel stocks. Every mature yellow or silver eel that is used for bait means one less to make the return trip to the Sargasso, and many thousands of eggs removed from the reproductive cycle. If you believe that using eel section gives you an edge, then you are deluded. The choice of predator baits is bigger than ever, and most are not endangered species, and can be farmed or reproduced in captivity. The comment regarding stopping deadbaiting for eels is silly – roach, rudd, perch et al are not endangered. There is also little evidence to support the theory that eels die after capture if treated with care – I have yet to experience an eel death, and my repeat captures indicate that eels survive, and thrive, after being caught. If in doubt, read Tesch, and the accounts of eels caught containing fish hooks. If we fish, we must accept that we may occasionally harm fish. The good that we do by conserving habitat and species far outweighs this.

If you wish to continue to use eels as bait, then of course you will. But please be honest about it. Declare that you could not care less about the future of the eel, and wish only to catch fish by any means. Dynamite is very effective, I believe.

Finally, it occurs to me that we are quick to identify and drive from the forum any angler who fishes for eels for the table. Should we treat an angler who uses eels as bait any differently?