NJ State Record Eel Caught and Weighed in at Reel Seat

[DarkSkies]

I know a lot of us focus on striped bass and some other fish don't seem important. I feel any fish that is the largest of its species deserves mention.

Story courtesy of Finchaser:

Yesterday a guy bought a monster black eel into the Reel Seat in Brielle.
Apparently there's a distinction between black eels, known also as American eels.....
and silver eels, known as conger eels.
It was so huge it filled a 5 gallon spackle bucket.

It weighed out at 10lbs, 11oz.
That's a huge size for an eel. :headbang:











The story:
Guy who caught it says he was fishing in the Barnegat Bay area, "messing around with a bucktail" and this is what he caught.

I did a search. Another record eel was caught in Atlantic City in 2010, but never submitted for the state record books.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/atlantic-city-man-catches--pound-american-eel/article_1511eba8-e646-11df-81a9-001cc4c03286.html

Note....... if you ever catch an eel like that, they have teeth that can rip up your fingers, be careful.
Don't ask me how I know this. :bucktooth:

So this one, when certified, will probably be entered as the new state record.

Congratulations to the guy who caught it. :clapping: :thumbsup:

[surfrob]

if only I knew there *was* a state record for this I might have won when chumming clam bellies for stripers last fall.

Forget it, no way am I keeping an eel that size :D

[fishinmission78]

Yeah neither would I, but maybe give it away to the old Italian man who lives down the block and keep the head after I dried it out and shellacked it.
The records seem beatable for some of these fish. The ones for white perch and hickory shad are under 3lbs. I know I have seen a few over the years larger than that.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/recfish-salt.htm

[fishinmission78]

Oh, and congrats on the eel, Mr Eel Catcher. That thing must have been ugly. Would love to see a pic of it's head.

[baitstealer]

maybe give it away to the old Italian man who lives down the block


An italian tradition! in this case it would be a lotta eel though!
http://memoriediangelina.com/2013/12/22/a-neapolitan-christmas-capitone-fritto-fried-eel/#.VkXRAL_QpJg

[surfrob]

Yeah neither would I, but maybe give it away to the old Italian man who lives down the block and keep the head after I dried it out and shellacked it.
The records seem beatable for some of these fish. The ones for white perch and hickory shad are under 3lbs. I know I have seen a few over the years larger than that.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/recfish-salt.htm

A 2lb+ white perch would be a monster.

I wonder where this was caught?



Perch, white
2
12
1998
Michael King
Little Beach Creek

[fishinmission78]

There is a little beach in the barney bay on the W side, just south of the barney inlet and near conklin island. I don't know if that's the one. I heard there is another one in cape may or atlantic county. Do you know of those?

[surfrob]

yeah, there is a little beach on an island, I believe part of Forsyth. The one up in Barney might be the place, if it's near a brackish outflow.