Record eel caught

Record eel, caught at Round Valley Reservoir, eaten

Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010, 2:35 PM

Vasili Melnic of Hillsborough recently caught a 50-inch American eel while fishing from a raft at Round Valley Reservoir.
Melnic caught the eel using a live shiner as bait on his friend Chris Fricke’s pole. Weekly fishers at Round Valley, Fricke said he and Melnic knew eels make their home there but had never caught one before.

"We were not expecting it at all," Fricke said. "It took a few minutes to reel in. It fought pretty well."
The eel might have broken state records, but Melnic brought the eel home for dinner.
Fricke said, "I didn’t try it. He said it was great … It was several meals."
According to the state Fish and Wildlife Division, the state record eel was caught at Round Valley in June 2005 and was about 42 inches long.
This photo is courtesy of roundvalleyfishing.com.

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That sucker's huge! Looks like a baby anaconda.

I'd be taking that baby to Montauk!