retrieving with an eel?

[wish4fish]

when you are retrieving with an eel should you retrieve slow or fast?

[DarkSkies]

w4f, I like a slow retrieve, or barely one at all, a drop, wait, move a few inches slowly, kind of retrieve that I find works for me. You really want that eel on the bottom where the bass's nose is. Anything faster and you bring it up in the water column for the bluefish to chop at.

This is opposed to just casting it and sitting it there. That might work too, but I feel that sitting an eel somewhere, unless you have it drifting in the current so its tail straightens out, is asking for trouble, "eelballs" are no fun to untangle, especially at night.

[surfstix1963]

I cast them out let them sink and reel very slow. Sometimes I like the turning of the tide and just let the eel do its own thing (no weight) they head for the bottom and usually do not ball up.I find when weight is added thats when they have a chance to ball up they are somewhat restricted.When the eel gets nervous get ready and give them time to swallow it they usually wack it with their tail come around and inhale it they flare their gills and suck it in like a piece of spaghetti then take off with it.Patience.

[williehookem]

I cast them out let them sink and reel very slow. Sometimes I like the turning of the tide and just let the eel do its own thing (no weight) they head for the bottom and usually do not ball up.I find when weight is added thats when they have a chance to ball up they are somewhat restricted..

I agree, the weight makes them ball up, better to fish it unweighted.