When it comes to catching big eels, most anglers will tell you that the south of England is the place to be. But Neil Hardy proved they can be caught from much further north, when he landed this fish of 7lb 3oz from an East Yorkshire pit.
The Wakefield angler has spent the last 15 years targeting the species and had this one on a gudgeon deadbait, with the run surprising him when it came at 7:30pm. “Usually, I catch them at night, so couldn’t believe it when I connected with this fish so early in the evening. It gave me the best fight I’ve had, but initially, I thought it might’ve been a carp, as I didn’t feel the characteristic ‘bangs’ down the rod of an eel. Instead, the fish took off on a surging run before kiting round and surfacing – that’s when I realised it was an eel, and a good one too!”
Neil admits he had a ‘job netting it’, with the fish measuring an impressive 3ft 8in long. “I use old school tactics, sitting right by the rods and using Fairy Liquid bottle top bobbins,” he explained. “If these move at all, I strike. To draw eels into the swim, I feed maggots, which attract other species that stir the bottom up, which then draws in the eels. “You go through a lot of blanks, as any eel angler will tell you, but there’s nothing like fishing for them,” he added.
Well done Neil!