Eels...Don't mess with 'em! *Warning Graphic content*

[Willy]

We've all likely pulled eels up in our nets. In a 'yak your net goes in your lap, with an eel or not.

Last night I was on my boat, not my 'yak, and pulled an eel out so big he wouldn't shake out of the net. As thick around as my thigh. The pot also had upwards of 20 bugs in it, so I took my chances and brought them ALL onto the deck of the boat, including the eel.

Like a dummy, when the eel wasn't cooperating I tried the behind the head grab, like a snake to toss him into my fishing net to get him over.

Caveat...I'm a country boy, with lots of experience handling snakes and what ever other kind of animal you can think of. So I wasn't flying totally blind.

The lesson here: Don't mess with the eels. Let the pot go back over the side, lose the bugs, whatever. This almost took my whole thumb off, his bite easily into the bone. Imagine what they can do to your femoral artery or your family jewels when there is an eel in your lap.

Just be careful out there!!!!

[Ohana]

We used to hook them, (moray eels) accidentally while fishing when I was in high school living in Hawaii. They made a mess of your line and forget about getting the hooks back. They prey of octopus on the reef and would grab the octopus with their jaws and then tie themselves into a ball to prevent the octopus from getting free, which is what they would do to our fishing line. Some of the big eels can crush bone when they bite, so your comment about not getting bit is a good one.

We also kept two of the Dragon Moray eels in tanks in our house that we caught off the reef and they learned to take food right off the surface of the tank.

Kevin

[jorluivil]

OOOOUCH!!!!! How many stitches???

[Willy]

A bunch. It's under a bandage right now, but it looked like a baseball before wrapping it up.

Willy

[Billy V]

I hope the DR. gave you some strong antibiotics. Eels have nasty bacteria in their mouths.

[Rob929]

Damn Willy!! That's crazy.. I pulled a few eels Fri night.. luckily, there were not any keepers in the nets at the time- otherwise, I would have been tempted to pull the whole load into the yak- eel and all. I saw some nasty teeth on one... wouldn't want to come into contact with them!

[WahooUSMA]

Damn, that has GOT to have hurt! You are one lucky dude! Glad your OK - That's about an 8 on the pucker factor!

[FISHIONADO]

Ouch, glad it didn't turn out worse. I've pulled plenty of them, now I'll be even more scared. :-) That's a 6" hatch, my balls disappeared into my body with this one!

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegallery/data/500/morey_eel.JPG

[Jzo]

Just be careful out there!!!!

Will do, thx for sharing.

[GregAndrew]

OOOOOOOuch!!!!! That is some gnarly chit right there. Hope all goes well on the recovery.

[StinkyMatt]

Can you eat em?

Well if something wants to take a bite out of me, what better way to stop it than with a BBQ in their honor?:D

Seriously, can you eat them?

[RedSledTeam]

:D Once you get past the skinning and rib-bone removal, they are edible, but not really worth the effort. Akona makes a good kevlar glove for handling the serpents. ;)

[Willy]

Yeah,
I'm doing fine.
Of course super sore, stitched, and medicated:D.

Interesting enough, the next day my whole arm was super sore and swollen.
Not sure why, strange things happen in a moment of trauma.

Thanks for your concern, all.

My wife, being Japanese is the resident expert on all things fish, told me you can eat them, but they are super hard to skin, as RedSledTeam mentioned.

I thought some eel skin boots would be pretty cool. Romancing the Stone style.

I think not worth the effort.;)

Stay safe all.

Willy

[bigbarrels]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7byq7R5A4Y0

Good luck and watch closely for infection

[dsafety]

Amazing video Big-B. I did not know they could do that kind of grafting. Very cool.

Morays are very tough, mean creatures. Once while free diving for abalone, (remember them), I had my hand in a hole trying to retrieve an ab I had just popped off with my iron. The moray, grabbed the iron which was strapped to my wrist and held on tight. The leash was strong and was trapped, quickly running out of air. I pulled as hard as I could, eventually broke the leash and managed to escape.

After sucking air at the surface for a few minutes I went back down to see what was going on. The moray was chomping down on my abalone. With the thing occupied, I was able to retrieve the ab-iron and headed to shore feeling lucky to be alive.

That was one of the scariest experiences of my life.

Bob

[805gregg]

I have a friend that free dives in Mex for 250 black sea bass, his buddy shot an eel with a spear gun, he was holding the spear that went clear through the eel. The eel wraped itself around the buddys arm and snapped his forearm, I give those things a wide birth.

[Mtobolsky]

X2 Big B....just what i was gonna say. I dont think they are good to eat..never tried but this is what i have heard. They can be toxic and give you ciguatera poisoning and you can't cook it out. I am not certain about this other part but have also heard moray actually have small amount of tetrodotoxin in them...same stuff as in blow fish (fugu) not as high of content and wont kill you but i wouldn't test it.......like our friend found out.....i would rather eat something that won't eat you back.

another tid bit....those fuckers have jaws like those critters from the movie aliens....a second set that is back in its throat that projects out and holds on then retracts and pulls it down its gut.....not to be played with.

i hope you heal up quick. look for red lines moving up you arm from the injury towards you body......if you see one go back to the doc asap.

[habanero]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7byq7R5A4Y0

Good luck and watch closely for infection

That's all good but somewhere in our marine environment is an eel with an apposable thumb:ahhhhh: