# Outdoors > Fishing >  Eels

## Dundee

Possom trapper just came home with a 5lber

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## Rushy

How did he get it Dundee?  As a young fella we would collect a road kill rabbit or possum and throw it in the shallows and then stand back and wait with the old man's slasher!

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## Dundee

With a spear Rushy but fresh hare makes awsome bait.

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## Chris

I got a nice one tonight ,6 or 7 lb I guess should fry up OK for lunch tomorrow .

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## Dundee

Any photo Chris.Have you got clean streams up there?Ours are still dirty and that one that Possom Trapper caught was in dirty water but hell they can sniff out fresh bait pretty good aye.

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## Chris

Photo on the way Mr Dundee . No rivers are dirty again where running clear yesterday ,bit like coffee color now.
Last rain changed the river ,some places 10' wider now .Trees gone ,wide shallow runs where was deep & narrow .

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## veitnamcam

Whats the rules ,season,cultural rights thing on eels?

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## Chris

> Whats the rules ,season,cultural rights thing on eels?


I don't know of any rules ,season & think that all New Zealanders have the same rights to take eels.

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## veitnamcam

Oh ok. I watched something on telly where they were catching thousands as they went overland to the sea and only they(that tribe I think) were allowed to do it but could be wrong wasnt really paying attention. Locally im fairly sure your not allowed to catch eels in the Nelson lakes? But once again could be wrong but thats why I asked the question.

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## Dundee

Go get a feed Vietnamcam the eels are good tucker.

Heres some education on the topic. Save the pic too your documents then you might be able to magnify it too read it.
Cheers Dundee

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## Chris

Could be that the eel numbers are very low in the Nelson Lakes & they want to protect the small resident population.
Don't think anyone would object to you catching a couple for your own use out of a river or stream in the area.

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## Bill999

its good to clean out the big ones as they eat the little ones. 
a friend of the family is a commertial eel fisherman, he has restrictions placed on him. recreational fisherman are not restricted as far as im aware
they are mighty good smoked

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## Chris

Took that one to work ,the guys took out the back bone for smoking.That didn't happen and plan B they baked it.
Didn't taste like eel at all ,was very nice .

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## kimjon

I got this one last year when bowfishing. I never weighed it, but I'm just a bit over 6' 4'' tall, so this one must be in excess of 5 feet long and I'd estimate its weigh in excess of 20kg!!! It was a real shame that I never weighed it as I later found out that the NZ record for a bow shot eel is only 9kg - so this one would have easily set a new record.



I'll tell you one thing; it sure put up a good fight...death rolls and thrashing about, on several ocations it turned and tried to bite me!!! I wont be in a hurry to shoot another one as it smashed a lot of my gear.

_Note: The rules up our way (Waikato) are a maximum of six eels per person per day._ 
kj

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## Dundee

Thats a good eel kimjon. Did you shoot that wallaby up Rotorua way in your avatar?

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## Barefoot

Nelson Lakes is a national park eels are protected in national parks.
Love smoked eels and a chilly bin of them each year guarantee's me access to a bit of coast up north and use of the bach  :Grin: 
Mate of mine recons that marmite is the best bait in the nets (not vegemite he's tried) haven't tested the theory yet.

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## kimjon

> Thats a good eel kimjon. Did you shoot that wallaby up Rotorua way in your avatar?


Hi Dundee - that's no wallaby, its a giant rat! 

I had seen him coming out from under an Oak tree on the front lawn. No one would believe me when I tried to explain to them just how big it was, I just got laughed at. So I patiently waited in ambush (well I watched TV and occasionally looked out the window haha) waiting for him to come out into the open again. It took several weeks and a couple missed attempts to finally nail him with my bow! 

I consider it one of my greatest hunts...

kj

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## Dundee

jeezes have you got a big pic we can see I'm sure Bushrat will love that one :Thumbsup:

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## veitnamcam

> Nelson Lakes is a national park eels are protected in national parks.
> Love smoked eels and a chilly bin of them each year guarantee's me access to a bit of coast up north and use of the bach 
> Mate of mine recons that marmite is the best bait in the nets (not vegemite he's tried) haven't tested the theory yet.


Thanks for shedding some light on that barefoot :Thumbsup:

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## kimjon

> jeezes have you got a big pic we can see I'm sure Bushrat will love that one


Sorry for the hijack on this thread.

I got two of them that day with the bow, the one on the left is a large rat and the other one is just plain massive! Both were doing very well feeding on acorns.



kj

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## Dundee

No need too apoligize thats bloody impressive :Thumbsup:

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## Bushrat

> jeezes have you got a big pic we can see I'm sure Bushrat will love that one


Yep Bushrat is impressed.......!!!!
Note to myself.....Keep away from Kimjon and Dundee!!!               :36 1 5:

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## Dundee

Few old pics

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## Bushrat

Jeeeeeezus.........you're definitely Dundee alright!
How big was that last eel? :Zomg:

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## Dundee

Thats a baby Bushrat can't  upload tonight be drunk in charge of the pc :Yaeh Am Not Durnk:

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## Barefoot

There is a pic of my granddad in the late 1970's holding up an eel on the farm. The eel's head was at grandads head height and the tail was touching the ground making it about 5' 3" maybe more.
I've seen thicker and heavier eels over the years in lakes etc, but never longer.

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## kimjon

You're a brave man Dundee, I hate touching those things (eels) until i know that they are well dead!

I may have even let out a little scream in the past when one touched my leg as I wadded across a river?

kj

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## Dougie

KJ - sweet rat slaying there mate, that cracked me up!!  :Grin: 

Dundee that looks grossssssss as, mate! Blechhh! Don't they bite? And is the pup in the pic Jess or Bolt??

Bushrat - Dundee makes the eel look bigger than it is; he's actually made an appearance on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on TV last night, I hope you spotted him  :Wink:   :Psmiley:

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## Dundee

This one was 16kg or about 35lb


This is Possom Trappers heaviest at 8.15lb


That was a fews years back now.

Yeah the buggers bite alright.

That pup was Bolt Dougie.
Life must be tough having too watch Charlie and the chocolate factory :Pacman:

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## Bushrat

> KJ - sweet rat slaying there mate, that cracked me up!! 
> 
> Dundee that looks grossssssss as, mate! Blechhh! Don't they bite? And is the pup in the pic Jess or Bolt??
> 
> Bushrat - Dundee makes the eel look bigger than it is; he's actually made an appearance on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on TV last night, I hope you spotted him


Dougie.....Can't say I watched that on tv last night....(must be showing my age....I did watch Coronation Street!)
Have to agree with you........Eels are blechhhh!! I'd rather be down the gully wrestling a big old boar than in the river with one of those things!!!!

I can remember a few years back, pig-hunting down a river.....the dogs had just scragged a goat so they got a thrashing for that.......then a little while later I hear this goat start screaming its lungs out again........bloody dog I'm thinkin' to myself......and am all set to go give the dog another wallop......then I realise that all dogs are accounted for....!
So I go hooning back down to the creek to see what the hell's going on. This big old billy goat (with previous dog scragg marks) is sitting on the edge of the stream, screaming his lungs out, and when I have a closer look I see these two bloody big eels attached to its back-end scraggin' the snot out of this poor bloody goat. One's doing the crocodile roll and all sorts to remove a big chunk of this goat....!  :Zomg: 
My god they were evil looking things........big beady eyes staring at me.........!!!  Well I can't remember if I pulled the goat outta the water or not. I do remember there was no way in a zillion years I was jumping in the creek with those two bloody eels. (They woulda finished this bushrat off in one gulp)
 :Mouse: 
Dundee....you're a legend mate!!!
But you can keep your stinkin' horrible slimy eels!!!! :Brzzzzz:  :X X:

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## Rock river arms hunter

What a fantastic thread! reminds me of myself not so long ago, going eeling at every opportunity i had! god I really need to get back into it.... hmmm to the bow fisherman heres a question, I've got a local property with plenty of koi carp that need eradicating and my 12ga just doesn't hit em so what do i need for a bowfishing setup??? cheers!

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## kimjon

> What a fantastic thread! reminds me of myself not so long ago, going eeling at every opportunity i had! god I really need to get back into it.... hmmm to the bow fisherman heres a question, I've got a local property with plenty of koi carp that need eradicating and my 12ga just doesn't hit em so what do i need for a bowfishing setup??? cheers!


Any cheap bow off trademe will do. A coupound bow (say $100 - $200) is best as you can do a lot of shooting in a day. Then you'll need a complete kit to turn your bow into a fishing bow, these can be purchased from as little as $50 for a kit which includes the arrow, but its better to spend about $150 and get a AMS real. 

Bowfishing | Bow Fishing Products NZ 


Give it a go, you'll love it. Just remember to aim low, then aim a bit lower again!

kj

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## Tone

Here is one I got from Lake Karapiro

http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n...033_Edited.mp4

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## el borracho

The fire on the bank trick works well---what is this?

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## Dundee

The skin tastes like pork crackle  if fried.

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## EeeBees

I heard that you can only fish for them in the months with a R :Pacman:

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## Dundee

William Higginson with a monster 12.6 kg long finned eel he caught and released unharmed back into a tributary of the Grey River.

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## kiwi39

He needs a speech bubble : 

"Thats not an eel, this is an eel"
*Rule 2: Always point Eels in a safe direction*

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## Ryan

Looks almost like a seal with no flippers.

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## Barefoot

The eel looks less than impressed  :ORLY:

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## veitnamcam

The ones under Durvil hut jetty are bigger than that. Ask anyone on the forum trip,Spanners may or may not have had a really close look at em.

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## kiwi39

> The ones under Durvil hut jetty are bigger than that. Ask anyone on the forum trip,Spanners may or may not have had a really close look at em.


As in durville island ? Is There a DOC hut on there ?


Tim

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## Barefoot

I'm sure VC will mean Nelson Lakes. I remember them from 25yrs ago. True monsters.

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## Rushy

That certainly is one gnarly old fish.

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## veitnamcam

Yea lake Rotoroa not Durvil island.
Used to be a hut on the island but so the story goes a few doc workers accidently burnt it down.

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## Dundee

I thought it was bloody seal too when I saw the small picture :Grin:  But I like blowing things up so you guys got a decent picture :Yuush: 

Off too the river Bye :Wink:

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## Rushy

> Off too the river Bye


Luck with the fishing Dundee.

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## Dundee

> Luck with the fishing Dundee.


Thanks a lot Rushy you were spose to put GOODin front of luck :Oh Noes:

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## Gapped axe

Used to run into some big eel's when I was doing Dive maintenance on the hydro's. Always before the dive (which was normally around 2am) some smart arse would pipe up with, You should of seen the eel that Henry lost here last nite! broke his tow rope even. Don't like killing them, I reckon they are special, and should only be taken for special occasions. When you get into their life cycle ,it's pretty damn impressive,and who are we to take something out of the life cycle, who is so old and significant to our NZ waters.

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## kiwi39

Story my grandma used to tell me every school hols about a bloke in the rotoiti powerboat races who flipped his boat and lost the outboard ...

Mate of his offered to dive for it ... Got to the bottom and turned around and came straight back up ...

Told his mate there was no way he was diving through  foot thick eels to save some outboard

We never swum in the lake ...


Tim

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## Kiwi Sapper

> William Higginson with a monster 12.6 kg long finned eel he caught and released unharmed back into a tributary of the Grey River.


Well done William, for releasing it, even 'tho they do look suitable for a "We're just good friends" sub title.

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## Rushy

> Thanks a lot Rushy you were spose to put GOODin front of luck


Are you suggesting that I jinxed you Dundee?

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## Dundee

It was a case of hard luck last night Rushy but its still good to get out there. :Grin:

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## kotuku

the grey has some very large eels ,but lake brunner and its tributaries also house some bigguns. ivivdly remeber a cockie at kotuku dealing to one in molloy creek with a plug of gelignite after i took one too many nips at his kids swimming. It was estimated round the thirty pound mark ,growing fat on sheeps guts etc etc and other fauna that fell in the creek over the years.
I remember my cousin taking a 26lbeel out of another swimming hole in molloy creek ,with a spear made by our greatgreat grandather ,pop molloy.
 a notorious legend has it that the arnold river once housed an eel so big it has to swim up into lake brunner to turn around.a little more gross is the fate of those unfortunate enough to drown in brunner -often found with fingertips,ears ,nose etc nibbled by curious eels.finally -again fifty plus years ago as a wee lad at lake brunner school we did a schooltrip to the kaimata dam to see the NZED divers inspecting it.one diver 9bloody hardcase0 reckoned the old eel who lived in the milkchurn at the base of the dam ,invited him in for a cuppa ,but he thought he'd check with us kids first in case we had any questions.typically we swallowed the tale hookline &sinker.
  Ive seen CHCH city council workers hook decent ones out of the avon as they clean rubbish&weed.apparently some bigguns live in the avonwhere it flows through the botanic gardens,the presence of ducks galore is more than coincidence.

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## hawkfish

So what bait and tackle do you use to catch them out of interest??

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## Gibo

> So what bait and tackle do you use to catch them out of interest??


Theres no rules mate. Spear, hinaki( net), or abot of string/ nylon. Hand line is easier than rod.

I used to suppy the local fish shop and got $2 a kilo.
I found the best bait was beef liver but let it get all smelly first. Fresh bait doesnt serm as effective for eels unless theres plenty of blood.

My pb was 12kg and that day i got $56 from the fish shop. Was all good for a 13 year old.  :Have A Nice Day: 

This is just my experience with eels  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Maca49

12guage off the bank and a gaff they concuss very easily

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## Dundee

Fresh hare meat sticks well to the hook with a polywire line as the teeth don't cut through.

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## Gibo

Watched a old Maori gut in Te Puke working the local stream one day. He had a sack and a gaff and walked the bank and stomped the bank in and the eels came out. Filled his sack in about 25m 
Was bloody impressive but looking back not so good for the stream. If everyone used that technique the stream would be a mile wide  :Grin:

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## veitnamcam

Fluffed up bit of flax rubbed with bacon works.

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## Dundee

Got back from the hill too late to hit the river so baited line at creek and a few seconds later landed this.


Never weighed it released this one was a bit on the small side.

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## Dynastar27

very nice Dundee

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## Dundee

One of the monsters in the Manawatu River :Wtfsmilie:

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## possummatti

the river on my farm used to be swarming with big mommas until some wanker commercial eeler came in and cleaned them out. best to date 19lb on a hand line. good fun

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## Pop Shot

@Dundee

Looks legit......  :Wink:

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## veitnamcam

who is the whoosie feeding it?

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## R93

> who is the whoosie feeding it?
> 
> Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2


+1 what a priss!

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## stingray

Shit that lass would be flossing her teeth with the ones we saw up nelson lakes  :O O:

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## Dundee

> who is the whoosie feeding it?
> 
> Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2


Not my kids they would jump in and wrestle it too the bank. :Omg:

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## P38

> One of the monsters in the Manawatu River


Hahahahaha

What where you afraid of?

He'd only take a little nibble while he was dragging you into the water.  :Wink: 

We have some monsters that size in the Maraetotara stream that used to scare the living daylight out of me too.

Cheers
Pete

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## kotuku

another trick ive used in the past is with wee ones.used to hunt willows for possums on a farm where we rented a house.in winter ponds would appear and little uns in em.used to sit on a stump and put a.22 rd in beside em-the aerial gymnastics of those eels was something else. in latter years once disposed of a troublesome brute on cousins farm with ye trusty old .303 round in the noggin as he fed on fresh sheeps guts.apparently cousins kids lost two cats to this bastard ,so his mrs decided it had to go.needless to say it was a very loud wet messy executionshredded eel does not make good camouflage ,nor does it smell that attractive.
 must admit though theres some impressive specimens on this thread.

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## Dundee

That eel in that vid will be on Channel 1 news tonight. I hope they don't show to many land marks or some bastard will kill it.

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## Rushy

> Fluffed up bit of flax rubbed with bacon works.


Old hemp rope with a knot in the end smeared with an egg will do the same.  That is probably the modern equivalent

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## Dundee

FAKE!!! What a wanker but we know where there are monsters in this river. :ORLY:

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## kiwi39

baaaaaahahahaha ... he got the lot of us ... good on him .. too funny 
 :ORLY:  :Thumbsup:

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## Rushy

> C'mon Rushy you replied then deleted???


What are you talking about Dundee?  My post is still there.  Are you on the bombers again?

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## Pengy

Waikato !!

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## P38

hahahahaha.

Sucked in, chewed up and spat out alright.

Looked bloody good though.  :Thumbsup: 

Cheers
Pete

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## Dundee

Na the power went out Rushy,I got a notification but didn't see your post :Have A Nice Day:

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## time out

> I see some big sods while diving the hydro's and outfalls as well.  But, one of the most amazing things I've seen is up a spillway on a dam, on the downstream side of a spillway gate.  There were big channel steel sections about 150x350 internal size, level with a swarming mass of elvers.  I mean, the channels were all level to the top with 100mm long eels, there must have been thousands - a swarming mass of silver string.  I expect they were waiting to get upriver...


I used to live in Cambridge and my old neighbour had a NIWA contract to net elvers every morning at the base of the Karapiro Dam - first concrete stoppage on the Waikato River 
Every morning at daylight for about six months he headed off to the dam - when the wall was wet they could climb up quite a way - before they fell back down 
He stored them in a circulated tank for a few days then took them up river to each of the dams for release 
Pretty sure it was part of the contract that MRP had with Maori to restock all of the dams on the river 
He also spent time trying to net the female monsters in the dams before they migrated to the sea - poor buggars got chopped to pieces going through the turbines  :Sad:

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## Dundee

Going to be some big eels on the news tonight...Ch 1 :Have A Nice Day:

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## EeeBees

Was hunting up the Repia with my father...after breakfast he went downstream and I went upstream...mooching along quietly, I had that feeling that someone or something was watching me... I looked towards the stream and there was a monster eel with its head out of the water...it kept on following me...further on up I shot a yearling hind begging it not to fall in the water  :Zomg: ...those big eels give me the complete willies!!!!

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## Dundee

L Waikaremoana is another place with giants

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## Scribe

> L Waikaremoana is another place with giants


Giant trout at Tuai as well. We met a family from there when we were camped on a farm catching deer. They had three trout, all mounted, all over the 20 pound mark.

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## Chris

Couple of big ones on the wall of the Tuai working mens club too Scribe & report of a very big trout caught below the tail race there at the hydro.

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## Sean

Dads got another one

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## Maca49

Geeze thats a very shallow pool for an eel that big Sean :Thumbsup:

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## BRADS

> Geeze thats a very shallow pool for an eel that big Sean


Looks as real as this one 


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## 7mmsaum

> Looks as real as this one 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hahahahahahahahaha

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## Ryan



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## Dundee

https://youtu.be/9C9KLoZTBdc

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## Dundee

Some good reading here.


https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/taniwh...mpaign=Taniwha

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## madmaori

> Some good reading here.
> 
> 
> https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/taniwh...mpaign=Taniwha


Bloody good read

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## R93

I challenge anyone to swim at night in certain places of Lake Mapourika

They come into any noise on mass and have no fear of people or their dangly bits. 

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## gadgetman

> I challenge anyone to swim at night in certain places of Lake Mapourika
> 
> They come into any noise on mass and have no fear of people or their dangly bits. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk


Like the 'tame' ones in the old Westbay factory pond. They were impressive.

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## R93

> Like the 'tame' ones in the old Westbay factory pond. They were impressive.


Most of them got caught and are now in a tank in town.

I love eating the buggers but don't like sharing the water with them

I crossed a chest deep South Westland river on dark after I shot a couple deer. Had a mate meet up with me as I was crossing with the first one.
He advised me not to turn around and I laughed it off.
I dumped the first carcass on the bank and went to go back for the other and 2 of the biggest eels I have ever seen were just waiting in the slack water. He said they followed me from about halfway. 
Fair to say it took a few big rocks and a lot of puckering to go and get the other one especially as it was getting darker. Iirc I got around $500 bucks for the 2 animals but would have happily forfeited half of it that night. 


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## Pauli

> Some good reading here.
> 
> 
> https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/taniwh...mpaign=Taniwha


I find them fascinating creatures. Having harassed them as kids by overturning rocks in the creek and squealing like little girls while trying to flick them out on to the bank, then as we got older, assigned to sack duty while following the uncles up the creek with a gaff using a quartered tire wired to a fence batten and used as a torch which was lit by a small fire on the bank, graduating to operating the gaff with younger cousins, nieces and nephews on sack duty. All prepped and eaten with great delight.

Nowadays, I set the hinaki (using marmite and grated cheese as a lure), show the moko and tell them about their amazing life cycle, take a heap of digitals and release them quietly back into the water.

I love eating them, I just don't like killing them anymore...

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## gadgetman

> Most of them got caught and are now in a tank in town.
> 
> I love eating the buggers but don't like sharing the water with them
> 
> I crossed a chest deep South Westland river on dark after I shot a couple deer. Had a mate meet up with me as I was crossing with the first one.
> He advised me not to turn around and I laughed it off.
> I dumped the first carcass on the bank and went to go back for the other and 2 of the biggest eels I have ever seen were just waiting in the slack water. He said they followed me from about halfway. 
> Fair to say it took a few big rocks and a lot of puckering to go and get the other one especially as it was getting darker. Iirc I got around $500 bucks for the 2 animals but would have happily forfeited half of it that night. 
> 
> ...


Was bloody funny when I was working there late one night. One of the guys from the factory comes out with a bin of fish frames and heads to feed them. He leaned over the railing a little to far and his car keys slid out of his pocket, 'plop'. Wasn't at all keen to put his hand in to retrieve them. Finally managed to snag them on a long stick with a bent nail after about 20 minutes.

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## Shearer



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## Beaker

> I challenge anyone to swim at night in certain places of Lake Mapourika
> 
> They come into any noise on mass and have no fear of people or their dangly bits. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk


I have heard that they like maggot size offerings....

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## R93

> Was bloody funny when I was working there late one night. One of the guys from the factory comes out with a bin of fish frames and heads to feed them. He leaned over the railing a little to far and his car keys slid out of his pocket, 'plop'. Wasn't at all keen to put his hand in to retrieve them. Finally managed to snag them on a long stick with a bent nail after about 20 minutes.


When did you work there mate?
I used to split fish during school holidays and had a full time job there as a filleter before I joined the Army in 84'

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## R93

> I have heard that they like maggot size offerings....


You would almost make a feed for one then? 

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## Micky Duck

caught a few up to 12lb on handlines as a kid.... they very good smoked but I really cant get my head around eating them and would rather watch them go...the big eels should be looked after and photo taken then released...thats a bloody old fish who has a big swim ahead to trench over tonga way somewhere to breed and make more little eels....

one place I used to board at the eels would be waiting at bridge when Id gone out shooting rabbits as they knew I would feed them on way home..they got tame as and would poke heads out of water waiting for a feed...... duck guts is great bait for both eels and koura (not often found in same place)

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## kotuku

my late father used to shoot a private lake at rotomanu(in fact he died duckshooting) and always remember him saying if you dropped a duck it was a race between you and the eels. years later cuzzie&iwere on this farm eeling in the outlet creek.bugger me framers wife lost a chookthat morning -stuck its beek in the water and wallop. well bugger me ginger chucks line in with as little bit of old possum on it and whammo it erupted death spins by the score before we managed to wrestle it up the bank and deliver the death knock
guilty ads fucking charged your honour -a complete chookleg in its guts!
 the cockies son killed one with a shovel one day as it made a crack at him standing on the boat trailer in bare feet.it apparently was recognisable by a part missing fin and had adopted this tactic.noone knew why it had such shit on its liver but petes deft useof the shovel appeared to remedy the problem.
 another good way to get em is ye old bob maori and pakeha used this .get a lump of liver heart or even a kidney or just a lump of beef.wrap it securely in fine cotton or nylon -ty her onto some hefty line and dangle it in the hole old slimy willcome up curious mouth it and his rear sloping teeth get entwined in the thread! my best -a 26lber out of the moonlight creek after grandad killed  a sheep and dropped the guts in .we actually had a smaller eel on our line (made from grannies finest NZ post office string)until this hidous monstrosity slid from under the rock we stood on and proceeded to devour the poor bastard.we x3 hauled it in and killed it mreifully before dropping remains back in -yup gargantuan resumed what it thought was a free meal but we all3 hauling in tandem won the day.
after weighing it grandad said give it to old lucy the pig and her piglets.
 whoa
what was left -a skin so clean you could have eaten off it and a fat old sow smacking her chops with a contented grin.
 shed do the same to possums -clean skin with 4 sets of claws and if shed eaten earlier part of the skull.
 yup was enough to heed grandads warning not to get close to her when her piglets were close!!

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## gadgetman

> When did you work there mate?
> I used to split fish during school holidays and had a full time job there as a filleter before I joined the Army in 84'
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk


I used to sort their IT issues from about '91 till they closed. Managed to get stuck over there one anniversary weekend and they wouldn't let me work. I managed to put together a bit of kit and follow one of the directors (Harold) and their accountant (Andy) around the Victoria range for a couple of days.

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## Dundee

Geeze R93 you'd be an old bugger now.I joined the green machine in 89 :Grin:

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## gadgetman

> Geeze R93 you'd be an old bugger now.I joined the green machine in 89


My plan was to join the blue lot in '83.

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## kotuku

part time green machine 77-91 and enjoyed every bloody minute.pity thew rest of NZ didnt display as much discipline today!

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## R93

> Geeze R93 you'd be an old bugger now.I joined the green machine in 89


Still in my 40's mate
Went to one of my best mates and his twin brothers 50th last weekend. (never drinking again) 
The silly old fart a while ago suggested we combine all of ours. 
I was horrified!! I am nowhere near 50. Its friggen months away

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## Ryan_Songhurst

Been bitten by an eel when I was a young fella and they put the shits right up me now. Was wading along under some willows in shoulder deep water with my arms outstretched and the bloody thing latched onto my armpit, screamed and yelled and managed to get out of the water with the horrid thing still hanging on, got it off me in the end and it left quite a mark. I'm very cautious about dark water now

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## 300CALMAN

> Been bitten by an eel when I was a young fella and they put the shits right up me now. Was wading along under some willows in shoulder deep water with my arms outstretched and the bloody thing latched onto my armpit, screamed and yelled and managed to get out of the water with the horrid thing still hanging on, got it off me in the end and it left quite a mark. I'm very cautious about dark water now


Shit it must have liked your deodorant or lack of it. Don't go for a swim in the Amazon, those ones will really shock you!

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## Gibo

mate got a sweet bite on his thigh at the local swimming hole. Left a good mark alright.

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## R93

One of my duck ponds needs cleaning out.
Had a mate commercially do it around 10 yrs ago. He pulled out 300kgs in a couple nights.
It is only waste deep at its deepest and around 100m long.

My last dog had a tug of war with one trying to retrieve a duck a few years ago. He lost


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## kotuku

anybody ever see the Nz edition of the TV show featuring that bloke jeremy wade.he specialises in trying to catch maneating fish allover the world.he ended up here on the coast and in sth westalnd tangling with some of the big boys.shoulda seen his eyes when he saw hokitikas waterworld big boy?47lb mk- only to be told its big brother was also in residence but must be asleep.!!!!!
down to lake manapouri and tales of its monsters .
then a hind carcasse was put in a backwash with TV cameras set up round it whilst he was hootchied up with the TV monitor.man the behaviour of those eels hittin that carcasse would bring a tear of joy to any aussie crocs eye.scream in latch on spin like a supercharged bloody clothes dryer until pulling out with lumps of meat in jaws.

finally in an act of bravado bordering i think on psychotic -he dressed in a wetsuit with chainmail over suit covers himself in a mix of oil/fish guts and god knows what other delicacies and wades into a wais tdeep backwash
 overhead view clear brown water suddenly blackened by a huge mob of hungry eels .
he yelled calf as a big brutes nose started to nudge around his crown jewels.however he did feel at least three bites even in chainmail.

IIRC hed heard of a young lass severely torn by eels which had developed a habit of killing stranded ewes in the farm creek somewhere in central NI and wanted to prove fact or fiction.

hmmmm-at end of programme he was certainly less cocky than when he started.
R93-am i correct instating the big buggers in waterworlds tank originated from   stock Bert Vanderdrift rejected when he was eel processing on southshore- Ive also heard they were used for "green" offal disposal by the fish processors .bit like living on prime fillet steak 24 /7 /365 eh what.

eh while i remeber younger sister in her early TV production days did a "make a wish" type reality TV programme. anyhow she put the youngest sister inour family in with the diver to feed the buggers.Tessy B hated eels -was bloody hilarious to see one big fat one wrap himself round her head covering mask and all.
apparently she ex ed the tank like a submarine ballistic missile
we reminded her of it recently -shit if looks were a slaughtermans knife i wouldnt be typing this .even her hubby got told where to go in language most unbecoming of a good catholic girl!

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## Dundee

My Grandad blew one up in the local creek with gelenight after he came home after the great War.Apparently it was over 100lbs and use to eat the ducks.There was an article about the Tiratu monster published in the Dannevirke gazzette. We have tried to search it up at the local library but I think dad is the only one left that vaguely remembers the story.

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## R93

> My Grandad blew one up in the local creek with gelenight after he came home after the great War.Apparently it was over 100lbs and use to eat the ducks.There was an article about the Tiratu monster published in the Dannevirke gazzette. We have tried to search it up at the local library but I think dad is the only one left that vaguely remembers the story.


PM Rushy. He probably gave your grandad the gelenight

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## veitnamcam

When I was a lad a mate and I would go down the local river with his dads single shot 22 and we would take turns as the rock turner over and the shooter turning over rocks and shooting bootlaces (small eels) Looking back it is a bit of a shame but we probably didnt shoot that many...turn over 10-15 rocks for one....We were obviously very carefull or bloody lucky(the later I think) not to get a injury from a ricochet.
We had a few ponds dad had dug on the small farm and I vividly remember one night the eels out in the paddocks in the rain heading for the road and ditch, no idea why they didnt just use the ditches connecting the ponds and heading to the road.

The biggest eel I ever saw was walking over a swing bridge over the 3mile or 5mile? south of Okorito around 30 years ago.. it looked for all the world like a log on the bottom but it slowly swam holding position....being barely a sprat myself I imagined it could swallow me whole like a python.

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## R93

> anybody ever see the Nz edition of the TV show featuring that bloke jeremy wade.he specialises in trying to catch maneating fish allover the world.he ended up here on the coast and in sth westalnd tangling with some of the big boys.shoulda seen his eyes when he saw hokitikas waterworld big boy?47lb mk- only to be told its big brother was also in residence but must be asleep.!!!!!
> down to lake manapouri and tales of its monsters .
> then a hind carcasse was put in a backwash with TV cameras set up round it whilst he was hootchied up with the TV monitor.man the behaviour of those eels hittin that carcasse would bring a tear of joy to any aussie crocs eye.scream in latch on spin like a supercharged bloody clothes dryer until pulling out with lumps of meat in jaws.
> 
> finally in an act of bravado bordering i think on psychotic -he dressed in a wetsuit with chainmail over suit covers himself in a mix of oil/fish guts and god knows what other delicacies and wades into a wais tdeep backwash
>  overhead view clear brown water suddenly blackened by a huge mob of hungry eels .
> he yelled calf as a big brutes nose started to nudge around his crown jewels.however he did feel at least three bites even in chainmail.
> 
> IIRC hed heard of a young lass severely torn by eels which had developed a habit of killing stranded ewes in the farm creek somewhere in central NI and wanted to prove fact or fiction.
> ...


I am not 100% on this mate but I was told most of the eels were taken from the ponds outside the factory.
When I worked there they only took eels of a certain size depending on order.
So big ones generally got released into the ponds. We used to eat our lunch and feed the buggers tid bits of the jetty. 

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## Russian 22.

My aunt's place up north has brown trout and eels in the creek that runs along it. We fed them heaps of dead possum over the weekend and some of them were pretty big. 

We even used to have them at the local creek down the road my childhood home. We'd take the left over bones and stuff from the roast dinner and feed them. And then someone dumped some rubbish and all sorts of nasty stuff and they disappeared. Don't think ive seen one for 10 years.

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## Fat ninja

Bloody loopies think its good fun to feed them, makes swimming there bit scary, Im scared of the bloody things

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## 300CALMAN

Forum consensus - Eels are awesome.

Never forget catching one on a scout trip early in the morning, took it into the tent to show everyone my awesome catch. The poor eel got loose and went ballistic on the tent floor. Scouts were trying to get under the tent or over the eel to get away from the large squirming pissed off eel. Hilarious and it somehow made it back to the river about 10 m away, they seem to have a sixth sense as to where their home is.

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## veitnamcam

> Forum consensus - Eels are awesome.
> 
> Never forget catching one on a scout trip early in the morning, took it into the tent to show everyone my awesome catch. The poor eel got loose and went ballistic on the tent floor. Scouts were trying to get under the tent or over the eel to get away from the large squirming pissed off eel. Hilarious and it somehow made it back to the river about 10 m away, they seem to have a sixth sense as to where their home is.


Did ya get a hiding for that one?  :Thumbsup:

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## 300CALMAN

> Did ya get a hiding for that one?


Haha Nah everyone was too terrified of getting bitten and preoccupied with escape. I quickly went back to fishing.

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## kotuku

> I am not 100% on this mate but I was told most of the eels were taken from the ponds outside the factory.
> When I worked there they only took eels of a certain size depending on order.
> So big ones generally got released into the ponds. We used to eat our lunch and feed the buggers tid bits of the jetty. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk


yeah thats what iwas told too-anyeels oversize were dropped in those ponds.remember he used to smoke bootlaces over manuka,and on a friday night do the rounds of the pubs .we'd be in the southland drinkin pints -i still drool strippin one of those tasty wee buggers like a corn cob  all washed down with teens finest ales!!

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## R93

> yeah thats what iwas told too-anyeels oversize were dropped in those ponds.remember he used to smoke bootlaces over manuka,and on a friday night do the rounds of the pubs .we'd be in the southland drinkin pints -i still drool strippin one of those tasty wee buggers like a corn cob  all washed down with teens finest ales!!


I had a beer with Paul the other day at my folks 50th wedding anniversary.
He hasn't changed a bit. 

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## kotuku

bloody nice to hear

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## Dundee

Got an eel living in a creek which I have been feeding my trout frames too. Took it down some duck meat tonight.Have no intention of killing it but great to have an eel handy to feed most nights.

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## Micky Duck

koura also love duck guts... its good to see eels around the place...they were here first and will probably still be here when we are gone if we dont stuff up all thier waterways first.

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## 308

Great to feed them scraps, the size of those ones at the Mt Bruce sanctuary impressed me..

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## ghosts

Heres a hard case story I heard.
'' A team of mates away on a roar trip.
A couple of the boys caught a few eels and deposited them in one of the guys sleeping bag.
Quite a few beers etc were had that night and when the victim went to bed, much to his mates delight who had chosen to stay awake and listen to the proceedings. 
Climbing into his sleeping bag, when a blood curdling scream erupted.
Exit stage left in one hell of a hurry one very pissed and pissed off guy to eject said eels onto the ground outside. The boys all denied any knowledge of course.
He had to turn his sleeping bag inside out to sleep in  as the slime from the eels had covered most of the inside. And it was his missus sleeping bag to.

A sequal to the story happened a few months later when the main protagonist left his check book with in reach of the eel victim who wrote in a blank space in the check butt.
The protagonist handed all his check butts into his accountant who rung him up and asked what the $2000 cheque was and why was it made out to a bogus doctor for services to remove eel from anus.

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## Dundee

This one is a different one living under the foot bridge on way to the duck pond.

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## Dundee

The foot bridge eel is still there but haven't seen the close one by the house for a week.

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## kukuwai

Heres some for ya dundee 

Nelson lakes 

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## 300CALMAN

Forum consensus - Eels are awesome.

Never forget catching one on a scout trip early in the morning, took it into the tent to show everyone my awesome catch. The poor eel got loose and went ballistic on the tent floor. Scouts were trying to get under the tent or over the eel to get away from the large squirming pissed off eel. Hilarious and it somehow made it back to the river about 10 m away, they seem to have a sixth sense as to where their home is.

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## veitnamcam

> Forum consensus - Eels are awesome.
> 
> Never forget catching one on a scout trip early in the morning, took it into the tent to show everyone my awesome catch. The poor eel got loose and went ballistic on the tent floor. Scouts were trying to get under the tent or over the eel to get away from the large squirming pissed off eel. Hilarious and it somehow made it back to the river about 10 m away, they seem to have a sixth sense as to where their home is.


Did ya get a hiding for that one?  :Thumbsup:

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## 300CALMAN

> Did ya get a hiding for that one?


Haha Nah everyone was too terrified of getting bitten and preoccupied with escape. I quickly went back to fishing.

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## kotuku

> I am not 100% on this mate but I was told most of the eels were taken from the ponds outside the factory.
> When I worked there they only took eels of a certain size depending on order.
> So big ones generally got released into the ponds. We used to eat our lunch and feed the buggers tid bits of the jetty. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk


yeah thats what iwas told too-anyeels oversize were dropped in those ponds.remember he used to smoke bootlaces over manuka,and on a friday night do the rounds of the pubs .we'd be in the southland drinkin pints -i still drool strippin one of those tasty wee buggers like a corn cob  all washed down with teens finest ales!!

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## R93

> yeah thats what iwas told too-anyeels oversize were dropped in those ponds.remember he used to smoke bootlaces over manuka,and on a friday night do the rounds of the pubs .we'd be in the southland drinkin pints -i still drool strippin one of those tasty wee buggers like a corn cob  all washed down with teens finest ales!!


I had a beer with Paul the other day at my folks 50th wedding anniversary.
He hasn't changed a bit. 

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

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## kotuku

bloody nice to hear

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## Dundee

Got an eel living in a creek which I have been feeding my trout frames too. Took it down some duck meat tonight.Have no intention of killing it but great to have an eel handy to feed most nights.

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## Micky Duck

koura also love duck guts... its good to see eels around the place...they were here first and will probably still be here when we are gone if we dont stuff up all thier waterways first.

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## 308

Great to feed them scraps, the size of those ones at the Mt Bruce sanctuary impressed me..

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## ghosts

Heres a hard case story I heard.
'' A team of mates away on a roar trip.
A couple of the boys caught a few eels and deposited them in one of the guys sleeping bag.
Quite a few beers etc were had that night and when the victim went to bed, much to his mates delight who had chosen to stay awake and listen to the proceedings. 
Climbing into his sleeping bag, when a blood curdling scream erupted.
Exit stage left in one hell of a hurry one very pissed and pissed off guy to eject said eels onto the ground outside. The boys all denied any knowledge of course.
He had to turn his sleeping bag inside out to sleep in  as the slime from the eels had covered most of the inside. And it was his missus sleeping bag to.

A sequal to the story happened a few months later when the main protagonist left his check book with in reach of the eel victim who wrote in a blank space in the check butt.
The protagonist handed all his check butts into his accountant who rung him up and asked what the $2000 cheque was and why was it made out to a bogus doctor for services to remove eel from anus.

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## Dundee

This one is a different one living under the foot bridge on way to the duck pond.

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## Dundee

The foot bridge eel is still there but haven't seen the close one by the house for a week.

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## kukuwai

Heres some for ya dundee 

Nelson lakes 

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