Thread: Eels

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.