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HOW TO CATCH, PREPARE, AND EAT AN AMERICAN EEL (JANG-EO DUPBAP/UNAGI-DON)

-- By DanLEe - 25 Feb 2021

Introduction

Memories of Going to Catch Eels

When I was a young boy, I, like many other young boys, went fishing with my father. We would drive north from North Jersey for two to three hours into the heart of the Catskills. Not far into Rockland County, the road becomes lonely and surrounded by dense forest, and the air seems to change very quickly. Our hearts always lightened the farther north we went; I knew this although we always fell very silent an hour or so into the drive.

After the interstate and the exit and the winding blacktop and the winding gravel and finally the winding dirt road, we come to the spot. The spot is next to a lake or a slow-moving, deepish river, although this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Eels are hardy creatures, and they’ll go most anywhere they please. My father and I caught and ate eels and catfish because his father caught eels and catfish. He would always be surprised when the white folks we sometimes fished next to would throw them back or give them to us. They would go on casting for bass or trout or perch, because eels are dirty bottom feeders.

Preparing to Catch the Eel

Materials

To catch an eel, you want to use a shortish, medium-power rod with a ten-pound line. The short rod and thick line give you more leverage and power against the eel, which will rage and fight like a bull when it realizes it has been caught. Do not use a bob, because eels will not feed near the surface, especially in the daytime. A sinker will work fine, but a split shot (essentially a series of ball bearings clamped to the fishing line) will reduce your chances of getting caught on a log or other debris.

Location

Fish at night. Eels are shy creatures that rarely feed during the day, and they are often found in muddy waters, tangles of underwater foliage and debris, and holes within the lakebed or riverbed. They love to feed when it is hot and humid; on one summer night after a day of thunderstorms, I caught thirteen eels on one rod.

Catching the Eel

Where to Cast

Hook a nightcrawler and cast as far as you can. Eels love the deep and spend most of their lives wriggling through the muddy, dark waters closest to their hiding spots. Because of their love for their homes, they tend not to venture too far from them, even to feed. If an eel does not bite your crawler inside of ten minutes, it is because you have cast too far from any of them.

How to Fight

An eel has a small mouth, so it will not gobble your bait up greedily like a bass or pike. If it comes, it will come with a cautious nibble that can be felt in one of three ways. The first is to shine a flashlight on the tip of the rod and watch the end. This method is impractical because it will attract every fly, gnat, mosquito, moth, and beetle in a square mile, and you’ll end up spending more time batting them away than fishing. The second is to close your eyes and try to feel the subtlest hints of movement in the rod. This method works, but sometimes will put you to sleep. The third, and my favorite, is to crack a glowstick and rubber-band it to the tip of the rod. In any case, wait for two nibbles. The first means the eel is curious. The second means that he is hungry. When the second comes, jerk the rod straight back over your shoulder so the hook “sets,” or pierces his lip or the roof of his mouth.

The eel has more fight in it than a bottle of bad tequila. It’s a 20-30 inch band of writhing, angry, slippery muscle. Once you’ve set the hook, the eel will fight every second until you’ve hit him over the head with a big rock. Just keep pulling and reeling. Don’t stop, because the eel will catch its breath and craftily wrap itself around something in the water and snap your line. Even as it’s coming out of the water, the eel will thrash and tangle itself in your line out of spite, which will be a huge pain to unravel when you’re preparing it. Mind you, you don’t have to prepare it right away. You can stick it in a bucket with some water or even in a plastic bag. Eels are much less delicate than, say, trout.

Preparing the Eel

An eels is hard to grab hold of, so when you are getting ready to prepare it, you should wet your hand and get some sand or dirt on it for traction. If you have a gaff, try to pin the eel down below the gills and get him at the base of his skull. If you don’t, this is where the big rock comes in. Once he’s dead, make a slit from the anus to right below his gills. The skin is pretty tough, so you might want to take it off here if you don’t enjoy a little chewiness with your fish. It comes off like a tight shirtsleeve, although you might need to finagle with it a bit. Take out the guts by cutting the membranes between the bowels and the spine, then fillet it by running the blade parallel to its spine on either side.

You should have two long, beautiful fillets of white fishmeat. Cut them into slices about 4-6 inches long, then score them. Slather them in sweet-sour Unagi sauce, which should be available in a “World” or “Ethnic” aisle near you. All you have to do now is place them on a grill over an open fire (or a frying pan) until they turn a gorgeous crispy, golden-brown color. Place the slices over some steaming white rice, along with some danmuji (yellow radish). Eat.

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