Reader Tips: Put a Sock In It

While recently fishing for stripers with live eels, I used a sock to get a grip on the slimy, slippery baits. After wrestling the wriggling baits on the hook, I found myself with a wet, slimy sock. Rather than throwing the sock on the deck, I threw it in the livewell with the eels and put the lid down. After a few minutes, I opened the well to find all the eels had crawled into the sock, with their heads facing out. I grabbed the neck of the sock and held it tight, and I had the choice of any eel by gripping the sock and pulling one out. No mess, no fuss. At the end of the day, I threw a couple of socks in my bait pen so that the next time I went fishing, I could pull out a sock full of eels and put it in the livewell. No nets needed, and no eels flopping all over the deck.

Robert Pfeifer
Brigantine, New Jersey