Eel Babbing

[Moonraker]

Following from the Fish of coarse thread here is some detail about the no hook technique for catching eels called 'Eel Babbing' or 'Eel Bobbing'.

Here is a picture from c.1800 showing a woman eelfisher which gives some idea of technique (not sure if pipe was required kit ):

From: 'Freshwater Fishing' Fred Buller and Hugh Falkus. Macdonald & Co. (Publishers Ltd).1975.

An eel-bobber of Battersea, c. 1800. Eel-bobbing, or babbing: a centuries-old method of catching eels. Lobworms were threaded on worsted and tied in a bunch (known as a 'bob' or 'bab') to the end of the line. No hook was used. When an eel bit at the worm its teeth got caught in the worsted and it was hoisted out of the waterj sometimes (as shown) straight into a tub. The customary tackle was a large corkfloat; but the old woman eel-bobber of Battersea has dispensed with such a refinement-obviously preferring to fish by touch.

'Worsted' = "Firm-textured, compactly twisted woolen yarn made from long-staple fibers."

Not much reference material on eel babbing but one fairly recent book may well be worth checking out ( covers other techniques by a poacher):

'THE GREAT GAME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A WELSH POACHER.'*
ISBN:0951405357
Wyman, Harold

Book Description: 1993 1st edition. Fieldfare. Llandeilo. Ppxii,160. B/w photographs, illustrations. Fine in dust-wrapper. The Wrexham snerper on long-netting, snares, nets and lurchers. Good short chapter, with photographs, on eel-bobbing.

Foyles Bookshop UK have it for £14.00.

I had not known until today that it was/is a traditional hunting technique used by the Mauri in New Zealand! From:

NZ Ministry of the Environment-'The State Of Our Fish'

Freshwater eels (called tuna in Maori) are prized as taonga (treasures) in Maori culture (Taylor, 1992). Eels are important for hui (gatherings), tangi (funerals) and other social activities, including gift exchanges. They also feature in tribal traditions and mythology. More than 160 names for eels have been recorded, reflecting the diversity of local traditions and the significance attached to variations in size, shape, colour, taste, behaviour and habitat (Best, 1929). Eel fishing took many forms, varying according to tribal tradition, location, season and habitat. The main fishing methods included hinaki (eel pots), pa-tuna (eel weirs), toi (eel bobbing without hooks), korapa (hand netting), rapu tuna (feeling with hands and feet then catching with hands), rama tuna (by torch light) patu tuna (eel striking), mata rau (spearing) and koumu (eel trenches). During the annual tunaheke (eel migration) channels were dug into stream banks and lake shores, trapping vast numbers of eels on their way to the oceanic breeding grounds. The returning elvers (baby eels) were taken by placing bundles of bracken fern at the top of falls or at known congregation points during their upstream movement.

Maori communities regulated eel harvests and controlled access to fishing areas through a system of tapu (sacred) rules, usages, beliefs and ceremonies whose violation could bring retribution from both supernatural and human agents (Habib, 1989). Individual iwi (clans or tribes), hapu (septs or sub-tribes) and whanau (extended families) were restricted to fishing specific waters. Examples of traditional practices include: transferring juvenile eels to land-locked waters with no eels; refraining from fishing during the first three days of the migration (which, it is now known, protected mostly the male eels which migrate first); releasing the largest of the migrating eels (which are now known to be older females); imposing rahui (temporary bans) on fishing in particular areas; and minimising wastage of eel carcasses (Butler, 1993; Carkeek, 1989).

More detail on the web site linked above. Interesting to read about the use of bracken fern bundles to catch elvers (young eels).

Even the Duke of Edinburgh notes Norfolk as the best eel babbing area!. From a speech given to the the RSA in 2002 (The Balance of Nature: Land management & conservation. Conference):

Canute may not have been able tocontrol the tides
but in response to the little ice age he kept his people
warm by burning peat dug from the fenlands so releasing
fossil carbon dioxide to warm the globalgreenhouse.
By accident he also created the Norfolk Broads, destined
to become one of the best multi million all action holiday
location and some of the best eel babbing territory in the land

Another bit of detail from The Maggotdrowning Forums:

I used to go totting on the welland at deeping about 20 -25 years ago. Needs to be done from dusk to about 1am , wool must be nylon
or worsted. Best time is when the eels are running in late may / early june. You need a big umbrella turned upside down or a boat into which to drop the eels as you wont get them if you drop them on the bank

and:

babbing is whenm you use a long cane with wool/ yarn tied to it then you thread a bunch of worms up the wool/yarn & put a lead on the bottom of the line, apparantly the eels get their little teeth caught in the string then you just pull them in like a whip.
It only works on shallow waters & the line should be no longer than the cane.

I fancy it could also be used to catch crayfish as well who are tenacious grippers of fishing bait :shock:

Hoping to try it out in the Autumn.

Simon

 

[Ed]

Another excellent post, kepp 'em comming :biggthump

Ed

 

[Paganwolf]

Hi Si, Great fun Babbing ive done it several times in Bradwell norfolk on the broads there, a nice bit of wool and some big lob worms works a treat, caught crabs as well lol but thats a different story :roll: cray fishing is my all time favorite all you need is an old chicken wire rat trap and a can of dogfood and your in for a fantastic feed !! carry on babbing and good luck ): ):

 

[Moonraker]

Hi Si, Great fun Babbing ive done it several times in Bradwell norfolk on the broads there, a nice bit of wool and some big lob worms works a treat, caught crabs as well lol but thats a different story :roll: cray fishing is my all time favorite all you need is an old chicken wire rat trap and a can of dogfood and your in for a fantastic feed !! carry on babbing and good luck ): ):

Hi PaganWolf

Nice to hear from a babber! Of course we should mention more the favoured bait being lob worms or 'earth worms' or 'night cralwers in America, not sure in French (ver des terre?). The ones I used to catch on the rugby field in Bath at night for fishing in the river. Bacially you can catch them on short grass mainly when they emerge to mate ( being hermaphrodite that is fun too :yikes. You use either a torch shone not direct but close and then quickly graps worm between thumb and first finger tight ( like a eel). Hold fast but don't pull. it will constrict and try to escape down the worm hole but after a few seconds has to relax it's grasp and will be pulled out easily. Or maybe use a red led torch now?!

Here is what you want to be looking for after dark:

More details for catching lob worms here:
go-fishing.co.uk
In fact they are a good source of protein themselves :biggthump Earthworms are 70% protein and soaking them in water overnight will purge them of soil. drink with a cold Chablis

[Freaky fact: The largest earth worm ever found was in South Africa and measured 6.7 metres.:yikes: :yikes:]


I guess you could use any 'smelly' meaty bait such as rabbit offal etc for babbing.

Actually that type of crayfish trap is pretty underrated freshwater fish are actually best baits followed by seawater fish baits ( but not as available for Bushcrafters). Crayfish are clever and get out of traps if not good ones. I think for our type of activity ( i.e. wanting pretty quick results) the 'balance ' as used in France is a good bet and likely to work best. I will hope to explain and show this when I have done my tests.

Thanks for the feedback

Simon

 

[Stuart]

'THE GREAT GAME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A WELSH POACHER.'*
ISBN:0951405357
Wyman, Harold

Quote:
Book Description: 1993 1st edition. Fieldfare. Llandeilo. Ppxii,160. B/w photographs, illustrations. Fine in dust-wrapper. The Wrexham snerper on long-netting, snares, nets and lurchers. Good short chapter, with photographs, on eel-bobbing.

this book that you mention is available in the game section of the BCUK bookshop

 

[mercury]

mmmm eels rolled in flour and fried

 

[Moonraker]

smoked for me