How to hook live sandeel

[bulletproof]

Hello folks,

During a recent blank at Exmouth many others anglers where having much success with live sandeel.

So my question is how do you treat these baits? Are they literally live on the hook and how do you prevent them coming off during a cast?

Thanks in advance.

[MRG2000]

To live bait a sandeel ,the best method is hook thro the bottom jaw ,and just nick the hook in the flank of the eel ,the are delicate and will not take much of a cast ,freeline close in or under a float is the best method.. You can try lip hooking the eel ,then gently pat it dry and carefully bind it to the line with PVA tape ,and cast out , can be a bit hit and miss tho.

[scottish_and_mental]

yep, not really up to casting any great distance so a method we use is to cast out a lead .. attatch the eel to a 4 foot hooklenght and clip this to your mainline and let it sail down to the lead ..
To hook one - pass the hook in through the mouth and out through the gill cover - then nick the hook through the belly .
to make it easy , when you pass the hook back out the gills , pull another 6 inches of line through - you can then pierce the belly and then pull the line taught again .