Open/Close Toolbox
Copyright is retained by the photographer and/or contributor. Please do not reuse without permission.
Format: Photograph
Copyright
Copyright is retained by the photographer and/or contributor. Please do not reuse without permission.
Menu
ALBUM - Huge eels caught at 17 Mile in pond .
Expand/collapse
About this image
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)17 Mile iEventHuge eels caught at 17 Mile in pond
From Facebook
CommentsSteve Rodda
they would have been 80+ years old at that size
Darcy Craze
Peter Harker got one there that I think was 39 pounds.
Greg Smith
holy hell. never swim in ponds
Curtis Parker
I have seen one in Redjacks creek a monster one at least 2 meters Long when I was a kid a grandaddy one I reckon never seen one bigger apart from the ones in hokitika stuck with me All these years
Colin Waterman
Curtis Parker Grandmommy, only the girls get that big, all those hoki eels are females too.
Curtis Parker
Colin Waterman sorry I meant grandma one amazing how big they can grow I wonder what is the biggest eva caught or seen! I have seen some big ones here in wanganui
Colin Waterman
Curtis Parker incredible animals, should of gained full protection decades ago, largest fresh water eel in the world and its Nz native.
Trish Rennie
My brothers used to catch them when we lived there all those years ago...as a wee girl then to me they were "the monsters" only read about in story booksBrendan Stewart
Peter Boese
Sharna O'Brien
Mike O'Brien dad it's you lol
Candace Anne Macpherson
Sharna O'Brien was just about to tag you he still looks the same lol
Renee O'brien
Candace Anne Macpherson without the facial hair now though lol
Reply20h
Sharna O'Brien
Yea mum messaged us about it so had to join lol yea he just has less hair and more gutt these days
Renee O'brien
Great photo dad!
Mike O'Brien
Ed Dando
Used to catch them in the grey river and around the creeks at Dobson
John White
Ed Dando
John White
And Rocky Island Ed. Some big buggers around there. Risky skinny dipping at night that's for sure
Maureen McCrimmon
Gross
Terry MJ
Used to catch some very big ones in the Cobden Lagoon as a kid between being flooded out from time to time. Loved the spring and summer when the Grey was alive with kahawai, great days !!!!
Lynnette Beirne
When we were kids swimming in Lake Mahinapua big eels used to play around our legs in the rushes
Linda Howard
Mmmm, nice eel steak on a plate.....
Marie Keane
bigger ones in the grey saw 1 over 6ft long last yr
Joshua Kilkelly
Marie Keane do u want a medal
Marie Keane
Joshua Kilkelly smart arse
Tony Devescovi
Who took the photo Michael ?
Sharna O'Brien
Tony Devescovi probably Peter Harker
Tony Devescovi
Sharna O'Brien no
John Brett
In 1956 I was a 10yo kid from England. We used to play in the Blaketown lagoons in tin canoes. I was horrified to see 6 foot eels swimming under my tinnie
Brian Case
Everything big on coast
Margi Adamson
Saw some biggies in my day
Jayce Clark
I seen a real whopper once going from one pond to another as a kid back in the 70's while trying to round up some wild sheep with Mark and John Shaw at the Cook River end of Gillespie's Beach...the old boys told me that the big eels like that would take the odd sheep from time to time...I believed them and it scared the bejesus out of me
Jock Allen
Eel Patties are YUMMY silver bellies the best
Wayne Leckie
Hot smoke them yummy
Linda Hughes
Wow! That’s amazing!
Elaine Barrow
I hope he put it back
Trish Rennie
We used to see them in the ponds like that and even larger when we were children and lived at Golden Sands-sometimes you would see a duck completely disappear under the water never to resurface. Never bothered to catch them….we were more interested in fishing for snapper, doggie sharks, mussels and of course …cray fish. That area was plentiful then but I’m talking 60 plus years ago….
5m
Vinnie Andersen
Rose Green we know what dad would have done haha.
Phil Wright
Bloody hell that massive,it must be 120 years old!
Chris McNeill
I've seen a few big ones in the Nelson lakes. Thanks
John Sinclair
Eels are an endangered species. Especially old ones that go back to the sea to breed. I hope we wouldn’t catch it now
Kerry Molloy
research has indicated most of the eels of this size are in fact barren females who never return to the sea to breeding areas. yes i agree ones of this size are best left in peace
Wayne Rogers
On the Clutha river,We lived on Inch Clutha Island, Freezer,and Stirling Cheese Factory, pipes Effluent there were Tons of Big ones, All Swamp's Drained now, Bugger,
Roger O'Regan
I dragged one out of the Inangahua one day.
22lbs, and won me 1 guinea in the eel competition run by the acclamitisation society.
About 58 or 59.
Trish Rennie
We used to see them in the ponds like that and even larger when we were children and lived at Golden Sands-sometimes you would see a duck completely disappear under the water never to resurface. Never bothered to catch them….we were more interested in fishing for snapper, doggie sharks, mussels and of course …cray fish. That area was plentiful then but I’m talking 60 plus years ago….
Lynette Pauline
Basil Piner owned bits of property on both side of the road to barrytown The stories I've heard is Baz would drain the ponds out to the beach .No consents then, the eels would be
trying to swim against the current until they couldn't. They were humongous.
Eels Freaks me
Forbes Minto
Still plenty around that look that size. Love cleaning the farm drains out see eels going everywhere
Dee Hamm
So…did they eat them, back in the day? I remember my brothers catching and cooking an eel, from the back creek….it stunk so bad!
John Bennett
Still remember shooting several ducks above an icy dam pond ,and as the dogs attempted to retrieve them they disappeared under the water, left right and centre, very confusing for a couple of Labrador retrievers that had just 1 job
Warren Keoghan
Nice shades Mike
Candace Macpherson
Sharna O'Brien that's Mike isn't it ? Still looks the bloody same lol Renee Renée Shannon O'Brien
Christopher Stephen Blue
Used to blow swamps with Geli, the sky would be black with mud and huge flying eels, lol.
Tracey Wratt
Kelly Shaw
Christopher Stephen Blue
I used to chase them with the excavator bucket, just below Haast Pass, 1980.
Linda Mears
Way back in the day. Out of the Ahuara river by the gun club.
May be an image of 2 people and child
1
Jan Hindson
let them go
Keith Kerr
I'm absolutely positive that's a young Micheal O'Brien..holding that eel..
Tinker Brian
My Grandfather used to live in Mananui and caught large eels like this to feed his many cats.
One day when we were visiting he had just caught 5 large ones and the biggest one was 16”” around the head and 165 cm long .
He would catch them in the Mahinapua creek from his row boat with a length of platted flax with a large piece of possum meat tied on the end.
He would drag them into the boat and kill them with a large axe .
My father often had to go out and repair the bottom of his boat where the axe had gone through it.
Fynn McClintock
Didn't know Chopper Reid was into eeling
Marty Farty
The day the photo was taken Mike and his then boss Mr Harker ( I think) had a few beers at the Barry town tavern. Was about 1989 . Caught them in the ponds on the sea side of the Barry town between Darcy Craze place and the 17 mile
John Sinclair
Eels are an endangered species. Especially old ones that go back to the sea to breed. I hope we wouldn’t catch it now
Lynette Pauline
Basil Piner owned bits of property on both side of the road to barrytown The stories I've heard is Baz would drain the ponds out to the beach .No consents then, the eels would be
trying to swim against the current until they couldn't. They were humongous.
Eels Freaks me
Dean Mundy
I didn't realise Chopper Reid came here to fish for Eels
Renée Shannon O'Brien
Dad!! Mike O'Brien
Your Wpt famous photo has been circulating again
Colin Skates
Yes the sargasso sea is a breeding ground for eels but the ones from NZ apparently migrate up near Fiji to breed. Probably don't have rights to get through the Panama canal to get to Sargasso
Roger O'Regan
I dragged one out of the Inangahua one day.
22lbs, and won me 1 guinea in the eel competition run by the acclamitisation society.
About 58 or 59.
Eric Hutchesson
Are there still ones that size in the rivers there? My grandfather told me he saw a huge one in Lake Taupo once.
Marty Farty
The day the photo was taken Mike and his then boss Mr Harker ( I think) had a few beers at the Barry town tavern. Was about 1989 . Caught them in the ponds on the sea side of the Barry town between Darcy Craze place and the 17 mile
Colin Skates
i believe that Den there were big ones out there, Saw a few biggies when I was whitebaiting under the wharf years ago but not that big. Bevans brother Stan is my Bro - in - law
John Sinclair
Eels are an endangered species. Especially old ones that go back to the sea to breed. I hope we wouldn’t catch it now
Linzi Woods
nearly caught one in the Grey River once it already had 5 hooks in its mouth it was 3 times bigger than this one... massive almost the jaws of a shark It got away broke the line.
they would have been 80+ years old at that size
Darcy Craze
Peter Harker got one there that I think was 39 pounds.
Greg Smith
holy hell. never swim in ponds
Curtis Parker
I have seen one in Redjacks creek a monster one at least 2 meters Long when I was a kid a grandaddy one I reckon never seen one bigger apart from the ones in hokitika stuck with me All these years
Colin Waterman
Curtis Parker Grandmommy, only the girls get that big, all those hoki eels are females too.
Curtis Parker
Colin Waterman sorry I meant grandma one amazing how big they can grow I wonder what is the biggest eva caught or seen! I have seen some big ones here in wanganui
Colin Waterman
Curtis Parker incredible animals, should of gained full protection decades ago, largest fresh water eel in the world and its Nz native.
Trish Rennie
My brothers used to catch them when we lived there all those years ago...as a wee girl then to me they were "the monsters" only read about in story booksBrendan Stewart
Peter Boese
Sharna O'Brien
Mike O'Brien dad it's you lol
Candace Anne Macpherson
Sharna O'Brien was just about to tag you he still looks the same lol
Renee O'brien
Candace Anne Macpherson without the facial hair now though lol
Reply20h
Sharna O'Brien
Yea mum messaged us about it so had to join lol yea he just has less hair and more gutt these days
Renee O'brien
Great photo dad!
Mike O'Brien
Ed Dando
Used to catch them in the grey river and around the creeks at Dobson
John White
Ed Dando
John White
And Rocky Island Ed. Some big buggers around there. Risky skinny dipping at night that's for sure
Maureen McCrimmon
Gross
Terry MJ
Used to catch some very big ones in the Cobden Lagoon as a kid between being flooded out from time to time. Loved the spring and summer when the Grey was alive with kahawai, great days !!!!
Lynnette Beirne
When we were kids swimming in Lake Mahinapua big eels used to play around our legs in the rushes
Linda Howard
Mmmm, nice eel steak on a plate.....
Marie Keane
bigger ones in the grey saw 1 over 6ft long last yr
Joshua Kilkelly
Marie Keane do u want a medal
Marie Keane
Joshua Kilkelly smart arse
Tony Devescovi
Who took the photo Michael ?
Sharna O'Brien
Tony Devescovi probably Peter Harker
Tony Devescovi
Sharna O'Brien no
John Brett
In 1956 I was a 10yo kid from England. We used to play in the Blaketown lagoons in tin canoes. I was horrified to see 6 foot eels swimming under my tinnie
Brian Case
Everything big on coast
Margi Adamson
Saw some biggies in my day
Jayce Clark
I seen a real whopper once going from one pond to another as a kid back in the 70's while trying to round up some wild sheep with Mark and John Shaw at the Cook River end of Gillespie's Beach...the old boys told me that the big eels like that would take the odd sheep from time to time...I believed them and it scared the bejesus out of me
Jock Allen
Eel Patties are YUMMY silver bellies the best
Wayne Leckie
Hot smoke them yummy
Linda Hughes
Wow! That’s amazing!
Elaine Barrow
I hope he put it back
Trish Rennie
We used to see them in the ponds like that and even larger when we were children and lived at Golden Sands-sometimes you would see a duck completely disappear under the water never to resurface. Never bothered to catch them….we were more interested in fishing for snapper, doggie sharks, mussels and of course …cray fish. That area was plentiful then but I’m talking 60 plus years ago….
5m
Vinnie Andersen
Rose Green we know what dad would have done haha.
Phil Wright
Bloody hell that massive,it must be 120 years old!
Chris McNeill
I've seen a few big ones in the Nelson lakes. Thanks
John Sinclair
Eels are an endangered species. Especially old ones that go back to the sea to breed. I hope we wouldn’t catch it now
Kerry Molloy
research has indicated most of the eels of this size are in fact barren females who never return to the sea to breeding areas. yes i agree ones of this size are best left in peace
Wayne Rogers
On the Clutha river,We lived on Inch Clutha Island, Freezer,and Stirling Cheese Factory, pipes Effluent there were Tons of Big ones, All Swamp's Drained now, Bugger,
Roger O'Regan
I dragged one out of the Inangahua one day.
22lbs, and won me 1 guinea in the eel competition run by the acclamitisation society.
About 58 or 59.
Trish Rennie
We used to see them in the ponds like that and even larger when we were children and lived at Golden Sands-sometimes you would see a duck completely disappear under the water never to resurface. Never bothered to catch them….we were more interested in fishing for snapper, doggie sharks, mussels and of course …cray fish. That area was plentiful then but I’m talking 60 plus years ago….
Lynette Pauline
Basil Piner owned bits of property on both side of the road to barrytown The stories I've heard is Baz would drain the ponds out to the beach .No consents then, the eels would be
trying to swim against the current until they couldn't. They were humongous.
Eels Freaks me
Forbes Minto
Still plenty around that look that size. Love cleaning the farm drains out see eels going everywhere
Dee Hamm
So…did they eat them, back in the day? I remember my brothers catching and cooking an eel, from the back creek….it stunk so bad!
John Bennett
Still remember shooting several ducks above an icy dam pond ,and as the dogs attempted to retrieve them they disappeared under the water, left right and centre, very confusing for a couple of Labrador retrievers that had just 1 job
Warren Keoghan
Nice shades Mike
Candace Macpherson
Sharna O'Brien that's Mike isn't it ? Still looks the bloody same lol Renee Renée Shannon O'Brien
Christopher Stephen Blue
Used to blow swamps with Geli, the sky would be black with mud and huge flying eels, lol.
Tracey Wratt
Kelly Shaw
Christopher Stephen Blue
I used to chase them with the excavator bucket, just below Haast Pass, 1980.
Linda Mears
Way back in the day. Out of the Ahuara river by the gun club.
May be an image of 2 people and child
1
Jan Hindson
let them go
Keith Kerr
I'm absolutely positive that's a young Micheal O'Brien..holding that eel..
Tinker Brian
My Grandfather used to live in Mananui and caught large eels like this to feed his many cats.
One day when we were visiting he had just caught 5 large ones and the biggest one was 16”” around the head and 165 cm long .
He would catch them in the Mahinapua creek from his row boat with a length of platted flax with a large piece of possum meat tied on the end.
He would drag them into the boat and kill them with a large axe .
My father often had to go out and repair the bottom of his boat where the axe had gone through it.
Fynn McClintock
Didn't know Chopper Reid was into eeling
Marty Farty
The day the photo was taken Mike and his then boss Mr Harker ( I think) had a few beers at the Barry town tavern. Was about 1989 . Caught them in the ponds on the sea side of the Barry town between Darcy Craze place and the 17 mile
John Sinclair
Eels are an endangered species. Especially old ones that go back to the sea to breed. I hope we wouldn’t catch it now
Lynette Pauline
Basil Piner owned bits of property on both side of the road to barrytown The stories I've heard is Baz would drain the ponds out to the beach .No consents then, the eels would be
trying to swim against the current until they couldn't. They were humongous.
Eels Freaks me
Dean Mundy
I didn't realise Chopper Reid came here to fish for Eels
Renée Shannon O'Brien
Dad!! Mike O'Brien
Your Wpt famous photo has been circulating again
Colin Skates
Yes the sargasso sea is a breeding ground for eels but the ones from NZ apparently migrate up near Fiji to breed. Probably don't have rights to get through the Panama canal to get to Sargasso
Roger O'Regan
I dragged one out of the Inangahua one day.
22lbs, and won me 1 guinea in the eel competition run by the acclamitisation society.
About 58 or 59.
Eric Hutchesson
Are there still ones that size in the rivers there? My grandfather told me he saw a huge one in Lake Taupo once.
Marty Farty
The day the photo was taken Mike and his then boss Mr Harker ( I think) had a few beers at the Barry town tavern. Was about 1989 . Caught them in the ponds on the sea side of the Barry town between Darcy Craze place and the 17 mile
Colin Skates
i believe that Den there were big ones out there, Saw a few biggies when I was whitebaiting under the wharf years ago but not that big. Bevans brother Stan is my Bro - in - law
John Sinclair
Eels are an endangered species. Especially old ones that go back to the sea to breed. I hope we wouldn’t catch it now
Linzi Woods
nearly caught one in the Grey River once it already had 5 hooks in its mouth it was 3 times bigger than this one... massive almost the jaws of a shark It got away broke the line.
Editing is temporarily disabled
Cancel Edit
Click on the image to add
a tag or press ESC to cancel
a tag or press ESC to cancel
West Coast New Zealand History (23rd Feb 2025). ALBUM - Huge eels caught at 17 Mile in pond .. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 4th Apr 2026 17:21, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/31091