Famie Amie and an Asian swamp eel caught from the padi field in the background.
Yanking a hooked Asian swamp eel out of its burrow is a battle of brute strength.
“The tunnel it burrows into has several bends. Once hooked, the eel stiffens up around the bends, jamming itself inside.
“I don’t think you can actually pull a hooked eel out as long as it flexes its muscles against the walls of its burrow,” muses eel catcher Famie Amie.
All you can do, he says, is hold on, keep the line taut – like in a tug-of-war – and wait for the eel to tire out. Once exhausted, it can be pulled free with ease.
The Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus) is a prized catch in Malaysia, whether grilled, steamed or stir-fried.
Its flesh resembles Japanese unagi, but with thicker skin that provides a chewy, rubbery bite. It’s also packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and collagen.
Close-up of the heads of large Asian swamp eels before they are cooked.
To win the fight against these eels, Famie, 35, crafts his own hooks from the spring steel of motorcycle forks.
“I’ve tried so many hooks since I was a kid. No matter how strong they are claimed to be, they always end up straightening and the eels escape,” he says.
Famie hammers the end of a piece of spring steel flat, then files it into a sharp point with a barb.
Famie’s handmade hook and twirled line for catching eels.
Unlike factory-made hooks, which have the barb on the inside of the bend, he shapes his on the outside.
“It’s just easier to do,” he explains.
Since forming a hook eye by hand is difficult, Famie opts for a spade-end hook, tying it to the line using a snell knot – you will have to search the internet to understand how snelling a fish hook is done.
In the past, pulling on the line so hard that it cut into his fingers was a common problem.
Famie first hammers the end of a piece of spring steel flat before shaping the hook point and barb with a file.
Famie’s solution? Twisting two strands of 40–50lb monofilament nylon into a stiffer, thicker 1m-long line.
“With my stiff line, I can easily lower bait into an eel’s burrow. If the line is too supple, it’s hard to push the bait in,” he shares.
Famie’s go-to bait includes earthworms, fish or snail meat and tiny frogs.
He sees no need for a handle at the end of his twirled line as he grips it along its length during the fight.
A plate of deboned, sliced Asian swamp eels stir-fried with minced garlic costs about RM20 at a restaurant in Mambang Di Awan, Perak.
By day, Famie works as a building maintenance technician in Lenggong, Perak.
But when eel season arrives, he roams nearby padi fields from 5pm until late at night, headlamp strapped on, searching for eel “nests”.
A good haul means extra income – Famie sells his catch to friends for RM30 per kg, with an additional RM2 fee for gutting.
“The best time to find fat eels is when the padi is ripening or just after harvesting,” he says.
Famie looks for tiny holes surrounded by broken snail shells – a telltale sign of eels feasting.
“These eels eat a great deal of small snails in padi fields,” he adds.
