Back in the 1970s, I visited my Opa in Germany. We fished on the Wümme in Bremen for European eel.

He had a clever way to catch them. No hooks. No fancy gear. Just earthworms, cotton thread, and a long cane pole.

He’d thread worms onto a meter of cotton thread, wrapping them into a ball. A weight on top. The fishing line tied above that. We’d drop the ball of worms into the river and wait. When an eel latched on, you felt it wiggling. Then came the trick—lift slowly. No jerking. No sudden moves.

Once the eel was over the boat, we let gravity do the work. It dropped off the clod of worms. Sometimes we’d have to shake them off. Eels have tiny, inward-facing teeth. Once they clamp on, they don’t let go easily. Opa stretched a net across the bottom of the boat so the eels wouldn’t slime the floor.

The Germans called this style of fishing “Pulken” or “Pulkangeln.” In English, it’s known as eel bobbing or clodding. Anglers all over Europe use this technique.

That night, we pulled in a dozen. Lost only one or two that let go early. Simple. Effective. Old-school fishing at its best.

I didn’t take any photos back then, so I generated this photo of a worm clod with AI. It kinda gives the feel of what it was like.