Roger's Angling Pages
The European Eel Anguilla anguilla		Eel family Anguillidae

The Eel is renowned for its elongated snake-like body, which is covered with a thick skin and deep-set elliptical scales. The colour of the upper part of the body is usually dark blue to black and the belly is yellowish white. The Eel's most intriguing feature is that in order to breed it travels from the European and north African rivers to the western parts of the Atlantic Ocean, where it spawns in deep waters and then dies. The larval Eels, called leptocephali, start their long journey, which lasts up to 3 years, through the ocean back to the European coast and rivers. They may stay in fresh water for 10 to 20 years and reach a weight of 2 to 9 Ib and then, as adults, they migrate back again to the sea, where they spawn and die. During their return to the sea, the yellowish colour of their belly turns to a silvery colour.

The European Eel is a nocturnal fish. It lives in hideouts during the daytime, made from twigs that have drifted ashore, or between stones in the hollows of overhanging banks and only after dusk does it set off hunting. It grows relatively slowly, according to the nutritional value of its environment. It lives on small crustaceans found on the river bed and large Eels do not refuse even large creatures, such as the crayfish. In cool rivers and lakes, for example in Ireland and Scandinavia, Eels grow even more slowly and are never as large as the fishes from waters in Denmark, Germany and Poland. As the water gradually cools during the course of the year, the Eel usually stops feeding in October and searches out deeper waters with plenty of hiding places.

Nowadays the European Eel is increasingly threatened during its river journeys by mounting water pollution and the construction of weirs and dams. Many Eels are damaged by the turbines of power-stations. Some countries have therefore started building not only fish ladders through darns, but are also installing various electrical repellent devices to protect the fishes from the turbines. Small Eels have been transported far inland and in some places experiments have been conducted in rearing Eels in reservoirs and providing them with additional food.

Anglers identify two forms of Eel by the width of their heads. There are wide- and narrow-head varieties and the former is said to be more predatory. However, there is a whole range of intermediate stages between these two forms and it is often difficult to recognise which type is which. When fishing on an uneven bed, dead bait is used, as a live one can easily crawl away into the nearest hideout. Fishing near the bottom is preferable with a strong rod and line. Once the fish is hooked it should not be allowed to move about too much, otherwise both the catch and the hook are lost. Eels can be expected to bite not only after dark, but also during the day normally, especially during changes of weather, and before a storm. When unhooking, care must be taken to avoid injury, as the wound can easily become inflamed, for Eel's blood contains a poison, which effects the heart and the central nervous system. The effect of the poison is destroyed by heat during cooking.

Although fishing for Eels is very exciting, interest in it amongst anglers and consumers is very variable. It is popular in central Europe, but some British anglers do not care for it much.