Eel | Fish Species Guide | Angling Direct

Eel

Eel

aka Anguilla anguilla

Sea born, the common eel starts life rather transparent but becomes a darker green/brown as they travel to their much preferred, dark and heavily coloured waters. Mostly found in the rivers coming from the Atlantic European countries and in the Mediterranean, eels take three years to reach the freshwater streams of UK and Europe, where they mature and adapts to the freshwater environment. Eels have an elongated, cylindrical body shape with a silvery belly and one pair of pectoral fins and no pelvic fins.

FactIncredibly toxic, an eels’ blood is poisonous to not only fish but humans! This is designed to discourage other creatures from eating them. The toxic protein found in eels' blood cramps muscles such as the heart, meaning that eel should never be consumed raw.

Stats

Habitat

Habitat

Dark, heavier coloured waters, over silt and mud, and amongst reeds.

Bait

Bait

Worms, maggots, small dead baits & strips of dead coarse baitfish.

Fishing Tackle

Fishing Tackle

Native or Invasive

Native or Invasive

Native

Where

Where

The Sargasso Sea as juveniles, followed by a trek inland into Europe's rivers. Eels return to the Sargasso Sea to breed.

Catch Experience Catch Experience

At the time of writing, the Eels (Anguilla anguill) is rated as "Critically Endangered", so anglers need to take this into consideration and, ideally, avoid targeting them until numbers recover. Eels are far from shy feeders and have been known to use its powerful mouth to bite through fine fishing lines. They are essentially bottom feeders, surviving off pretty much anything of animal origin, alive or dead. Baits such as worms, clusters of maggots, or small dead baits are particularly effective when fishing for eels. The eel's eye is very close to the mouth, so it's better to use smaller hooks in order to avoid damaging the eye. A size 6 is probably the biggest to go for and you may want to consider barbless hooks. In the UK and Europe, ledger fishing is a very popular form of fishing in which a weighted bait rig is cast from the bank. Eels have a habit of backing up several inches and swallowing bait without noticing it when fished on loosely presented setups. Keep the hook length short and the line tight to avoid hooking the eel deep in its throat. A quick strike will also decrease the chance the eel will swallow the bait. After getting hooked, the eels coil themselves up and wrap around weeds or obstacles. Consequently, they are able to fight like fish that are two or three times their size and weight. To unhook and release your eel, it's important to remember that the more you fight, the more they fight back. Do not place the eel on newspaper or other absorbant material. They need to retain the slime on their skin! Hold the eel behind the gils and keep it calm by stroking it and then gently remove the hook. If the hook is too deep in the throat, better to cut the line as close as you can and let the eel dislodge it over time. Their organs are right behind the head so too much force removing a hook can do serious damage.

Video

Blog Highlight

The Ultimate Eel Fishing Guide – With Phil Spinks

In this blog, Angling Direct’s very own Phil Spinks talks us through his tactics for eel fishing as well as his choice of fishing rig; the eel twig rig, baits, location and more!   Each summer, for at least a few nights, my attention turns...

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