Eel - Anguilla anguilla

The sinuous shape of the eel is almost synonymous with the species and distinguishes it from virtually all other fish. Only the lampreys, which are now rather rare in the UK, share a similar body shape, but can be distinguished by their lack of a proper mouth. Eels are dark black or grey in colour with small steely eyes and a pointed mouth ideal for feeding on a wide variety of foods.

Eels will feed upon a very wide range of live and dead prey. Whilst it has long been thought that eels are scavengers, we now know that in many fisheries eels are active hunters, feeding upon live prey. Small fish often make up a large percentage of the diet of the eel. Because of their small mouths, eels will only normally take fish up to 10cm in length. Worms are the classic eel bait and these fish often feed upon both terrestrial and aquatic worms.

Little is known about the spawning of eels. It has long been believed that all adult eels migrate to the Sargasso Sea where they spawn in deep water. Recently though some evidence has come to light that suggests that eels may spawn in several different areas of the Oceans, some undergoing an incredible migration to the Pacific. Whilst the young eels are carried passively by Ocean currents, the eels must swim for several thousand miles against the current during the return journey. During this migration they do not feed and must rely upon fat reserves built up in freshwater to see them through the many months of the journey.

The rod caught record is a fish of 11lb 2oz caught in 1978. Bigger specimins have been caught by commercial eel fisherman but these have not been eligable for UK records.