eel talk

[Guest phonebush]

Tony,

Those little boogers have my respect. I am not sure what the pace of the gulf stream is but I know the Mississippi River flows at 7.3 miles per hour.

How old do you suspect an eel would be after travling 3000 miles against a 7 mph current?

Phone

[Guest tony jolley]

Phone!

The respect comment wasn`t aimed at you but to all anglers who see them as a pest.

I believe the elvers that reach our shores to be between 18 months and 2 years old,

As we dont have the same type rivers as you I couldn`t guess the age of your eels, Scientists studying eels in europe believe the eel to grow at about 1 lb to every 10 years,(slow or what) that is in normal freshwater conditions, with the first year after reaching our shores spent in brackish water were the eels body takes on the commonly seen shape of a true eel,

 

 

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Tony B.T Jolley

[Guest Spac-e-man aka eelangler]

Growth rates of eels. Now there's a subject that we could argue over for ever!!!

 

TTFN

 

Spac-e-man

[Guest phonebush]

Tony and eel et al,

The unofficial Missouri record eel is 7lb 8oz and was 33 inches long. Unfortunately if you C&R it was taken by a fellow gigging for frogs and was down in the mud.

At least in Missouri eels are relatively neutral from a passion perspective. They don't seem to eat much of anything and are relatively benign members of our ecology. I must confess, they are ugly bruts.

Phone

[Guest tony jolley]

Stu please tell us what you feel on the growth rate thing.

I thought the rate of 1lb per 10 years was established through the collection of the otholith bone from eels in "normal" fresh water conditions there may be exeptions though.

What do you think?,

 

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Tony B.T Jolley

[Guest OregonDave]

In my ignorance, I was going to claim that we don't have eels on the West Coast of America, until I thought about my ex-father-in-law. No, he wasn't/isn't an eel, but he did complain about his dog rolling in dead ones on the Willamette River (a major feeder of the Columbia River). Hummm...I did a Dogpile search, and came up with:

www.fostertravel.com/ORCOLU

 

There is mention of "viewing" salmon and eel swimming up the Columbia River at the Bonneville Dam fish ladders. Now, if you really want to find out if there are eels on the West Coast of the US, try:

www.dfw.state.or.us

 

Tony: Just between you and me, why don't you check with the Department of Fish and Wildlife for the State of Oregon? (Address above). I kind of over-stepped my welcome there a few weeks ago, vis-a-vis "chumming" (feeding). They'd be thrilled to get an enquiry from England. I'd be thrilled to know the answer. Please post it. I guess we do have eels. Maybe there is something similar to the Sargosso (sp?) Sea in the Pacific. If so, I presume Asia would also have an eel population. However, if a person could "view" them at the fish ladder, this doesn't sound like elvers; sounds more like a fully grown adult going to spawn.

 

Fascinating idea, and its all your fault.

[Guest phonebush]

ODave,

look at http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm

search eels

Phone

Poor OD, eels do it backwards from salmon. they live in fresh and spawn in salt.

[Guest OregonDave]

Phone - Nice site. Thanks!

 

Maybe I'll try catching one. Probably in the same gravel pit I've been fishing for carp! Last time it flooded and connected with the river was in 1996 or so.

 

I have a hunch, that it might end up with an eel catching me, not me the eel!

[Guest tony jolley]

Oregan Dave!

thanks for the links I have posted an e,mail to the oregan fish base site asking for infor (I told them I am hoping to visit and fish for eels on my visit) I couldn`t view the fosters site can you e,mail any thing of intreast to me my e,mail address is there to be seen,

BEWARE!!!! IF YOU CATCH A EEL YOU MAY NOT WANT TO FISH FOR ANY OTHER TYPE FISH AGAIN!

 

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Tony B.T Jolley