Pike County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs

American Eel

Anguilla rostrata

The American Eel  is a strange and unique fish common to the waters of  Pike County.  Like salmon and the American Shad, the American Eel spends part of its life in fresh water, part in salt.  But unlike the anadromous salmon and shad, that live in the ocean returning to freshwater to spawn, the American eel is catadromous.  That is, the American eel spends most of its life in fresh water then returns to the sea to spawn.

Life of the American Eel

The life of an American Eel begins as an egg laid in the Sargasso Sea, a portion of the Atlantic Ocean east of Cuba.    After hatching, the larval eels start swimming toward the North American coast.  As the larval eel grows it becomes transparent and is known as a "glass eel".  Attracted to the freshwater, the glass eels eventually enter bays such as the Delaware Bay.  While in the bays the glass eels start taking on their characteristic olive brown color and become known as elvers.  The elvers slowly work their way up river eating a diverse diet that includes small fish, aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and even carrion.  While many eels remain in the brackish tidal waters, others will continue upstream for hundreds of miles.  Little can stop an American Eel persistent in its upriver journey.  The eels will wiggle through swamps and bogs and scale dams and water falls.  In the end, the American Eel can be found throughout an entire watershed from the source water to the tidal basin.

 It is generally accepted that a mature eel will live from five to twenty years in fresh water (although some report that it may be as long as fifty years!).  Eventually, when an urge tells them that it is time, the fully mature eel will start back to the sea.  The eels will proceed downstream, often thousands of miles, until they return to the Sargasso Sea.  Spawning takes place around January.  The female may lay over 3 million eggs then dies shortly after. 

American Eels in Pike County

As previously noted, eels are found throughout Pike County and it is amazing to think of what they go through to get here.  Take one eel that was caught in Conashaugh Lake.  Not only did the eel have to swim over a thousand miles from the Sargasso Sea and up the Delaware River - that was the easy part - it also had to swim up the Raymondskill and Dwarfskill Creeks. That means the eel had to scale more than five water falls including the 105 foot high Raymondskill Falls.  The eel also had to shimmy up a portion of the stream that is rarely more than a couple inches deep before figuring out how to climb over the dam!  While you may find them there, eels are fairly rare in the upper portions of the watersheds. The best places to find eels are in the Delaware and Lackawaxen Rivers where anglers will find them attacking their bait and occasionally their artificial lures.

Catching Eels

Catching an eel can be a blessing or an annoyance depending on the angler's perspective.  Few anglers target eels so most catches are accidental.  When hooked the eel spins and gyrates in an effort to free itself.  In the process it thoroughly tangles the fishing line.  The process also covers the line with a slippery mucous and most often a large amount of fishing line must be cut away and discarded.  A trout angler catching an eels is usually not very happy.  But many anglers enjoy it.  Despite the mess they make to the line, many anglers welcome eels as they are very good eating. 

Eels for food

Eels are a valuable food fish common in Mediterranean and Chinese cuisine.  Smoked eel is considered a delicacy to many people. In the past commercial trapping of eels was quite common on the Delaware and its major tributaries.  Today only a few eelers remain working Delaware eel weirs.  A few weirs may still be seen from New York Route 97.  Look for a V-shaped pile of rocks that diverts a portion of the river into the weir.  The weir trap is often not set in place until the mid to late summer.  Since the eels usually migrate after dark, the weirs are usually not attended until night.

An eel weir on the Delaware River.