Back in the '60's we caught a lot of them on trotlines in the Brazos above Waco. We were wading the trotlines in the river and when you caught an eel, you reached down to the bottom and got a hand full of sand and you could hold them steady to remove the hook. We never kept any.

Smoked eel is one of the first items I order when I go to a sushi restaurant.

The spawning habits of the American eel is probably the most fascination of any freshwater fish.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/ameel/

Caught one just outside Texas in Oklahoma just below lake Hugo years back. That thing was covered with slime!

I've seen elvers (baby eels coming up river with the tides) so thick that I had to shut down the pumps to keep from stopping up the works. I wish I knew how to predict thier arrival, they are worth quite a bit of money as nobody has ever perfected artificial reproduction of eels and the market for eel is huge.

Sometimes we catch them electrofishing. Can't hang onto one of them nor keep one in a tank, they climb out.

Grill that sucker!!

Wow

I just read the above link from TPWD. I am not sure if I am buying the mirgration story. According to this, they are born out near Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean and migrate to North Texas - but only the females swim north. The males stay near the coast. That is one incredible journey. And then before they die, the females head back out to the Atlantic Ocean where they die after giving birth. Heck it is probably just old age after making that round trip. Somebody needs to do some micro chip tagging.

Life History
Like the European eel, the American eel spawns during the winter in the Sargasso Sea, a tropical area northeast of Cuba. Adult eels spend most of their lives in freshwater, although the amount of time may vary among individuals. At some point, however, adults leave their freshwater habitats and move toward the Sargasso Sea. Neither adults or eggs have been collected in the vicinity of the Sargasso Sea, but newly hatched eels are found there. Presumably, spawning takes place in deep water and the adults die shortly thereafter. Young eels are transparent and leaf shaped. Years ago when they were first collected they were thought to be a new fish species and erroneously give the scientific name Leptocephalus. Within about a year, growing and moving toward the mainland, the American eels transform into more eel-like forms called "glass eels" or "elvers" and are ready to enter freshwater (European eels have a much longer journey and the process takes about three years). By the time American eels get close to the coast they are about 6 inches in length. The species begins to develop coloration only when the young reach nearshore areas. Once they reach freshwater, females continue to migrate deep inland as far up rivers and tributaries as they can. Males remain much closer to coastline areas. Eels tend to hide under rocks during the day, and venture out only at night to feed.

Caught several of them growing up in Louisiana.......we used to catch them in road ditches along the highways in northeast Louisiana while harvesting crawfish. Boy they have to travel a long ways to get back to where they reproduce.....

waterdog

I have never caught or seen one in person but did notice Lake Lavon has a lake record for a eel. If I caught one I would let him had hook, bait and sinker.

I saw one of those in a fresh water lake, clear water, Lake Wakatipu. It scared the heck out of me. It was bigger than that one. I thought ugh.

That was on Lady bird lake, not Lake Austin but weird to catch one there.

The migration is true and correct. Eel is a great delicacy when smoked. They can and do get out of the water and cruise like a snake to go back to the Sargasso Sea for breeding. They return to home waters and continue their life cycle. Overseas, Eel is sought after and often caught at night with cut bait on the bottom. Over here you can use live bait. They have teeth that bend back like hooks so they can also be caught with a bushy wool bait soaked in fish guts and no hook needed. Give it a try!

Weird