Eel
Anguilla spp. (A. mossambica, A. marmorata, A. labiata, A. bicolor)
South Africa's freshwater eels: four species that grow up in our rivers, feed at night by smell and return to the sea to breed.
Size: Most eels are under 80 cm long. The longfin reaches about 1.2–1.5 m and 6 kg, and the giant mottled is the biggest: the South African rod-and-reel record is 16.36 kg, from Hazelmere Dam in 1984.
Where: Eels live in the rivers of the south and east coast from Cape Agulhas to KwaZulu-Natal, and young eels climb past waterfalls into dams far inland. The longfin goes furthest inland, while the mottled eels and the shortfin mostly stay in rivers near the coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
How to spot it
A long, slimy, snake-like fish with a small pointed head, small eyes and a lower jaw that juts out. The dorsal fin, tail and anal fin join into one fin around the tail, and there are small pectoral fins just behind the head. The four South African species differ in where the dorsal fin starts and whether the body is plain or mottled: the longfin and shortfin are plain olive to brown, and the giant mottled and African mottled are yellowish with dark blotches.
Varieties and look-alikes
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Longfin Eel - Plain olive to brown, and the dorsal fin starts far forward, well ahead of the anal fin.
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Giant mottled eel - Yellowish with dark mottling, and the dorsal fin starts furthest forward, nearer the head than the vent.
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African mottled eel - Mottled like the giant mottled eel, but the dorsal fin starts further back, nearer the vent than the head.
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Shortfin eel - Plain, and the dorsal fin starts almost above the vent, level with the start of the anal fin.
What it eats
Eels hunt at night by smell, mainly for crabs and fish, and also take frogs, insects and dead animals. By day they hide in holes, under rocks and in undercut banks.
Where it feeds
- Deep pools with rocks, roots and undercut banks
- Below weirs and dam walls, and in the dams themselves
- Muddy water after rain or a flood, often close to the bank
How to catch it
Fish after dark with earthworms, chicken liver or a strip of fish on the bottom, using a running sinker rig, a strong hook and a short, strong leader. Cast close to rocks and holes, strike early so the hook doesn't go deep, and pull the eel away from cover before it can wrap the line around a rock. A worm under a bobber along the bank also works on calm nights.
| Way of fishing | How well it works |
|---|---|
| Bait on the bottomA sinker holds your bait still on the bottom. | Best |
| Under a bobberA bobber is a small buoy on your line: it holds the bait off the bottom and dips under when a fish bites. | Sometimes |
| Pap, mielies, boilies and floatsSweet baits on the hook (pap, mielies, boilies or floats), with more thrown in around them. | Not used |
| Natural or dead baitReal food on the hook: worms, liver, sardine, chokka. | Best |
| Live baitA small live fish or other live creature on the hook. | Sometimes |
| LuresArtificial baits you cast and reel in: spinners, spoons, plastics. | Not used |
| Fly fishingLight artificial flies, cast with a fly rod. | Not used |
Baits and lures that work
- Earthworms
- Chicken liver
- Fish strips or dead fish
- Freshwater crabs
- Sardine
Flavours it likes
- Liver
- Fish
- Blood
Eels follow scent, so smelly, bloody baits work best. Fresh liver, fish and a bunch of wriggling worms all leave a strong scent trail in the current.
When it bites
Time of day
| Time | Bite |
|---|---|
| Dawn | Good |
| Day | Rarely |
| Midday | Rarely |
| Dusk | Best |
| Night | Best |
Night is best, from dusk until a few hours after dark. Dawn can also produce, especially in winter, but bright days are very slow.
Best months
- Best: January, February, November, December
- Good: March, April, September, October
Summer is best and winter is poor. Spring rains that make the rivers muddy, and the days just after a flood, often give the best catches.
What affects the bite
| Condition | What it likes | Effect on the bite |
|---|---|---|
| Water temperature | Best at 20–29 °C | High |
| Time of day | Best at night | High |
| Air pressure | Best when it is falling | Medium |
| Cloud cover | Best on overcast days | Medium |
| Wind | Best with a light breeze | Medium |
| Rain | Best after rain | Medium |
| Water clarity | Best in murky water | Medium |
| Moon phase | Best around new moon | Medium |
| Spawning | Hardly changes | Low |
High means it makes a big difference to whether this fish bites. Low means it hardly matters.
Tips
- Put a swivel above the leader, because a hooked eel rolls and twists the line.
- Hold an eel with a dry cloth or newspaper, as the slime makes it almost impossible to grip by hand.
- To tell which eel you caught, look where the dorsal fin starts and whether the body is mottled.
Good to know: Eels breed far out in the Indian Ocean, and their numbers in KwaZulu-Natal rivers have dropped sharply since the 1950s, mostly because dams and weirs block their way. Release the ones you don't need.
Are they biting today?
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