Eels!

[laker67]

I have heard tell of american eels caught at loz in the 60's but have never witnessed any. About 10 yrs or so ago, I caught a crappie at loz with a lamprey attached. That same year, I caught two more with the tell tale signs of a lamprey. Since then nothing, and I would assume that is a good thing.

[laker67]

Some one mentioned eating Japanese eels. I am not sure of the nationality, but while in the phillipines, I ate some smoked eel that was quite tasty after a half dozen san migel beers. At least they said it was eel, could have been snake for all we knew. Some of their other quisine was rumored to be dog or monkey. I never witnessed a stray dog or a wild monkey the 15 months that I was there.

[Al Agnew]

Mark, I'm interested in fish, I'm interested in geology, and I'm blessed (or cursed) with a brain that seldom forgets anything I read that I'm really interested in:)

Remember that lampreys are an entirely different kind of fish, in an entirely different family, one of the most primitive fishes on Earth; it doesn't have a backbone, just cartilage. (Eels have backbones.) I don't have my "Fishes of Missouri" out here with me, but as I remember, there are five species of lamprey in Missouri, two of them parasitic and the others not. They also have an interesting life history. The two most common species in Missouri are the brook lamprey, which is not parasitic, and the chestnut lamprey, which is the one we find a lot sucking on fish. Both spend 3-5 years burrowed into bottom sediments as ammocoetes, larval forms that are eyeless and have a u-shaped mouth, wormlike and up to 6 inches long. They feed on stuff in those bottom sediments. Then they transform into the adult form. The brook lamprey doesn't feed as an adult, just spawns and dies. The chestnut lamprey may live as an adult for up to three years, feeding on fish in typical lamprey way, then spawns once and dies.

[ness]

... that was quite tasty after a half dozen san migel beers.

I've had food like that before

[Terrierman]

I was in PI on PI in 1971. I always figured rats were a lot easier to get hold of, grill on the hibachi and sell to Americans than monkeys ever would have been. I've never been all that picky and it still tasted good after the San Miguel.

Some one mentioned eating Japanese eels. I am not sure of the nationality, but while in the phillipines, I ate some smoked eel that was quite tasty after a half dozen san migel beers. At least they said it was eel, could have been snake for all we knew. Some of their other quisine was rumored to be dog or monkey. I never witnessed a stray dog or a wild monkey the 15 months that I was there.

[exiledguide]

I've never even seen one. My friend told me his grandfather used to fish for them on the Mississippi with a dead horse. According to him, you would have to tie a rope around the horses neck to keep the eels from escaping when the horse was pulled to shore. I guess they entered the horse through the "nether" regions. Sounds like an old wives tale to me!!!, or maybe a horsesTAIL

My Moms uncle Charley who raised her after she was orphaned as a small child and was the same as a grandfather to me and my brother and sister in the late 40's and early 50's used to take me to the Mississippi in north St Louis where the barges loaded and unloaded the grain elevators. Some of the corn or whatever would end up in the river there and draw fish I seemed to be skilled at catching eels not catfish and they were slimey and being a pre teen I would often end up with some pretty nasty clothes by the time I got home and Mom would give me and Uncle Charley the business when we got home. But, she never told me I couldn't go the next time he took me.

I find it interesting that the water must have been less polluted then if the eels survived along with the channel catfish we caught there.

[Brian Sloss]

Caught part of this show and enjoyed it. I thought I might given he did a documentary called the Comlete Angler a few years back. Check it out.

[Mitch f]

Pretty cool!

[Quillback]

Caught this little snippet concerning eels as I was reading the AGFC stream team quarterly newsletter:

American Eel Project I have continued sampling of the American eel on the Ouachita River. Casey Cox (student at
the University of Central Arkansas) and I caught around six eels at the Highway 67 Bridge during the month of March. I have written and submitted contracts to have the University of Central Arkansas perform studies on the Arkansas River eel population.