HAUNTS AND HABITS OF EELS. 119 



and very likely developing into congers ; and that tlie eel -fry, or 

 elvers, ascend rivers in great quantities in the spring. Eels 

 which are confined in ponds and lakes probably spawn, like 

 many other fish, on the bottom. 



The only times when the angler has a really good chance of 

 catching eels are on dark nights, or in the daytime when the rivers 

 are muddy from heavy rains, or when the air is heavily charged 

 with electricity, as it usually is before and during thunder- 

 storms. Eels are very susceptible to cold, and do not feed or 

 run much in winter, unless the weather is mild or the water 

 highly coloured. Their haunts in summer are under stones, 

 holes in banks, the submerged roots of trees, the crannies in 

 old camp shedding — in fact, any spot affording cover of some kind 

 or another, and particularly those places where food is to be 

 found, such as the outfall of a drain from a slaughter-house 

 In tne spring, about the time the willows bud, 

 they are fond of lying in masses of weed. They 

 may then be speared by plunging the spear 

 into each likely bank of weed. An old couplet 



runs: 



When the willow comes out in bud, 

 Then the eels come out of the mud. 



In the winter they lie in the mud, and are then 



also speared, often at haphazard; but if the 



water is clear, the blow-holes of the eels can 



be seen, and the spear directed accordingly. 



The best kind of spear is shown in Fig. 37. 



This pattern spear, which is not generally ^^^ ^^ 



known, was, I believe, invented a few years Improved 



1 ,1 T • /-( u -J Eel-spear. 



ago by a gentleman living near 0am bridge. 



Angling for Eels is best done with a leger (see page 27) 



baited with a lobworm. A dead minnow threaded on to a hook 



is also a good bait. In Lancashire, skinned mice and plucked 



sparrows are considered good baits. The gut should be strong, and 



the hook a No. 2 Round Bend. A deep, quiet corner in a weir-pool, 



near old piles and camp shedding, is a capital place to try at 



night. Give the eel plenty of time to bite, and as soon as you 



have him in the boat, or on shore, do not hold him up by the line. 



