FISHES OF THE DISTRICT 197 



THE SHARP-NOSED EEL (Anguilla vulgaris) 



is common throughout the Lake District, and 

 generally distributed. It periodically descends to 

 the sea, October marking the time of the heaviest 

 migrations. As well as occurring in most of the 

 lakes and rivers, eels are found in several of the 

 mountain tarns at a considerable elevation. 

 Windermere, Ullswater, and Coniston have always 

 furnished large quantities of eels ; and there are 

 one or more eel-coops on the effluents of each of 

 these lakes. The eels found in Esthwaite Water 

 are both large and numerous. The Crake (draining 

 Coniston) has at least three eel-coops ; and one of 

 those on the Leven Windermere's effluent is 

 said to be worth 50 a year. The eel-coops on 

 the Leven are at Newby Bridge, Backbarrow and 

 Penny Bridge. 



Referring to eels descending from Ullswater * to 

 the sea, Richardson, in 1793, writes as follows : 

 " Here is an immense quantity of the Silver Eel. . . . 

 They are taken in August, September, and October, 

 in nets, at Eel-stank, about half a mile down the 

 river Eamont In five or six hours eight or ten 

 horse-loads have been caught ; but such large 

 quantities only on the darkest and stormiest 



1 "An expeditious method of taking eels is used here. 

 Two or more persons go in a boat on a summer morning, 

 from three till six o'clock. One gently moves the boat by 

 the margin of the lake, whilst the other looks for eels ; he 

 no sooner sees one than he sticks it with an eel spear, and 

 by this method great numbers are sometimes caught. I 

 once saw a perch which weighed five pounds struck in this 

 manner." Clarke's Survey of the Lakes. 



