Eel,s

[grousehunter49]

Do eels come to the top of the water and swirl around and make you think its a big trout? I see it a few times in the river, if its trout ,there big.

[hangin chad]

What part of the country are you in? I'm thinking there's a few different possibilities but they'll vary according to climate/region.

For example, down South, you might be seeing some of the smaller species of gar. That's kind of a long shot, though, because if you see trout and gar in the same stretch of water both are likely just passing through. It'd be uncomfortably warm for the trout while being too cool for the gar's liking

Anybody else have any ideas? Are there freshwater eels in the U.S. lower 48? If so, I had no idea!

[peregrines]

Originally Posted by hangin chad

What part of the country are you in? I'm thinking there's a few different possibilities but they'll vary according to climate/region.

For example, down South, you might be seeing some of the smaller species of gar. That's kind of a long shot, though, because if you see trout and gar in the same stretch of water both are likely just passing through. It'd be uncomfortably warm for the trout while being too cool for the gar's liking

Anybody else have any ideas? Are there freshwater eels in the U.S. lower 48? If so, I had no idea!

The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is "catadromous" meaning that it lives much of it's life in freshwater, but spawns in saltwater--- the opposite of "anadromous" fish like steelhead, salmon, striped bass, shad and other fish that live most of their lives in saltwater but come back to freshwater to spawn.

Adult eels are thought to swim out to the ocean and down to the Saragaso Sea where they spawn and die. The eggs hatch and the young eventually turn into transparent "glass eels" (considered a delicacy in Asian and European markets). As the glass eels enter brackish or freshwater they gain pigmentation and are called "elvers" and then juvenile "yellow eels", and eventually into the big "silver eels" with the white belly and dark back when they head out to sea to complete their life cycle. The big "silver eel" stage is what we all tend to think of when we think "eels".

So if you're fishing in an east coast river or stream that opens to the sea (or a pond or lake that has an outlet to the sea) allowing upstream access to migrating fish (no dams, or dams with fish ladders) then it's possible you have eels. I've also seen lampreys (similar looking to eels but unrelated) in trout streams like the East Branch of the Delaware that have migrated from the sea to spawn in freshwater and die. They scoop out small nests in shallows and wiggle around (it's gross). Sometimes their movement and dark shapes can be mistaken for trout from a distance. But I've typically seen this activity around early June-- haven't seen it this late in the summer.

And I've been fooled more than once by "trout" that have turned out to be suckers or chubs.

Then again, it could be really large trout too...

The best way to find out is to catch it!

[grousehunter49]

(the best way to find out is to catch it) Easier said than done, I,m there casting over trout that I know are trout for hours and not getting a rise or bite then all of a sudden there,s this thing comes to the surface moven fast and in a circleular motion, and drives the other trout wild, Could be trout or could be ells. Come to think of it , I did see a mink make a huge swirl and swim to shore with a trout in his mouth this year, anyway thanks for the great info, it must have took some looking up to find all that info.

[Rip Tide]

Originally Posted by grousehunter49

I,m there casting over trout that I know are trout for hours and not getting a rise or bite then all of a sudden there,s this thing comes to the surface moven fast and in a circleular motion, and drives the other trout wild,
.

Sounds to me like trout that have other things on their mind other than eating....if you know what I mean

Or just a just fish taking something drifting