Plate 66 of 79SaltwaterInshore & Chesapeake Bay

American Eel

Anguilla rostrata

A snake-shaped, year-round resident of the tidal rivers and creeks, most active at night — a common incidental catch and a prized striper and cobia bait.

Typically present

intermediateShore-accessibleBoat recommendedBrackishEstuarineTidal freshwaterOffshore ocean

Practice this species

Try a simulated catch in Seven Casts. Use this guide and its official sources to plan a real trip.

This profile has not yet been checked against an official regional data source — confirm identification, seasons, and regulations before you rely on it.

American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) — Fig. 66. Anguilla rostrata
Photo: USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey — Public domainLong edge is 617px, below this project's 1600px preference. Accepted because it is the best rights-clear, correctly-identified photo found for this species — see SPECIES_PHOTO_AUDIT.md for the source search record.

Habitat: Marshes & creeks, Tidal rivers
Methods: Freshwater, Shore, Kayak
Difficulty: intermediate
Eating: fair

Identification

Look for

An extremely elongated, snake-like body with no pelvic fins — the most distinctive tell versus bowfin (which has paired pelvic fins) or northern snakehead (a much stockier, mottled-tan body)
Long dorsal and anal fins that merge seamlessly into the tail fin, giving the appearance of one continuous fin running around the back half of the body; olive-brown to yellow-olive with a silvery sheen on the lower sides

Local waters

Tidal rivers, creeks, and freshwater tributaries throughout Hampton Roads — catadromous, spending most of its life in fresh/brackish water and migrating to the Sargasso Sea to spawn

Catchable both from shore (bank/shore) and by boat (kayak, inshore boat).

Show on the map

When to fish

Typically present: spring, summer, fall, winter

Present year-round in the region; most active in warm months and after dark.

Tide stage for this kind of water

Falling water at the creek mouths

A dropping tide drains the marsh and pulls bait out through the mouths to fish waiting below; rising water lets you paddle in.

From: Reading tides without overthinking them

Water temperature

The water, not the calendar, sets the season here — a warm October or a cold snap moves these bands.

Water temperature and the seasons

How to catch it

Catchable both from shore (bank/shore) and by boat (kayak, inshore boat). Technique notes for this species have not been written yet; the baits and rigs below are the documented starting points.

Bait & lures

Cut bait or worms fished on bottom at night
Eel pots (up to 2 permitted per angler under a saltwater recreational license)

Terms usedPresentation Falling tide Rising tide

On the table

Eat with caution — check current Virginia fish consumption advisories for the specific waterbody before eating.

A common incidental catch and a well-known regional bait species (cut/live eel for striped bass and cobia) — see this project's own bait guide. Population declines have made American eel a species of real conservation interest; minimum size for personal-use retention is 9 inches.

Cleaning, chilling, and cooking a legal catch covers the steps between the cooler and the pan.