UK shore species
European eel
Anguilla anguilla
Also Yellow eel, Silver eel
Habitat
Estuaries, river mouths, the lower river. Not a surf-line fish.
Season
Peak: Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov
Also possible: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
A critically struggling migratory eel that still turns up in estuaries and river mouths. This is not a target species in this app. If you catch one, return it.
- A true eel, continuous fins, rounded tail
- Yellow-olive (yellow eel) or metallic (silver eel)
- Lower jaw slightly longer
- Smaller, more snake-like head than a conger
Estuary fish are often thin and a foot or two long. They are not a table fish to ‘just keep’.
- Colour
- Yellow-olive or silver, not a heavy grey conger.
- Fins
- Rounded tail, continuous fins.
- Mouth
- Smaller than a conger.
Ranked for this species, not as a universal law. Local crab runs and what is actually fresh matter more.
- RagwormHook once through the head so it wriggles. A whole king rag for bass; a small harbour rag for dabs.Good target
- LugwormThread the worm so the hook is hidden and the tail still moves. A bunch for bigger fish; a single for dabs.Good target
- MackerelA thin strip on a small hook; a side on a Pennel; a whole fish on a running tope rig.Possible target
European eel — do not keep
Anguilla anguilla is not a shore ‘bonus fish’. If you catch one in an estuary or river mouth, unhook it and put it back. Check Environment Agency / IFCA / DAERA / Marine Directorate / Welsh Government rules — they are not the same as bass or flounder rules. This is conservation advice plus a pointer to official sources, not a substitute for the byelaw.
Source: Environment Agency — fishing and rod licences · retrieved 2026-09-09