Fish-Hawk.Net

I was mentioning in another thread how my dad and I used to catch eels all the time in the Ottawa river back in the day.
I've read a few articles stating there are still eels in the Ottawa river and I know they are a protected species, but I'm wondering if anybody has caught any recently (by accident of course).

Two years ago was the last time I saw anyone catch one locally here in Ottawa.

I still catch them about every second catfish outting on the north river, it's a tributary to the Ottawa river. Actually this year i prob caught the biggest ive ever seen, didnt realize the record is only 5lbs, it must have been close.

Eels have been making it up all the Ottawa river tributaries for decades, through the 60's to the 90's. There must have been some fairly recent developments that have stopped them. Historically they have been up the Carp river right to Kanata and up every possible creek that is even remotely joined to the Ottawa river, into White lake and up into Algonquin park etc.
Wonder whats going on?

there still around, only way to see them is to clean your fish on the dock and throw the remains in the water. and out they come.

i have landed two so far on the streach of the ottawa im on with one being HUGE

Hydro electric dams are the problem. Turbines chew them up.

walleye man wrote:i have landed two so far on the streach of the ottawa im on with one being HUGE

Any photos of the HUGENESS?

Thanks for the responses guys. It's good to know they're still out there.
Not as much in terms of numbers anymore but at least they still exist.

They're actually pretty neat from the stuff I read about them.

got this one near rockland last year.

The dams have been there since the 50's so how did the populations stay so strong right up into the 90's?

bruce wrote:got this one near rockland last year.

That is a superb photo!!!

No I don't think so, the latest theories are unknown causes and a virus that has come here via asian eels and is harming our american eels.
Think about it! the dams were all up by the 50's so if they were the cause then eel populations would have crashed in the 60's or at least by the 70's and that is not the case there was large populations right up to the 90's
They are a very interesting fish worth reading up on, they used to find their way into almost all of our rivers and creeks, peoples farm ponds, waterbodies that are not even joined to the ocean, trout lakes etc.

i wish i had pics i would never pick one of thouse buggers up lol