Eels,
which are a valuable food source, have been caught in marshland areas for
hundreds of years and, in this time, a variety of methods have been used. In one
such method, known as bobbing, a number of earthworms were threaded through
with a needle, to which was attached some worsted or wool thread. The worms
were then tied together in a bunch and then fastened to a stick, usually of hazel.
With
this bait, the eel-catcher would set out, preferably on a warm summer evening
when the river was low. A worm, held in the water, would be grabbed by an eel
which would hold on to it. The eel-catcher would then lift his stick out of the water,
complete with worms and drop the eel into a bath, either on the bank, or in a boat if
he was working on the water.
Spearing,
now illegal, was also used for catching eels. An eel-pick— alternatively
called a glave or gleeve—consisted of 4-6 flat, usually barbed, blades, attached
to
a head. The pick was fixed to a 3 m (9 ft) pole. The eel-catcher would thrust his
glave into the bottom mud where he hoped eels would be. As the technique was
passed from father to son, marshmen were adept at using these implements.
Narrow-bladed fish darts were used in a similar fashion to catch other fish,
including pike.
A
third method involved the use of eel-traps. These were long baskets, preferably
made from Welsh osiers, and had backward-pointing rods arranged along the
inside, so that eels could wriggle their way into the trap but not out again. A
suitable plug was placed in the other end. The traps were more effective if bait,
such as the entrails of rabbits or decayed fish, was used. The eel-catcher would
check his traps each morning, tipping his catch into an eel trunk. This was a large
box, with a lid and small holes drilled in the side for water to circulate. The eels
could be kept in this store for several weeks, without any visible signs of
deterioration. Fresh catches would be added daily, until there was enough to be
either collected or sent to market. Nowadays, eels are still caught, collected in
tankers and transported by ferry from Felix-stowe to Denmark, where they sell for
high prices. Smaller ones are sent to the London market where they are cooked
and sold as jellied eels.
The
fourth method of catching eels is by using eel setts. These are nets placed
across a river or dyke. With wings attached, they are fashioned with a belly which
ends in a pod. To enable the bottom to sink, the net is weighted down with chain
and there are corks on the top to enable this section to float. By fixing the nets in a
certain way, it is possible to raise and lower them. At night lights are lit on each
side of the dyke and further warnings that an eel sett is in operation are given by
warning signs and red flags. This is essential, because the nets are expensive and
could easily be damaged by boats navigating the stretch of river or dyke where the
eel sett is positioned.
This
method of eel-catching is an old and well-tried one. As long ago as 1576,
there were no fewer than thirty-eight licenced eel setts on rivers in Broadland—the
Bure, Yare and Waveney. In those times, the nets were placed in position on
moonless nights and proved very productive. As many as 700 kg (no stone) were
recorded as being taken on the Bure in one evening and 2100 kg (330 stone) on
the Yare. Although the catches are much smaller now, the system is still used.
The Fyke
netmethod uses a net in a different way. Instead of being set across the
dyke, the net is set along it. This method is also used in lakes and on the Broads.
The net is made from lengths of netting, with tunnels at intervals, each leading to a
pod. The pods are kept open by metal hoops. It is not uncommon for several nets
to be placed in position, end to end, thus covering several hundreds of metres of
the dyke or open water. When the eels swim up against the net, they turn at right-
angles and then find themselves in the pod.
As the netting is reversed here they are unable to make their escape. This and the
eel sett method are adopted wherever eel-catching is on a commercial scale as it
provides large catches. The Fyke method is used especially in the summer months.
A suitable plug was placed in the other
end. The traps were more effective if bait,
such as the entrails of rabbits or decayed fish, was used. The eel-catcher would
check his traps each morning, tipping his catch into an eel trunk. This was a large
box, with a lid and small holes drilled in the side for water to circulate. The eels
could be kept in this store for several weeks, without any visible signs of
deterioration. Fresh catches would be added daily, until there was enough to be
either collected or sent to market. Nowadays, eels are still caught, collected in
tankers and transported by ferry from Felix-stowe to Denmark, where they sell for
high prices. Smaller ones are sent to the London market where they are cooked
and sold as jellied eels.
The fourth method of catching eels is
by using eel setts. These are nets placed
across a river or dyke. With wings attached, they are fashioned with a belly which
ends in a pod. To enable the bottom to sink, the net is weighted down with chain
and there are corks on the top to enable this section to float. By fixing the nets in a
certain way, it is possible to raise and lower them. At night lights are lit on each
side of the dyke and further warnings that an eel sett is in operation are given by
warning signs and red flags. This is essential, because the nets are expensive and
could easily be damaged by boats navigating the stretch of river or dyke where the
eel sett is positioned.
This method of eel-catching is an old
and well-tried one. As long ago as 1576,
there were no fewer than thirty-eight licenced eel setts on rivers in Broadland—the
Bure, Yare and Waveney. In those times, the nets were placed in position on
moonless nights and proved very productive. As many as 700 kg (no stone) were
recorded as being taken on the Bure in one evening and 2100 kg (330 stone) on
the Yare. Although the catches are much smaller now, the system is still used.