Lamprey....

[Darian]

As I sit in my living room, watching California Heartland, the shows stars are fishing the mouth of the Klamath for Salmon (netting) and Pacific Lamprey.

Apparently, the natives (Huroks) fished for Lamprey using a device called an Eel Hook. This thing is about 4' in length consisting of a wood handle of 2' and a stout wire bent into the shape of a narrow gap hook. There is no point or barn on this hook.

In order to catch Eels, one must approach the edges of the surf in the mouth of the river and watch for an Eel crossing the bar. when a wave recedes it frequently strands the Eels. The hook is then used like a snake hook to pick the Eel up. The hook is rotated in the air to keep the Eel from falling off while the fisherman moves toward the dry sand where the Eel is thrown up, high and dry to be picked up later....

Now,.... Here's the catcher.... The Lamprey are cooked open an open fire right there on the beach Huroks consider Lamprey a delicacy. The Commentator said it's an acquired taste.

[shawn kempkes]

The yuroks and the hoopas consider it a delicacy. They say it has to be smoked just right. Over the years I have gotten to know some of the hoopas and all they talk is how they cant wait till spring so they can go catch lamprey. When I was a teenager we use to cut school and go to the russian river and I can rember seeing them spawning in the river around dry creek. l

[Covelo]

Many people erroneously refer to them as eels. The Eel River was named after them even though they are not eels.

They make a very characteristic spawning redd where small rocks are carefully placed along the circumference. On poor rain years, I commonly see them in the upper Middle Fork Eel River in May. Typically see a lot of dead ones also.

For the Columbia River, they started counting them at the Bonneville Dam fish ladder a few years ago. You can follow the counts at

http://www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/adult.html