Eel Fishing Hook

This is a spear with a comb-shaped blade used for capturing eels, and was also called an eel rake, eel latch, or eel harpoon. Generally, one comb-shaped metal blade, or occasionally three or more blades were affixed to the end of a long bamboo shaft. The shaft was held and moved to plunge the blades into the mud in order to stab and capture eels. In winter, eels cannot be caught without an eel spear since eels burrow into the mud. The eel spear shown here, which was normally used in shallow rivers or lakes, is also used in southern coastal regions of Korea for picking up pike eels.