Rare American eel caught in Chicago River surprises local fishermen

Strange! Eel caught in Chicago River, what we know

An American eel was caught by a River North angler last week.

CHICAGO - A rare catch in the Chicago River is drawing attention after an American eel was reeled in downtown.

Ben Gorashchenko, 25, of River North, made the exciting discovery while fishing last week.

Rare eel caught in Chicago River

The backstory:

Gorashchenko and his friend, Joshua Lee, 24, were fishing along the Chicago Riverwalk near Grand Avenue around 9 p.m. Monday, May 4 — in search of carp. Gorashchenko, an avid fisherman, had recently pulled a 20-pound common carp from the river and was hoping to accomplish a similar feat.

Instead, the pair reeled in something far more unusual — an American eel.

"We kept it at the bottom for a good minute before pulling it out because I thought it was a snake. I've researched all the fish in this area extensively, and I didn't even know this was an option — it doesn't even appear on the fishing app, Fishbrain, or anywhere. I had [Joshua] take a picture and use AI to figure out what it was," said Gorashchenko. "At first we were disappointed with the eel until we researched and saw how unique it was."

There have been very few instances of the species being found in the Chicago River. The fish are born in the Sargasso Sea, a region of the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Bermuda. From there, young eels travel inland into freshwater streams and estuaries where they live most of their adult lives. It isn't until eels are ready to spawn and die that they return to their birthplace.

Gorashchenko posted his find on Reddit, where it quickly caught the attention of fishing enthusiasts.

After documenting the catch, Gorashchenko and Lee released the eel back into the Chicago River.

What's next:

Tune in to FOX 32 Chicago at 4 and 5 p.m. for more on this developing story.