Short-finned eels are a common native freshwater fish found through a lot of southern and eastern Australia. They are not a glamour species for most anglers, but they pull hard for their size and are great fun when you find them in the right water.
You will mostly find them in freshwater creeks, rivers, lakes, farm dams and slow backwaters, but they also turn up in estuaries and brackish reaches. In Australia they are widespread through the south-east, including Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and parts of New South Wales and Queensland. They like snaggy banks, weed edges, undercut banks and deep holes where they can stay hidden through the day.
Short-finned eels are opportunistic feeders that will eat worms, yabbies, shrimp, small fish, frogs and just about any meaty food they can grab. They mainly hunt by smell and usually become much more active after dark. Most bites come when they leave cover and patrol the bottom around snags and muddy edges.
Tide matters most in estuaries and lower river systems, where a gentle run often helps them move and feed, while slack water can be quieter. Low light is a big trigger, so dusk, night and dirty overcast conditions usually fish better than bright middle-of-the-day sun. Light to moderate wind can help by adding ripple and washing food into the edges, but strong wind can make freshwater spots hard to fish cleanly. Swell only really comes into play near estuary mouths and coastal lagoons, where a bit of movement can stir food up, but heavy swell tends to dirty the water too much and makes access tougher.
Simple bottom gear works best: a running sinker or light paternoster with strong hooks and tough bait. Worms, prawns, chicken gut, fish strips and yabbies all get eaten, especially fished close to snags, weed beds or muddy drop-offs after dark. Use abrasion-resistant leader because they love rubbing you through timber and rocks.
Short-finned eels spend years growing in inland waters, then head out to sea to breed far away before the young make the trip back upstream.