The eggs hatch into leaf-shaped larvae called leptocephali, which are transported by ocean currents in a northwesterly direction. Coastal currents and active migration transport the glass eels into Virginia's rivers and estuaries from March to June. As glass eels migrate upriver into freshwater ponds and lakes, Leptocephali larva. Yellow eels are active at night and eat most anything, including insects, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, and other fish. They can grow up to five feet long.
Yellow eels inhabit the fresh and brackish waters of the Bay until they reach sexual maturity.
Age at maturity varies greatly with location. Eels in southern locations mature at an earlier age then their northern counterparts. Maturation in the Chesapeake Bay ranges from 8 to 24 years. Sexual maturation involves a final metamorphosis that prepares the eels for ocean life. Their skin becomes thicker, and changes from yellow to a bronze black sheen.