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For those of you who love fishing, being in the backwoods and men with beards, Animal Planet is prepared to help you ring in the New Year with glee.

Beginning on Thursday, Jan. 2, "Cold River Cash" will follow three teams of Maine elver (baby eel) fishermen through eight episodes as they bring new meaning to the term "making bank."

As NF Assistant Editor Melissa Wood found when she visited the northeast corner of the state during the same season the show was being filmed, there is a lot of money to be made in elvers. And there's a good bit of lawlessness, too. With a fishery that takes place overnight on Maine's rural riverbanks, and a catch that yields as much as $2,000 a pound, the elver fishery is known for poaching, robbery and warden raids.

This season's teams are the Maineiacs, from Scarborough — Lee Leavitt, his son Jason Leavitt and Jason's brother-in-law Mike Bradley; the Eelinators, from Brunswick — brothers Dana and Chris Hole and their friend, Ken Cornelison (the three brought in $600,000 during one eel season); and the Grinders, from Hebron — brothers Chad and Justin Jordan.

If you can't wait until Jan. 2, check out Melissa's slide show of her elver adventure, and an excerpt from her feature in the magazine.

Happy New Year, and happy fishing!

Photo: Justin Jordan, Lester Toothaker and Chad Jordan of Team Grinders as seen on Cold River Cash; Animal Planet/David Johnson

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Jessica Hathaway is the former editor in chief of National Fisherman.

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