snakehead fish?

[greenbush future]

Re: snakehead fish?

I wouldn't be skinny dipping (male) in these waters knowing snake-heads are around. And I musky fish every year, pike too. The Great Lakes have over 30 invasive species in them, and they are forever changed, and none of it's good. It's cost millions and millions of tax payer $$ every year. Mother nature is strong, but being the top of the food chain should teach us a lesson too.

 

[Fishin Magician]

Re: snakehead fish?

I wouldn't be skinny dipping (male) in these waters knowing snake-heads are around. And I musky fish every year, pike too. The Great Lakes have over 30 invasive species in them, and they are forever changed, and none of it's good. It's cost millions and millions of tax payer $$ every year. Mother nature is strong, but being the top of the food chain should teach us a lesson too.[/QUOTE

New York has a snakehead alert. Northern snakehead and other snakehead species are listed as a species dangerous to native fish populations in New York and their Possession or sale is strictly prohibited.. They do not want you to release it or eat it they want you to kill it freeze it and report it....

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

ok, thats good to know.

id like ti know why my thread was moved to the freshwater fishing section when it doesnt have a damn thing to do with freshwater fishing? its a matter of safety while boating in general and nothing to do with fishing. mods?

Snakeheads are all over the place here in South Florida--in fresh water.

 

[91 Sprint]

Re: snakehead fish?

Snakeheads are very aggressive when they have young, and have been known to attack anything that comes close to the wee ones! Nasty fish. they can live out of water for days long enough to move from hole to hole killem if ya catch them and contact your Game and fishery. They will wipe out a fish population.

 

[ryanskeeter]

Re: snakehead fish?

okay i live in south carolina and yes they are here and before anyone says they arent that bad go onto youtube and search for snakehead feeding they kill fish even when they arent hungry. i caught one about 6 or 7 years ago and didnt know that the DNR here was giving people 500$ if you caught one here to find out if they were here but yes very aggresive and very strong fighting fish and yes i did kill it cut its head off to get my spinnerbait back and keep all my fingers

 

[kfa4303]

Re: snakehead fish?

I did a bit more reading regarding the regs here in FL and you actually required by law to kill them when/if you catch one. Apparently they just showed up in Broward county recently. I think we're still safe up here in the NW part of the state.... I hope :/

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

We've had them in Broward for awhile--more than a year or two, I think.

I don't know this for sure from personal experience, but I have a buddy who's an environmentalist (mostly reef preservation but he studies all this stuff), and he's been talking about them for that long.

I know that some saltwater/fresh species survive where fresh meets salt, but I'm way out west in Broward and it's purely fresh.

So it's actually the same species of snakehead that survives in BOTH?

I guess if sharks can do it, why not?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: snakehead fish?

I think/hope it's just the same species. I wouldn't be surprised if they can handle brackish water for a time. Heck, they can "walk" across land to get from one body of water to another, and even live out of water for days, if need be, so a little salt probably won't stop them. I hope our native predators and keep them in check. Thankfully, they're good to eat, so that should help, unlike the Asian carp which are apparently awful.

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

Are they still delicious living and feeding in the CANALS down by me, let alone safe to eat?

And did you know that the Muscovey ducks we have here are the exact same gourmet species they eat in Europe--but no one eats them here because they feed in these canals?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: snakehead fish?

yeah, the water quality is probably the main issue :/ I guess you'll have to play that one by ear. You now your local water best. They're fun to catch on top water, but you do need to cull them if you catch them so bear that in mind. Dido on the ducks. They are what they eat, and so are you.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: snakehead fish?

they are in the potomac where i boat, i havn't seen one, i read somewhere, they are good to eat and are to be added to the menu at resturaunts, and open season with no limits, to let us fish them to extinction here

That's one of the brightest and best ideas I have ever heard to deal with a fish environmental problem!

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: snakehead fish?

...They will wipe out a fish population.

the concerns are not based on them wiping out a fish population. the concern is that they will overconsume forage base populations leaving insufficient numbers and insufficient mature breeders. then the gamefish won't have enough to eat to maintain health and numbers.

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

This is kind of a kick in the head:

According to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, what I have by me is called the BULLSEYE Snakehead, and unless their site is horribly outdated, it's limited to Coral Springs, where I live, and the neighboring cities of Margate and Pompano Beach:

Nonnative Fish - Bullseye Snakehead

I don't understand how they can limit it to such a small area, even if it IS a different subspecies. They say it was first spotted here in 2000, and after 13 years, it HAS to have spread all over.

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

You may now consider me a South Florida snakehead expert, although I haven't fished for them yet.

First, contrary to above, their invasive danger is NOT in eating vegetation. They eat other species, and by their very presence, crowd them out as well. However, experienced pros down here say they haven't noticed very ill effects to other populations yet.

Next, it is NOT against the law to catch and release in FL. The FWC encourages you to kill, but there are no fines whatsoever for release. I've heard that for other states, this is NOT true.

But in FL, there IS a big fine if you're caught with a live one. Also, of course, no regs on size or quantity.

So far, they are confined to Broward County, nothing in Dade County, but are creeping into southern Palm Beach County.

I bought a new baitcasting rig yesterday, and I'm heading out tomorrow to go after them on foot via canal and lakes. (My boat isn't ready yet.)

If I'm lucky, I'll post pics! If I'm not, I'll lie that a family emergency came up and I couldn't go.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: snakehead fish?

Lotsa florida snakehead fishing vids on youtube:
snakehead fishing in florida - YouTube

Take 'em home and eat 'em, they're good!

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

Lotsa florida snakehead fishing vids on youtube:
snakehead fishing in florida - YouTube

Take 'em home and eat 'em, they're good!

That's how I became an "expert"--just watching YouTube videos.

The biggest expert down here is CaptainShane100, who's posted a bunch of snakehead videos there.

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

What's that smell? It's the smell of me getting skunked today.

Spent 2 hours this morning on a long stretch of C-14 canal, and 2 hours at sunset off a large tributary off the Sawgrass Expressway. Not a single hit.

I was using a frog lure, but it's not THE lure that they say attracts Snakeheads. There's a guy in my neighborhood who pours and sells them...jdscustombaits.com...and they're the type where the legs flap like crazy on the surface. (I did a website order, but since he's so local, I'm meeting him tomorrow afternoon to pick them up instead of him having to ship. I'm using his peep toads instead of full frog, because the peep toad is a bit smaller and more suitable for medium action rigs.)

I'm using really heavy line (65lb) on a medium action baitcasting combo, so I didn't switch to any spinner baits today at all because I can't imagine getting any casting distance out of them.

Anyway, I'll be doing a lot of this fishing on foot over the next week or two, until my boat is ready to roll, but I think therein lies in the rub:

You have to cover entire shorelines, in that standing in one spot and not getting a fairly immediate hit means you won't GET one. You have to be on the boat and cover tons of ground, casting and retrieving parallel to the shore.

I think!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: snakehead fish?

I'm using really heavy line (65lb) on a medium action baitcasting combo, so I didn't switch to any spinner baits today at all because I can't imagine getting any casting distance out of them.

Obviously you've never thrown a Slopmaster.


Joe Bucher Slopmaster Tandem - Firetiger - Mills Fleet Farm

 

[IraRat]

Re: snakehead fish?

Wow! I bought a few cheap ones that are way too small, just to have in the bag!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: snakehead fish?

At 1.6 oz. you can cast the Slopmaster a very good distance on heavy freshwater tackle. I use an Ugly Stik Tiger Lite heavy action 7' rod, 80 lb. braid, and a wide spool Ambassadeur 6601 CB.

I target Large Bass, Northern Pike, Muskie, and wouldn't hesitate to throw it for big Snakehead.

The Slopmaster glides through and over aquatic vegetation like a dream and has a vibration almost like an electrical shock that's transferred down the braided line an into the rod.