Mullet In Freshwater Pond?

[SRQbass]

The other day I decided to fish a landlocked pond that I haven't been to in a while, and was suprised to see a bunch of mullet swimming around. I've seem them in saltwater connected canals, but never a landlocked pond. I also caught a bass and had a large tarpon like fish hit my buzzbait. Anyone have any experience with mullet in landlocked ponds? And yes, I am 100% POSITIVE they were mullet and not carp. Don't ask , what if they were carp.

[SirSnookalot]

Never have seen mullet in a landlocked pond, but in brackish canals...........yes.

Curious as to the tarpon like fish, only thing that comes to mind is a barramudi but they are not native.  I understand they have been stocked in some ponds, haven't seen one up close and personal. 

[0119]

Every single fresh water body of water around here has mullet in it.  Tarpon, snook, reds often too.  Even Jacks, sheephead and ladyfish if your close enough to the coast for saltwater intrusion.  I'm a couple towns south of you.  Often times over the last 50 years developers and county governments have rerouted drainage's.  The mosquito control ditches of the '40's and '50's are often filled in from lack of maintenance or were filled in so developers could make $ off every inch of land. Very few times flood tides from storms like the 'NoName" storm in '93 caused plenty of immigrated fish.  I know guys who purposely transfer big snook into ponds for their own private enjoyment.  Just remember to keep some mullet colored lures on hand because the bass tarpon and snook will feed heavily on the baby mullet since the bream have been pushed out by the tilapia and are not populated enough to be a viable forage base.   

[geo g]

In south Florida we have generations of snook, tarpon, reds, that have lived their whole life in 100% fresh water. 30 years ago I watched a guy fight a good sized tarpon in a canal adjacent to sawgrass and US 27. After a 20 minute battle he landed the brute, the spectators were all amazed. They are caught all the time down here, they have become land locked. We also have a host of exotics.

[SRQbass]

I am pretty positive that it was actually a tarpon. They aren't too uncommon in freshwater around here. Giant schools of mullet are new to me in freshwater though

[0119]

There's also the triploid version of the Amur carp(grass carp) which look just like a mullet until you pull them out of the water to see where the eyes are set on the face.  Everything intermingles around here.  I've caught Mayan Cichlids in the middle of Charlotte Harbor and seen tilapia in the mouth of the Myakka in full on saltwater.   

[BassinLou]

Does your pond by any chance have a deep culvert that is adjoining your pond with another body of water? Down here in Miami, although we have vast canal systems mullet, snook, tarpon, and other species  fish have called these waterways home. Idk if they spawn in these canals or migrate back to the ocean. I am leaning towards the latter. 

[SirSnookalot]

Somewhere I had heard snook and tarpon do not reproduce in freshwater, don't know if true or not.  Where I live in Palm Beach Country I have not run across "freshies", there is elevation in the spillway gates.  To my surprise I have seen quite a few times needle fish making their way into freshwater canals.

We also have freshwater spillways with elevation, since the freeze I cannot catch a peacock bass west of these spillways.

[0119]

I've caught snook so far up the Peace River its almost the center of the state.  FWC biologists say waterbirds transfer snook eggs to freshwater on their feet.  Hard for me to believe they would survive such a flight.  I've caught baby snook under 6 inches in landlocked water that has not seen a flood for decades.  Caught 20#'s in the same water, so I kinda think the academics got it wrong.   

[.ghoti.]

I've never seen any in any of the ponds I fish, but I do see one every now and then behind the wheel of a pickup.

[everythingthatswims]

Watch fishingallday's videos, he catches all kinds of "sweetwater" fish. I have seen mullet in ponds at Myrtle Beach

[BassinLou]

Somewhere I had heard snook and tarpon do not reproduce in freshwater, don't know if true or not.  Where I live in Palm Beach Country I have not run across "freshies", there is elevation in the spillway gates.  To my surprise I have seen quite a few times needle fish making their way into freshwater canals.

We also have freshwater spillways with elevation, since the freeze I cannot catch a peacock bass west of these spillways.

 

I have recently started seeing needle fish swim around the canals I fish in. I am about 6-7 miles inland from the beach and some interesting creatures swim in these canals. Last month a huge manatee scared the living you know what out me..... lol. It quickly surfaced took a breath and kept moving up the canal. Pretty cool. 

[0119]

Yeah I get needlefish in freshwater here too.

[SRQbass]

Does your pond by any chance have a deep culvert that is adjoining your pond with another body of water? Down here in Miami, although we have vast canal systems mullet, snook, tarpon, and other species  fish have called these waterways home. Idk if they spawn in these canals or migrate back to the ocean. I am leaning towards the latter. 

It does have a deep culvert next to it, but I don't beleive it connects to the pond

[Florida_Fishing_Dude]

Even here in Daytona FL we got mullet and snook in completely isolated freshwater ponds I think it's because of the hurricanes

[Darren.]

First post with a thread revival! Welcome aboard!  

[BassinFLNY]

If it's close to Saltwater, good chance there is tarpon. We catch them a lot down here from landlocked ponds and canals. They travel through the pipes I think 

[Chance_Taker4]

aaaaaaannnnddddddd its ALIVE!!!!!!