Finally caught a Florida snakehead.

[hawgenvy]

I've been bass fishing for years, and this is the first snakehead I've caught, a two footer more or less, with a very dramatic tail spot. This was done bank fishing today at a local canal (the El Rio canal in Boca Raton) that was packed with dense matted hyacinths, by punching through with a plastic craw and a 1.5 oz weight, hoping (without success) to catch a bass or two.  For about a 1/4 mile length of the canal, the water surface was not visible, just the top of the green stuff. The photo illustrates how dense the hyacinth mats can get in Florida.

[soflabasser]

Congratulations on catching your first bullseye snakehead!Those fish are very fun to catch.

[hawgenvy]

3 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Congratulations on catching your first bullseye snakehead!Those fish are very fun to catch.

Thanks, man!

[JustJames]

Do you know, that a good eating fish too. I wish there are those fish here.

[Redlinerobert]

Nice!  Yes, I wish we had them in CA as well.  They'd get huge on the Delta!

[hawgenvy]

9 hours ago, JustJames said:

Do you know, that a good eating fish too. I wish there are those fish here.

I do know. Didn't eat the one I caught in Florida, but I have had them before, like the one that is in this photo I took in Can Tho, Vietnam.

[jr231]

I've caught bowfin. Which appear very similar.. correct me if I'm wrong but are they not an invasive species ? Ive been told they have dug their roots into Florida as the habitat is perfect for them. I'm sure they are fun to catch. But think of all the food they are eating that the bass could be eating. Plus another predator on small bass... I guess it could go either way. The big bass eat the snakehead young and so on.. but I for one, Will definitely not be "wishing they were in my area. " 

Like I said. I'm sure they are fun to catch . But up here we have plenty of game fish. LM, SM, walleye , pike , musky, catfish .. then the panfish are a blast on ultra light.. 

I'm not trying to be a downer.  But when I read someone say they wish this fish was in their area it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. 

[Penguino]

31 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

I've caught bowfin. Which appear very similar.. correct me if I'm wrong but are they not an invasive species ? Ive been told they have dug their roots into Florida as the habitat is perfect for them. I'm sure they are fun to catch. But think of all the food they are eating that the bass could be eating. Plus another predator on small bass... I guess it could go either way. The big bass eat the snakehead young and so on.. but I for one, Will definitely not be "wishing they were in my area. " 

Like I said. I'm sure they are fun to catch . But up here we have plenty of game fish. LM, SM, walleye , pike , musky, catfish .. then the panfish are a blast on ultra light.. 

I'm not trying to be a downer.  But when I read someone say they wish this fish was in their area it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. 

I could use the argument you use in the beginning of your paragraph on almost any type of rough fish.

Other than carp and tilapia, all other rough fish such as gar, pickerel, green sunfish, catfish, bullheads will readily eat bass fingerlings without a second glance.

They have done studies on the Potomac where the snakehead population was a big deal a few years ago, and found the bass population is still just as catchable and fishable as before. In fact, some people I know report even bigger fish being caught, as a possible reason is snakehead helping up clean the gene pool by eating smaller bass.

Eventually, at the end of the day, I view snakehead exactly as I see pickerel.

Not what I'm fishing for, but still extremely fun and enjoyable to hook up upon.

 

[jr231]

True but why add one more to the list ? Lol those species are NATIVE... I understand what you're saying... but they just don't belong..from what I've read females produce 100-1000 young per spawn and some species spawn more than once a year. Not only that but they grow very quickly and with no natural predators they are certainly something to be concerned about. Enjoy your catch now. But in 50 years when your favorite spot is over run with snakehead you might not think so highly of them. You probably don't care because it won't affect you. And you think they are "fun to catch" . 

I wasn't arguing that they are fun to catch . I was just bothered by someone saying they wish snakehead was In their area. Go to Asia if you want snakehead. They don't belong in American waters period. Just like the Asian carp, and various other species. Conservation is key . 

[soflabasser]

South Florida is definitely a paradise for exotic gamefish, that's for sure.Its also a paradise for quality sized bass,which proves these exotic fish aren't as detrimental to largemouth bass populations as some might want you to believe.I rather live in a area where I can catch fish from 5 different continents than live in a area with a small selection of species to target. Besides many of our exotic fish fight much harder pound for pound than most native freshwater fish.

[jr231]

Give it time.  

[JustJames]

Then why dont we just eat them all that snakehead or even carp just like tilapia. I know some ppl say they are trash fish but do you know those taste pretty good too if you know how to cook them. I know some middle east would spend money on those carp. 

I'd rather eat tilapia or even snakehead than eating bass anyday.

 

btw, I think I read somewhere that LMB also not a Native fish in CA. Correct me I am wrong.

[soflabasser]

Spotted tilapia have been here since the mid 1970's.They are originally from Africa. 

Mayan cichlids have been here since 1983.They are originally from Central America. 

Peacock bass(a  species of cichlid)have been here since 1984 when they where introduced by the state of Florida.They are originally from South America. 

Bullseye snakeheads have been here since the year 2000.They are originally from Asia.

I can mention other species of exotic fish,but the point made is the bass fishing is great in South Florida, even with several established species of exotic fish.Its common to catch a +5 pound bass in South Florida, at least for me in the locations I fish (which are filled with various species of exotic fish).

[jr231]

Ok. Snakeheads are great. I wish they were everywhere 

[soflabasser]

Anyone here likes catching fish on top water frogs?If the answer is yes,the snakehead fish might be something you may want to target one day.Snakeheads love smashing a topwater frog,fight better than a bass of equal size,and leaps out of water often.

[hawgenvy]

As a general principle, invasive species are deleterious to native fauna and flora and may result result in extinction of native species. It is impossible to predict the short and long term consequences of non-native introductions, and given the sad human proclivity to (intentionally or not) mess up natural habitats, conservation rather than intervention should be the rule. However, once an invasive species has gotten a foothold it is not a given that it will do harm or require eradication. We should actively discourage any transplanting of species. But in the meantime we might as well enjoy our many foreign guests, such as snakeheads, peacocks, cichlids, lionfish, and on and on. In most cases it's too darn late, anyway.  In the meantime, we should do what we can can to get Burma pythons and Nile crocodiles and melaleucas the hell out of the Everglades.

[GonzoFishing]

On ‎9‎/‎5‎/‎2016 at 11:07 PM, hawgenvy said:

I do know. Didn't eat the one I caught in Florida, but I have had them before, like the one that is in this photo I took in Can Tho, Vietnam.

That looks really good!! Never caught a snakehead before but i may try this weekend. Dang that made me hungry..LOL

[hawgenvy]

8 hours ago, GonzoFishing said:

That looks really good!! Never caught a snakehead before but i may try this weekend. Dang that made me hungry..LOL

In VN they usually grill a snakehead over a hot fire using (for a handle) a stick placed through the mouth, which is a rather a handy way to do it. It can be served after opening the dorsum longitudinally and extracting the bones. Season with salt, lime juice or rice vinegar, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Serve with rice.

[soflabasser]

Looks like a good meal to have if someone is in Vietnam. Too bad the canals in South Florida are highly polluted with several species of fish having consumption warnings. 

[hawgenvy]

On 9/23/2016 at 9:39 PM, soflabasser said:

Looks like a good meal to have if someone is in Vietnam. Too bad the canals in South Florida are highly polluted with several species of fish having consumption warnings. 

I agree, but I'm not too sure about the waterways in VN either.  I feel safer eating ocean fish, but they too can have pollutants, like mercury. And other toxins, such as ciguatera. Would be nice to have relatively pollution- and germ- free water someday. Not going to happen anytime soon.

[soflabasser]

7 hours ago, hawgenvy said:

I agree, but I'm not too sure about the waterways in VN either.  I feel safer eating ocean fish, but they too can have pollutants, like mercury. And other toxins, such as ciguatera. Would be nice to have relatively pollution- and germ- free water someday. Not going to happen anytime soon.

I also feel safer eating ocean fish and acknowledge that there is precautions in eating certain species of ocean fish. Larger,older predatory fishes such as kingfish are more likely to be high in mercury compared to dolphin (mahi mahi). Ciguatera poisoning is very rare in Florida, but has been documented in the consumption of some species of fish (barracuda, grouper, cubera snapper, yellowjacks,etc).

[Terzy]

Isn't the El Rio connected to Lake Ida? I typically advocate catch and release for Snakehead, but I would have killed that guy.