Aquatic snails in fresh water, is this something to worry about?

[PressuredFishing]

When fishing the other day I was reeling my lure in and finding alot of the milfoil had small snail shells about the size of a dime, some a hair smaller, all of the ones that whereon my hook seemed to be dead, because nothing was in the shells. I have never seen this in this body of water, which is making me slightly worried for the fish. has anyone else experienced this???

[Jig Man]

Call your fish and wildlife and report it.

[PressuredFishing]

1 minute ago, Jig Man said:

Call your fish and wildlife and report it.

Not a bad Idea, will do that

[WRB]

Someone dumped their aquarium into the pond. Lots of fish eat fresh water snails including trout. Turban shell type snails are not native, most are salt water species or Asian.

Tom

[PressuredFishing]

24 minutes ago, WRB said:

Someone dumped their aquarium into the pond. Lots of fish eat fresh water snails including trout. Turban shell type snails are not native, most are salt water species or Asian.

Tom

Good information, yeah people dumped their goldfish in the pond, they didn't last long with the bass though, or do goldfish turn into carp? There are Carp

[WRB]

Yes

[Bluebasser86]

The lake closest to my house is loaded with huge snails called the Chinese Mystery Snail. They're invasive and love mucky bottom lakes and aquatic vegetation, which this lake has in spades. They're about the size of a black walnut and can be found everywhere around the lake. They don't seem to do any harm that I can tell though as they lake has been fishing very good for several years since they showed up. 

[PressuredFishing]

29 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The lake closest to my house is loaded with huge snails called the Chinese Mystery Snail. They're invasive and love mucky bottom lakes and aquatic vegetation, which this lake has in spades. They're about the size of a black walnut and can be found everywhere around the lake. They don't seem to do any harm that I can tell though as they lake has been fishing very good for several years since they showed up. 

Huh, I wonder if dfg fines people for dumping these invasive species in the lakes, I mean even if they are not killing the fish, it grosses me out picking slimey  snail shells off my hook, maybe that's just me

[jimmyjoe]

   Does SO. CAL not have Redear Sunfish (shellcrackers)? They love snails.           jj

[Bluebasser86]

7 minutes ago, PressuredFishing said:

Huh, I wonder if dfg fines people for dumping these invasive species in the lakes, I mean even if they are not killing the fish, it grosses me out picking slimey  snail shells off my hook, maybe that's just me

Introducing an invasive species is illegal anywhere in the country. 

[PressuredFishing]

9 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   Does SO. CAL not have Redear Sunfish (shellcrackers)? They love snails.           jj

Yes, not all lakes have them though, but they eat quagga mussel as well

[OkobojiEagle]

OP... I hope your snails are not Zebra Mussels!

 

oe

[TnRiver46]

10 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Introducing an invasive species is illegal anywhere in the country. 

Unless of course you work for the govt 

 

We have lots of native snails in the water. If you want more boat inspections and higher fees, by all means report it! 

[papajoe222]

1 hour ago, OkobojiEagle said:

OP... I hope your snails are not Zebra Mussels!

From his description, I doubt they are. It'd be a sad finding if they've spread that far west.

[J._Bricker]

16 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

From his description, I doubt they are. It'd be a sad finding if they've spread that far west.

They’re probably already here @papajoe222, at least the Quagga are. We get taxed on ‘em at both the state and local levels, including boat inspections sometimes taken to ridiculous extremes…

[PressuredFishing]

2 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

They’re probably already here @papajoe222, at least the Quagga are. We get taxed on ‘em at both the state and local levels….

Many bodies of water around me have quagga AND zebra. This is one that doesn't. The quagga mussel and zebra mussel came from the water districts pimping Colorado River water into their reservoirs, that's why we have very hard bass to catch imo because zebras+quaggas+milfoil+heat=30 foot visibility. This lake does not have either however, and there are around 6 that take strenuous precautions and procedures such as mandatory power washing and boat cards to prevent the species from coming into clean lakes. To be honest fishing clear water is fun, I know quaggas aren't great for the baitfish though.

6 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

They’re probably already here @papajoe222, at least the Quagga are. We get taxed on ‘em at both the state and local levels….

Many bodies of water around me have quagga AND zebra. This is one that doesn't. The quagga mussel and zebra mussel came from the water districts pimping Colorado River water into their reservoirs, that's why we have very hard bass to catch imo because zebras+quaggas+milfoil+heat=30 foot visibility. This lake does not have either however, and there are around 6 that take strenuous precautions and procedures such as mandatory power washing and boat cards to prevent the species from coming into clean lakes. To be honest fishing clear water is fun, I know quaggas aren't great for the baitfish though.

[Bluebasser86]

It would be pretty hard to confuse a zebra mussel with a snail.

[PressuredFishing]

48 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

It would be pretty hard to confuse a zebra mussel with a snail.

Yeah, maybe sense I didn't show an image he didn't know what they looked like. One of the lakes I fish has dropped almost 50% and the shoreline is littered with zebra mussel shells, when fishing the spawn bass made their nests in the shells and really liked it compared to the sand flats. Another time I saw a shell cracker near shore sucking in and spitting out zebra shells like sunflower seeds, was really cool to watch them in action, in a matter of 5 minutes the little guy cracked open 10 individual zebra mussels, was really cool to watch.

[J Francho]

19 hours ago, PressuredFishing said:

Good information, yeah people dumped their goldfish in the pond, they didn't last long with the bass though, or do goldfish turn into carp? There are Carp

 

19 hours ago, WRB said:

Yes

Common goldfish are Carassius auratus.  Common carp are Cyprinis carpio.  They are not even in the same genus.  They are both cyprinids, but that is a gigantic family containing over 3,000 species that are the most diverse in vertibrate world.  So, no goldfish don't turn into carp.  

[T-Billy]

My favorite local lake has tons of rather large aquatic snails. Some large rocks are almost completely covered by them. Couldn't find the species looking at the ODNR guide. We have quite a few native species of aquatic snails. Seems they're pretty critical to a healthy aquatic ecosystem.

They occasionally pull my line up inside their shells when fishing bottom contact baits. Their operculum cuts the line everytime when I try to pull it out.

Catching a goldfish would be AWESOME!!!

[QED]

Some aquatic snails can be good eats if you know how to prepare them.  And if you are a Francophile, then you can eat land based snails too.

[BASS302]

Check if it's one of the snails listed:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species

 

[PressuredFishing]

31 minutes ago, BASS302 said:

Check if it's one of the snails listed:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species

 

sadly it was not one of the ones listed, Next time I go out I will take a picture for you guys to see

44 minutes ago, QED said:

Some aquatic snails can be good eats if you know how to prepare them.  And if you are a Francophile, then you can eat land based snails too.

Yknow I love French food, Baguettes, Croissants, And my favorite Ratatouille, HOWEVER, I dont think I am willing to go far enough to eat a snail... taking them off my lure with my line is.... pushing it....

[BassinCNY]

Earlier this year I was launching my kayak on Oneida lake and there were two young woman wading and turning over rocks. I stopped to talk to them and they were doing a snail survey. They said the population was doing well and they were happy not to have found any invasives but just a little upset because the spread of invasives was what they were studying. So the native mussels on Oneida are getting their butts kicked but the snails are doing OK.