Where could I find this fish?

[Ifishtoolittle]

Okay before I begin I do not intend to rally anyone up about this question nor do I want to argue about it. Let's start shall we? I just want to know if anyone here has ever caught, seen, or heard of snakeheads caught in any socal lakes or rivers in the past 10 years. I was only able to pull up info on Snakeheads being caught at the wood'. So if anyone can help out I would appreciate it. I'm asking because after watching a few youtube videos on Snakehead fishing they got me wondering if there are any places locally that consistently produce these fierce fish. Thanks.

-IF2L

[Fishbreath]

The really scary thing is that someone is going to watch those videos and think how great it would be to have a place to fish for those fierce creatures. They will eventually find an unprincipled fish market that has live ones for sale and buy some to put in that little lake in the park down the street. Those things are very adaptive and are not likely to confine themselves to that one body of water. Their spread would be an ecological nightmare, so the DFG will react and then over-react. Whole reservoirs will be poisoned just because some guy thought it would be cool to catch one. All theoretical of course.

[Ifishtoolittle]

The really scary thing is that someone is going to watch those videos and think how great it would be to have a place to fish for those fierce creatures. They will eventually find an unprincipled fish market that has live ones for sale and buy some to put in that little lake in the park down the street. Those things are very adaptive and are not likely to confine themselves to that one body of water. Their spread would be an ecological nightmare, so the DFG will react and then over-react. Whole reservoirs will be poisoned just because some guy thought it would be cool to catch one. All theoretical of course.

This is the reaction that I thought I would get. Let me ask you this wouldn't it be more fun to catch as fish that fights to the very end, strikes any lure in any presentation, not have to worry about fish fatality because of its nature, and to just have a very nice eating fish?

[Thisfool]

This is the reaction that I thought I would get. Let me ask you this wouldn't it be more fun to catch as fish that fights to the very end, strikes any lure in any presentation, not have to worry about fish fatality because of its nature, and to just have a very nice eating fish?

to answer your question i don’t think there are any local waters that have snakeheads.

but fishermen should not think solely of how much fun he will have or how good the fish taste but instead think about preserving the waters he has access to by not wanting a devastating creature such as the snakehead eating every thing in site. If they found there way into one body of water even if it was a small city lake with not connection to other waters with out question some one will put them in other waters and due to the nature of the snake head (extremely fast reductive cycle, adults who protect there fry and having almost no natural predator in American waters) nearly all the American fresh water fishers will be over run.

With that said your response to that was very selfish

[dfisher]

Those things produce to fast and supposedly attack anything even humans. Read they also can live out of water?

[Ifishtoolittle]

to answer your question i don’t think there are any local waters that have snakeheads.

but fishermen should not think solely of how much fun he will have or how good the fish taste but instead think about preserving the waters he has access to by not wanting a devastating creature such as the snakehead eating every thing in site. If they found there way into one body of water even if it was a small city lake with not connection to other waters with out question some one will put them in other waters and due to the nature of the snake head (extremely fast reductive cycle, adults who protect there fry and having almost no natural predator in American waters) nearly all the American fresh water fishers will be over run.

With that said your response to that was very selfish

Yeah the response was selfish, but if most anglers were not LMB fishermen and instead Snakeheads were our quarry then you wouldn't consider my response to be selfish. I do respect our fisheries and I understand what a snakehead can do, but you need to understand that I do not wish that the fish take over a body of water and become the dominating predator. Usually it is the Giant snakehead that can take over a body of water and all of its inhabitants. Northern snakeheads do not have this ability they would merely stunt a population. Honestly though I wish everyone would respect snakeheads, I mean it's not like most of the fish in our lakes are native.

Most people are so gullible to believe everything that has been greatly overstated. Frankenfish, walking out of water to go into another body, eating all native fish, etc. This country has plenty of invasive species and somehow they've integrated themselves into an ecosystem without destroying it, just look at the Brown trout it's from Germany it hasn't eaten everything in sight and trout fishermen have grown to love them.

I don't know I guess it just takes a while for people to realize how valuable a snakehead can be.

[carpanglerdude]

Bowler caught one in a pond near West Covina...msg him. I think it was several years ago, but they might still be in there.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Bowler caught one in a pond near West Covina...msg him. I think it was several years ago, but they might still be in there.

Really? Would you happen to know how big?

[Jayfisher]

Here's a thought if you want a snakehead go to Asia and catch them there but keep those things out of our waters becase they will destroy every living thing in the water there eco destroyers and for one I want our waters and are fishing to be better in the future for my kids.

[troutdog]

Apparently you do "fishtoolittle"....stop watching River Monsters, Youtube and Discovery Channel and go fishing for something worthwhile to post about! :Wink: :LOL:

The thought of those things in our local waters makes me cringe,


TD

[dfisher]

Apparently you do "fishtoolittle"....stop watching River Monsters, Youtube and Discovery Channel and go fishing for something worthwhile to post about! :Wink: :LOL:

The thought of those things in our local waters makes me cringe,


TD

Thats where I saw it at, River monster show haha..

[Ifishtoolittle]

Here's a thought if you want a snakehead go to Asia and catch them there but keep those things out of our waters becase they will destroy every living thing in the water there eco destroyers and for one I want our waters and are fishing to be better in the future for my kids.

The whole point of the question was so that I would not have to travel very far to catch the damn fish. I will do it sometime in the future though.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Apparently you do "fishtoolittle"....stop watching River Monsters, Youtube and Discovery Channel and go fishing for something worthwhile to post about! :Wink: :LOL:

The thought of those things in our local waters makes me cringe,


TD

Those shows are better than Bill Dance lol. Besides a top predator fish isn't something worthwhile to post about? Our society is funny.

[carpanglerdude]

Guys, calm down. He isn't advocating stocking the local lakes with snakeheads, why so many people getting butthurt over it?

It's a hella crazy fish and I would try to catch one too if I knew a pond here had some. I don't want them in SoCal waters, but I'd still target one if it was around.

Back to the original question: ifishtoolittle, here's the thread from Bowler about that fish. Pics and location too. Link: http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?43672-Unknown-Fish&highlight=snakehead

[Ifishtoolittle]

Guys, calm down. He isn't advocating stocking the local lakes with snakeheads, why so many people getting butthurt over it?

It's a hella crazy fish and I would try to catch one too if I knew a pond here had some. I don't want them in SoCal waters, but I'd still target one if it was around.

Back to the original question: ifishtoolittle, here's the thread from Bowler about that fish. Pics and location too. Link: http://fishingnetwork.net/forum4/showthread.php?43672-Unknown-Fish&highlight=snakehead

Thanks for the thread Carpanglerdude. It's funny I am not even sending out the impression that I want the fish in our lakes, but somehow that is what others are thinking.

[Rick Grover]

that would be a blast if were here in So. Cal. Peacock bass, Tigerfish from Africa, Golden Dorado from Argentina. But the key word here is "Native", which they are not and for that reason they will never make it here in these times of redtape and eco-politics. How cool would it be to have Payara in Lake Elsinore! Hope you dont fall skiing! gk If those snakeheads would eat Quagga's.....................Rick G.

[DarkShadow]

It's funny I am not even sending out the impression that I want the fish in our lakes, but somehow that is what others are thinking.

Hmm.


...wouldn't it be more fun to catch as fish that fights to the very end, strikes any lure in any presentation, not have to worry about fish fatality because of its nature, and to just have a very nice eating fish?

Then what kind of impression are u trying to give off?

[Ifishtoolittle]

Hmm.



Then what kind of impression are u trying to give off?

That I like the particular species and was wondering if they were around. In a sense I wish the fish was in some local body of water but I'm not pushing for any sort of stocking of the fish. If the fish aren't here then okay whatever I'm not going to do anything about it I was just curious, but knowing that this is a sensitive subject it would lead down a path of complications.

[DarkShadow]

In a sense I wish the fish was in some local body of water but I'm not pushing for any sort of stocking of the fish.

so you want the fish present in a body of water with a population large enough so you can actually catch them, but u aren't pushing for stocking.

How do u propose the fish get there if they are not stocked?

[FinWiz]

:Secret:Here is my .02$ What your not grasping Ifishtoolittle, is it only take s one well meaning firsherman to decide it would be cool to have the ability to catch a species in there local water s.Case in point research what some well meaning angler s did to Lake Perris....:Idea:

[D Shi]

I used to work in the Tropical Fish business and I had a buddy who got a snakehead, illegally of course, but we would get some oddities show up in shipments. It went from a 3 inch fish to over a foot in a year in a 100 gallon tank. It killed everything except an electric catfish and a fresh water stingray. It tried to get the catfish but got lit up several times before it finally gave up. Mean, nasty fish, keep them the hell out of our waters!

[Ifishtoolittle]

:Secret:Here is my .02$ What your not grasping Ifishtoolittle, is it only take s one well meaning firsherman to decide it would be cool to have the ability to catch a species in there local water s.Case in point research what some well meaning angler s did to Lake Perris....:Idea:

I'll look into that on the perris thing.

[Ifishtoolittle]

so you want the fish present in a body of water with a population large enough so you can actually catch them, but u aren't pushing for stocking.

How do u propose the fish get there if they are not stocked?

The fish will get there by jumping over from florida or the potomac. I'm not going to do anything to any of our waters. You can't be this bored damn.

[carpanglerdude]

I think the Perris thing he was referring to is the spotted bass being pwned by the largemouth bass, after a "bucket biologist" introduced them to the lake. Not sure how true that is, just something I heard.

[Fishbreath]

I think the Perris thing he was referring to is the spotted bass being pwned by the largemouth bass, after a "bucket biologist" introduced them to the lake. Not sure how true that is, just something I heard.

It is absolutely true. When Perris was built Alabama spotted bass were planted, and it became a world class spotted bass fishery with five line class world records at one time. The lake record is still only one ounce shy of the existing all tackle record. A bass club decided it would be a great place for largemouth bass as well, so they did the Johnny Appleseed thing in their live wells. And of course it has been a great lake for largemouths, but the spotted bass could not compete, and it was eventually ruined as a spotted bass lake.

[Ifishtoolittle]

It is absolutely true. When Perris was built Alabama spotted bass were planted, and it became a world class spotted bass fishery with five line class world records at one time. The lake record is still only one ounce shy of the existing all tackle record. A bass club decided it would be a great place for largemouth bass as well, so they did the Johnny Appleseed thing in their live wells. And of course it has been a great lake for largemouths, but the spotted bass could not compete, and it was eventually ruined as a spotted bass lake.

Maybe one could mess with a Spottie's genetics to make it more aggressive. Biologists do things like that with some fish.

[Fishbreath]

Actually, the problem is that the spottie is too aggressive. It is a bass with an attitude. The adult catch rate is over 80%, compared to about 20% to 25% for the Florida strain largemouth. Back in the late seventies and early eighties we did not have much of a catch and release ethic, so more of them wound up in a skillet than the largemouth. I'm sure there were other issues as well, but the introduction of the largemouth was the proverbial straw.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Actually, the problem is that the spottie is too aggressive. It is a bass with an attitude. The adult catch rate is over 80%, compared to about 20% to 25% for the Florida strain largemouth. Back in the late seventies and early eighties we did not have much of a catch and release ethic, so more of them wound up in a skillet than the largemouth. I'm sure there were other issues as well, but the introduction of the largemouth was the proverbial straw.

Hmm makes sense. You think if spots were re-introduced and LMBs were harvested for a bit Perris may once again have a load of Spots. Hmmm, then again the Stripers. Man what else snuck into the lake?

[DarkShadow]

Regarding the Perris Spotted Bass....

This is straight from the DFG, re: Florida Strain Bluegill


The early promise of the southeastern bluegill was shattered following underwater observations by Department of Fish and Game fishery biologists at Perris Lake. They found that this subspecies was unusually aggressive, driving adult Alabama spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus henshalli) from their nests and feeding on their eggs....The Department decided not to extend its range in California. In California it is now probably confined to Perris Lake and the several waters where the original releases took place.

So, according to the DFG, the Florida strain bluegills also may have had a part in the downfall of the spotted bass fishery there. I'm sure the introduction of the largemouth didn't help situations, but many people overlook the role these big ole bluegill played at Perris.


Maybe one could mess with a Spottie's genetics to make it more aggressive

MORE aggressive?

:EyePop:

If they made it more aggressive, they'd jump in the boat and smack you with your own rod.

Spots are awesome, too bad they're limited in Southern California.

[Ifishtoolittle]

Perris did produce some of the biggest Bull Gills' that I've ever seen. Had no idea those little guys could be aggressive enough to chase a Spot off its bed.