2018 Fly Fishing for Snakeheads and Bowfin success thread
- Thread starter Fredrick
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Beat me to it tweed . As you can see I haven’t been blowing hot air on here .
Poopy I don’t care if you kill it and eat it . I don’t like the senseless killing of this fish because people think this fish is some monster that will eats their dog .
I post a lot of info on here.....but it doesn't mean I agree with all or any of it, necessarily.
I just try to post all relevant info to have members discuss it to voice their opinions, maybe learn something, or maybe show they need some to do some more readin' and learnin' on the subject.
All good, though.
I'm personal opinion on the snakehead subject?....I'm very cautious since many fisheries biologists are very concerned about the introduction of the species. They are the experts in the field and have no reason to have an bias for or against any species.
I hope and believe they will not threaten the current fish populations. The growing population of snakehead in the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays is very concerning to me, since as I have posted above these are the spawning grounds for stripers and shad as well as very important forage species of fish.
I laugh at the disdain I read about bass being an introduced species. They are native to the northeast and from my research were introduced in 1854 or there abouts in the Chesapeake. So that ship has sailed along time ago. And the same for brown trout which were also introduced in the 1800's. Get over it! Besides if bass or trout weren't around for 150 years and were similar to snakeheads, I'd be worried about them.
From info I looked up, snakeheads may cause ecological damage because in many areas to which they are not native the absence of natural enemies gives them apex predator status. Not only can they breathe air, but they can also survive on land for up to four days and migrate 1/4 mile on wet land to other bodies of water by wriggling with their body and fins. Plus each spawning-age female can release up to 15,000 eggs at once. Snakeheads can mate as often as five times a year. This means in just two years, a single female can release up to 150,000 eggs.
Link to source: snakehead info
In Afish's post #35 above, if you follow the contact info highlighted, you will find that the reports are all coming to me.
Per the comment about putting fear into the public, I have spoken to and exchanged email with many individuals over the recent years who have caught snakeheads or what they thought were snakeheads and turned out to be bowfin or some other species. In the past two years, however, reports from the SE have been much more or perhaps completely accurate concerning fish ID. Anglers, whether catching and keeping or C&Ring, are providing valuable info on the expanding biogeographical range of this species and, based on frequency of reports from specific locations, a sense of their abundance. No angler with whom I have spoken in recent years has been fearful.
When snakeheads are abundant they are easily caught and easily moved to new waters. When anglers can't legally possess them alive, it gives other anglers the chance to observe illegal activity and report it, making it more difficult for those who want to keep live fish to introduce elsewhere. Even anglers who catch and release a snakehead may be providing an ecological service, as it has been observed that when the adults are removed from their nests, panfish quickly move in to gobble up the fry.
Per the comment about putting fear into the public, I have spoken to and exchanged email with many individuals over the recent years who have caught snakeheads or what they thought were snakeheads and turned out to be bowfin or some other species. In the past two years, however, reports from the SE have been much more or perhaps completely accurate concerning fish ID. Anglers, whether catching and keeping or C&Ring, are providing valuable info on the expanding biogeographical range of this species and, based on frequency of reports from specific locations, a sense of their abundance. No angler with whom I have spoken in recent years has been fearful.
When snakeheads are abundant they are easily caught and easily moved to new waters. When anglers can't legally possess them alive, it gives other anglers the chance to observe illegal activity and report it, making it more difficult for those who want to keep live fish to introduce elsewhere. Even anglers who catch and release a snakehead may be providing an ecological service, as it has been observed that when the adults are removed from their nests, panfish quickly move in to gobble up the fry.
Mike stop misleading people especially with the new regional report trying to make them believe they are breaking the law if they C & R . I called the WCO hotline last year to get clarification on the regs and the Wco tried to use the same lines on me I called him out on it then he became reall pushy about it .
The worst part is you guys are out there for every year surveying the fishing populations of the areas containing SHs so you have no baseline to go off of to . So how are you going to say these fish are hurting anything if you don’t have a baseline to go off of .
You do realize this is an article written by someone who likes snakehead fishing. He is a newspaper writer, a journalist, a guy who took the easiest college courses he could take. He is not a biologist, he is not a snakehead expert. He is merely a guy who likes snakehead fishing. it really is pretty meaningless to the discussion.
jifigz
Moderator
I think this thread is turning silly. I see nothing intimidating, threatening, or super persuasive about the PFBC language. C&R is legal, if you're keeping one kill it right away and ice it down. You just can't transport live snakeheads. When I finally make a trip to fish for them you better believe I'm keeping them. Why? Not because I'm worried about them destroying the ecosystem, eating all of the fish, killing my neighbor's dog, etc but because it is my desire to keep a few and eat them. I was a total C&R advocate for the longest time but I'm starting to change my mind to responsible harvesting. For instance, the next time I'm on Penns and camping at Poe Paddy you best believe the last trout I catch before I call it a day will probably end up roasting on the fire. You can all condemn me but I enjoy eating fish and wild brown trout are delicious. Instead of fishing our oceans dry I can steal one meal from a heavily populated brown trout stream.
Back to snakeheads. Fish for them, enjoy them, don't spread them, they aren't going anywhere and they most likely won't cause major disruptions to the other fish. Now, on the other hand, the picture of a flathead someone showed me from the upper Juniata scares me more than any snakeheads. I've know flatties have been up here for a while but this is the first big one I've seen. This concerns me because I love redbreasts and a burgeoning population of flatties can take a huge toll on the sunnies.
Back to snakeheads. Fish for them, enjoy them, don't spread them, they aren't going anywhere and they most likely won't cause major disruptions to the other fish. Now, on the other hand, the picture of a flathead someone showed me from the upper Juniata scares me more than any snakeheads. I've know flatties have been up here for a while but this is the first big one I've seen. This concerns me because I love redbreasts and a burgeoning population of flatties can take a huge toll on the sunnies.
salvelinusfontinalis
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https://lancasteronline.com/sports/outdoors/dreaded-frankenfish-arrives-in-lancaster-county/article_6441caf4-86a2-11e8-b45c-db4c9c048afc.html
Come on Fred, yet another non expert. Let me guess what his research will prove, hmmmmmmmm, They are fun to catch and they will not be detrimental to the fishery. I just love how expert opinions are shoved aside for the opinions of anglers looking to add to the thrill of catching another species. Now I'm not saying the experts won't change their position but right now their position is clear and as far as I can tell it's unanimous among those who study and know snakeheads.
I'm curious what others would say if they found them in some of the fabled central PA trout streams.
I'm curious what others would say if they found them in some of the fabled central PA trout streams.
salvelinusfontinalis
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Poop,
Fred's last link was for bowfin, which are native to pa.
Fred's last link was for bowfin, which are native to pa.
FarmerDave
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Snakehead are like bowfin that breed like green sunfish.
Kill all you want, or toss them back. Doesn't really matter.
I never caught one, but if I do, I will probably kill it. If it is in clean water, I may even take it home to eat. I hear they test better than brown trout.
Never caught a bowfin, but those I would toss back.
Kill all you want, or toss them back. Doesn't really matter.
I never caught one, but if I do, I will probably kill it. If it is in clean water, I may even take it home to eat. I hear they test better than brown trout.
Never caught a bowfin, but those I would toss back.
Hey I started another thread for people who want to cry about snakeheads. So keep your crying off my success thread . I’m done arguing with people . If you want to show a valid argument with some scientific evidence that these fish are eating everything including your pet poodle and first born child I’m game but we will do it in the other thread .
FarmerDave
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Fred, if you look at the time stamps, I posted that previous before you started the new thread. I apologize for not anticipating that move.
I agree that there has been some crying on here, but I haven't shed a tear.
Can you say the same while keeping a straight face?
I didn't think so.
I honestly don't care if you C&R, as long as you are throwing them back in the same waters where you caught them.
It's like C&R for Round Gobies.
I honestly don't care what people do with the ones they kill.
They are very prolific breeders, so neither of you are making a difference.
Now on with the success stories. I wanna catch a few for the fun of it, maybe eat one, and feed the rest to the barn cats. They gotta eat too, and probably getting tired of green sunfish.;-)
I agree that there has been some crying on here, but I haven't shed a tear.
Can you say the same while keeping a straight face?
I didn't think so.
I honestly don't care if you C&R, as long as you are throwing them back in the same waters where you caught them.
It's like C&R for Round Gobies.
I honestly don't care what people do with the ones they kill.
They are very prolific breeders, so neither of you are making a difference.
Now on with the success stories. I wanna catch a few for the fun of it, maybe eat one, and feed the rest to the barn cats. They gotta eat too, and probably getting tired of green sunfish.;-)
FarmerDave
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There is some decent bowfin fishing in NWPA, some of it not far from where I live. But I haven't tried it yet. I would like to, but just haven't gotten around to it. The only one I ever saw caught was 40 years ago in a side channel on the Clarion. I had no idea what it was at the time.
The creek down the road from my place looks like it ought to have some.
Was that better?
The creek down the road from my place looks like it ought to have some.
Was that better?
#51
Fred, no need to get upset. I don't think anyone is argueing. Differing opinions is called a discussion. For the record your the one that needs to show a valid argument. All your postings to support your position are what non expert anglers are saying. It's been beat to death what the experts say about them and they happen to say your point of view, at the current time, is wrong.
I will let you get back to your success thread.
