![]() They are found in most inland fisheries of South Florida, such as lakes, rivers, streams, and canals, especially the areas with dense vegetation. Both the invasive species and native fish combined in Florida create the ultimate freshwater fishing experience of a lifetime! This invasive fish puts up quite the fight, and the best part for anglers is they can catch as many as they desire without bag limits or season since snakeheads are the most invasive fish in the state.Īnglers of all ages and skill levels travel to South Florida to catch snakeheads along with other exotics, such as the peacock bass and our famous largemouth bass. Understanding their feeding patterns, habitat, and habits can help anglers know where to find and how to catch snakehead fish in Florida.įlorida snakehead fishing is an exciting adventure. It is a myth that they “walk” on land they more so squirm their way through shallow water. In addition, snakehead fish cannot survive in water temperatures that are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, making South Florida an ideal home for them to thrive. Because of this quality, they are often found in low oxygenated areas such as floodplain pools and drainage ditches. The snakehead fish is tolerant of stagnant waters due to its air-breathing capabilities. Snakeheads are freshwater fish found in the inland fisheries of Florida, primarily canals, primarily areas with overhanging shoreline vegetation, debris, and dense submerged vegetation. ![]() However, occasionally this invasive species will eat various other prey, including toads, turtles, snakes, lizards, and insects. The snakehead fish is a bottom-dwelling, ambush predator that feeds mainly on crayfish and small fish. It’s difficult to know or even speculate on what effects the presence of this snakehead will have meanwhile, Florida Snakehead fishing is a great sport fish for anglers to have fun with. Most anglers initially think they are a bowfin until noticing the ocellus, a distinctive dark spot rimmed in brilliant orange near the base of the tail fin.Īsian fish, commonly known as a snakehead, is the most recent addition to the Florida fishing list of reproducing exotic fishes. The Florida Snakehead is an air-breathing fish similar in appearance and behavior to the native bowfin (or mudfish).Īnglers have been Snakehead fishing and catching them since 2000 snakehead fishing is mainly restrained to residential canals and ponds in Broward County, with a small population creeping north into Palm Beach waters. Some of the better-known exotic residents include the walking catfish, Asian swamp eel, and oscar. Strict laws are in place to try and stop the spread of the species, yet the specimen pictured here was collected in Burnham Harbor in Chicago.There are now 31 documented exotic fish species reproducing in Florida’s fresh waters with the addition of the Florida Snakehead. argus have turned up elsewhere along the east coast, and even in Florida, Illinois, Arkansas and California. Perhaps it was the name ‘snakehead’ or the news media exaggerating the fact that the fish could ‘walk’ that led snakehead fascination to spawn its own horror films: Snakehead Terror (2004), Frankenfish (2004) and Swarm of the Snakehead (2006). The story became a national event, with an influx of media in the area and unprecedented television coverage. Six adult Northern snakehead and over 1000 juveniles were found and destroyed. ![]() Officials immediately went to great lengths to eradicate the species from the pond, which was heavily dosed with the chemical rotenone, a piscicide. It eventually emerged that the fish was purchased from an Asian live food market and released into the pond. The first recorded sighting of a Northern snakehead in the US was in 2002 in a pond in Crofton, Maryland. ![]() Young Northern snakeheads even have the ability to move over land from one water source to another by way of wiggling their bodies. Most notably, the Northern snakehead can breathe oxygen from the air, and can survive two to three days out of water. It has the ability to survive in water with very low oxygen levels, giving the species a competitive advantage over other fish that require more oxygen. Native to China, Russia and North and South Korea, where it is eaten as a delicacy, the fish was inadvertently introduced to the United States, where efforts are underway to control its expansion.Ĭ. argus is a voracious eater of everything from zooplankton and insects to crustaceans and fish, and can easily dominate and annihilate ecosystems that are not its own. The invasive Northern snakehead fish can grow up to one metre long and weigh up to 7kg. ![]()
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