Snakehead's

[gramps73]

I was watching River Monsters last night and was thinking that these things are sure getting close. From what i saw last night the feds should be a little more proactive on this matter..

[npauls]

I noticed that to when I watched that episode awhile ago. They would be fun to catch but I don't ever want to see them enter canadian waters.

The worst part is I don't think it will be to long before we start seeing them show up here and there across Canada. Look how fast they spread across the states without anyone really noticing.

[Off in the Bushes]

I don't think that the governement in the states is doing enough to stop the spread it is going to be in the waters in Canada. That being said I doubt that the Canadian government is putting enough press on the states to stop them. It is just a matter of time then I am not water skiing anymore. :)

[gramps73]

From all reports in the show they seem to eat everything i there way and then some..Native fish are being wiped out and I mean fast..

[FishBrain]

Yes a snakehead is a ferocious beast. They are incredible aquarium fish. I really enjoyed the ones I had before they got to big to keep.
This is how they have been getting out, Such a cool fish until 6 months down the road and your little 3" eel looking fish is now a 1.5' Monster that eats more than you child does.
At a foot long I had one that would eat 3 medium goldfish per day, and he stopped spitting them out to turn around. I tried feeding shrimp, and scallops but they just dont stop eating.
I had 2 escape sometime during the night, they managed to get out of a little hole not much larger than then, made it to the front door during their "walk" and were half dry. about 5 hours after putting them back in the tank they shed their skin and were no worse for wear.
I would LOVE to be able to fish for them, just not here. I think if I am going to catch them, it is a great excuse to go to asia!!

[Daceminnow]

Yes a snakehead is a ferocious beast. They are incredible aquarium fish. I really enjoyed the ones I had before they got to big to keep.
This is how they have been getting out, Such a cool fish until 6 months down the road and your little 3" eel looking fish is now a 1.5' Monster that eats more than you child does.
At a foot long I had one that would eat 3 medium goldfish per day, and he stopped spitting them out to turn around. I tried feeding shrimp, and scallops but they just dont stop eating.
I had 2 escape sometime during the night, they managed to get out of a little hole not much larger than then, made it to the front door during their "walk" and were half dry. about 5 hours after putting them back in the tank they shed their skin and were no worse for wear.
I would LOVE to be able to fish for them, just not here. I think if I am going to catch them, it is a great excuse to go to asia!!

i had one in a tank for quite some time as well. very cool fish. my guy squeaked through a small hole too more then once. the last time unfortunately i was away for the week-end. poor fella.

[gramps73]

So guys is it your thought that someone put there pet fish in the water ways?

If so why are there three different types in the US?

[chubbdarter]

So guys is it your thought that someone put there pet fish in the water ways?

If so why are there three different types in the US?

I believe the show states the fish were purchsed from a asian fish market and then illegally introduced to local waters in hopes they would become a viable fishery.

Its scary to see the amount of live fish for sale in our local asian fish markets.

[npauls]

Ya as darter mentioned. They were brought into the country to be sold at asian markets. The show said that they are a very good tasting fish and people stocked them into local waters so that they could just go catch a few and not have to pay for them. It seems like every time you turn around there is news about people bucket stocking different areas to suit their needs. Look at how fast those wells cat fish spread in the river on that one episode of river monsters. It was pretty wild to see that they had completely taken over and driven almost all the other fish out of the whole river system.

[calgarygringo]

I saw thar show a while back and googled to chem them out. Yes they can do a lot of damage to a fishery like ours. So lets spin it in the fact we have all these other posts about amounts and sizes of fish. Lets say they get in our lakes rivers and irrigation canals. Does the govt open the season and take them all out or how would they "manage as they say" that one. I did read they are tasty though. Compared to what I guess is another question.

[chubbdarter]

theres alot of tilapia in the asian markets....dont know if they would live here though

[pikester]

Wow maybe that's what they should stock in all the ponds overun with stunted perch!


KIDDING!!! Although it's only a matter of time until someone actually does it I fear :(

[Coulee]

It's hard to say if they could hack our cold water and long winters in Alberta. And our waters might not hold enough food for them. My concern would be if they were released into areas of Southern British Columbia, where fish like bass, crappie, etc seem to do fine. Once in the water sheds of the Kootenay, Columbia and Fraser, it could be a disaster.

[npauls]

On the episode about the snake heads the also mentioned that 1 or 2 of the species of snake head can survive in sub arctic lakes so anywhere in Canada would not be a problem for them. They fear that they will get in through the great lakes and spread out from there.

[chubbdarter]

that leaping carp is suppose to be just about to invade the great lakes....sorry i forgot the real name of the fish.....its the fish that jumps into the air when a boat passes by

[Daceminnow]

that leaping carp is suppose to be just about to invade the great lakes....sorry i forgot the real name of the fish.....its the fish that jumps into the air when a boat passes by

Asian Carp........surprise, surprise. just to clear the air my pet snakehead dried up on the floor a became snakehead jerky. didn't make it to any waterways!

[npauls]

Ya the Asian carp has been found in the great lakes. They are stopping most of them with an electro fence in all the rivers and canals that connect any waters to the great lakes. They fear that those same waterways will be the ones that help the snakeheads migrate to where ever they want. I really think its just a matter of time before we start seeing a few different invasive species hit waters that we fish on a regular basis.

[chubbdarter]

Didnt the goldfish escape from the japanese gardens and get into henderson? Asians!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Daceminnow]

seen Koi fish in a man made lake in an Edmonton sub division when i lived up there. big guys too 10 to 12 inch.

[Coulee]

Speaking of goldfish, when I was about 9 years old my friend caught a small burbot. We didn't know what it was, so we took it home alive and put it into his fish tank. By morning he had gone from having 14 goldfish, to 2 very terrified survivors. You'd think being hauled out of your home, taken to a strange place by strange things and made to swim with strange fish would curb you appetite. Just goes to show the drive simple predators have.

[gui]

i watched rivermonster all day its crazy the things that are out there. i liked the huge stingray they caught n gaved birth. and definately the snakeheads their nuts. wors then pihranas. id like to catch them

[npauls]

Hey Darter,

I never heard anything about the goldfish in henderson but it wouldn't surprise me. I do know that the U or L has a study going on at henderson and have added a bunch of grass carp in there years ago to see how the weed control would be. You can see them all the time in big schools in the summer. The first fish I ever hooked on my fly rod was one of them carp and it snapped my cheap rod like a twig. I hooked it on a chartruese and green phelps floater. I had no idea that you weren't suppose to fish for them but do now. I wouldn't mind trying to get another one on the fly now that I know more about fly fishing. Would probably give a solid scrap.

[chubbdarter]

Hey Darter,

I never heard anything about the goldfish in henderson but it wouldn't surprise me. I do know that the U or L has a study going on at henderson and have added a bunch of grass carp in there years ago to see how the weed control would be. You can see them all the time in big schools in the summer. The first fish I ever hooked on my fly rod was one of them carp and it snapped my cheap rod like a twig. I hooked it on a chartruese and green phelps floater. I had no idea that you weren't suppose to fish for them but do now. I wouldn't mind trying to get another one on the fly now that I know more about fly fishing. Would probably give a solid scrap.

they put some of those carp in the irrigation canals also didnt they?
i caught a carp years ago in Christina lake i thought i had had hooked the lake monster..lol...16lbs of scales and lips

[npauls]

I'm not to sure about the canals. If they did I don't know where they would go in the winter when they drain them out. I know that there is carp in henderson and I have heard nich. sheran but haven't seen them yet. I would love to battle a carp on the fly or spinning rod. The ones in henderson are huge. I don't know if I would have the gear or enough line to battle them but it would be fun to try.

[Daceminnow]

I'm not to sure about the canals. If they did I don't know where they would go in the winter when they drain them out. I know that there is carp in henderson and I have heard nich. sheran but haven't seen them yet. I would love to battle a carp on the fly or spinning rod. The ones in henderson are huge. I don't know if I would have the gear or enough line to battle them but it would be fun to try.

carp on a fly rod you say. nate check this out. weeeeeeee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IflkFD25nD4

[chubbdarter]

sorry for the hi-jack Gramps

[npauls]

I wish the carp in henderson would take a fly like that. They are grass carp and eat plants so its tough to get them to eat.

I have had to put the reel in the water like those guys did to cool it off one time when I was hooked into a 28" rainbow that took a few long runs. I felt the reel heating up and didn't want to burn it out so I shoved it in the water to cool it off.

To get back to the topic.

I may have to try and convince the wife that we need to take a trip down south next winter and go hunt some snakeheads. Kill a week or 2 of crappy weather with some warm weather and shallow water fishing.

[Braun]

there is a pet store here in calgary that is selling a snake head. it didnt say what kind. i dont think it was the giant but it was the one with similar colors. it was a creepy fish.

Those carp are pretty crazy. i wouldnt want them in our waterways. if i recall correctly from somewhere that the carp are held back by the electric fence, but the snakehead are not bothered by them. which is a scary thought.

there are charters in texas that take people carp fishing for a certain type of carp (cant remember what it is) but its because they are big and the put up amazing fights.

[thrude1]

heard SRD was going to stock clear lake with grass carp. what happens when they get into the canals. Anyone else hear of this

[Donkey Oatey]

heard SRD was going to stock clear lake with grass carp. what happens when they get into the canals. Anyone else hear of this

The grass carp in Alberta are certified Triploid. That means they are biologically sterilized through a process called pressure shocking. Once hatched they are blood tested to see if they have the 3 chromosomes not 2. Can not breed.

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex3446

[FishBrain]

So guys is it your thought that someone put there pet fish in the water ways?

If so why are there three different types in the US?


I think people put them in the water, but I think they were put there for multiple reasons. One being yes the bucket brigade wanted some of their home treats to be local, and the other reason (which I think is the bigger problem) is that people buy these fish because they are cool, I mean real cool. They will watch you walk around, follow you in the tank, heck when they get big you can even pet them and rub under their chin. BUT they get big fast! Once they get to big, idiots throw them away. They are tank breakers!
Now they are in the water. Problem is they will eat the waterway dry then MOVE to the next one.
I got rid of mine to people who planned to eat them when they grew up. good for them!! lol

[Jwood 456]

I've seen a show on snake heads also and if the snake heads do invade the Canadian water ways, it sure won't be the walleye overunning the lakes anymore.:rolleye2:

[gramps73]

I'm not sure that we should be doing anything as far s putting non native fish in any of our water ways. It just seems to me that every time they do something goes wrong and it costs us all. jmo

[Daceminnow]

I'm not sure that we should be doing anything as far s putting non native fish in any of our water ways. It just seems to me that every time they do something goes wrong and it costs us all. jmo

i would have to agree gramps.

good to read the grass carp that are stocked are sterile. was unaware of that. know lots of guys that use them in private ponds and wondered about possible trouble if they ever got out.

[gramps73]

I was not aware of them being sterile..