Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

Has anyone caught a knife fish since last winter's cold spell??

Yep still around... I got one at the end of Lox Rd. Palm Beach/ Broward Line.
I also caught 2 snakehead. I cringe whenever I catch any Exotic and then I KILL it. Please do the same.
I've fished our canals and lakes since 1977... and Our native fish populations ARE and will continue to dissappear. Bass size and catch rate have significantly declined according to my logs. Speckled perch lakes in boca and broward gave way to freakin tilapia and cichlids not to mention the Peacock one they call a bass.

You recently caught one out to Lox road? I've caught snake head in that canal by accident. It's my neighborhood freshwater fishing spot. I've only fished it since 99 though. Not alot of people on this site all about killing Clownknife fish or Snakeheads though. Fun fish to catch. I can't wait to catch a clownknife fish.

i am not a big fan of kill fish, just to kill them. however i dont believe killing snakeheads and exotics falls into that catogory. the exotics are doing real damage to our native wild life. in some, if not most states, you are required by law to kill snakeheads and some other exotic species. until the ecosystem has settled out and adjusted to the exotics, they are a real threat. i will kill everyone i can. look at the damage the asian carp and other species are doing up north.

Killing exotic species is a matter of protecting the native environment. I am catch and release when it comes to the natives. These other species were introduced by careless people who had to be nice to the little fishy that ate everything in their aquarium. Now these fish are better suited to compete for food and territory. Tilapia and chiclids prefer the same areas that bass use to spawn.

Wolfish.... I TOTALLY agree with you, and until recently had the same attitude, KILL THE EXOTICS... HOWEVER... After several emails/debates/posts with those that oppose the kill attitude, I have come to realize that you and I.... The "every day" bank fisherman are not doing a DAMN thing by throwing a snake head up on the bank to rot. It sucks, but it is what it is. My thinking is.... If the state gave that much of a friggin damn about our natives... they would create a "organization" if you will - to get rid of the so called exotics... Or at least a team of peeps that can concentrate on the extermination of non-natives......Again, I agree... I remember back in the early 80's... A piece of bread torn apart and thrown into a body of water in Bonaventure - now Weston - was torn apart by bluegill... and big ones at that... Now... Its mayans and such... But back to the point... A diehard bank beater - like I was before moving to this god for sakin' stupid friggin state they call NC (debate #2 lol), will not do a damn thing to the population by releasing a snakehead / or a clown knife back into its domain.

The non-natives, actuall how do you classify what is native and what is not, are here to stay. As stated even if every person active on this fishing board went on an all out war we'd still not eliminate the problem.

As we write this there is a new danger "Lion Fish" perhaps here to stay, and many people have mobilized to try and control the situation. This is something that was seen coming, and if you read enough there are indications the presence can be tracked to perhaps a few sources but its close to epidemic already. (Sorry if scientific terms are incorrect).
A year ago I maybe saw 3 the entire lobster diving season, this year the same places, 2nd reef line between Dania Pier and Haulover inlet, I see 1 or 2 on every dive. Last night at a Bonefish FW discussion I was speaking to a guy from PalmBch area who is studying the Lion fish, and he said they are now being found up to 3 miles inland, so long as there is salt water they are there.

Gentlemen... I value your opinions about how far this situation has gone with respect to invasive species. I also think it would be really cool to catch them in "Their Domain", meaning a nice trip to catch things I couldnt normally get at home. Every small bit of nutrition is precious when u r starving...so unless somebody puts a gun to my head or throws me in jail for doing it... i will toss the exotic on the bank and pray that 5 or 6 generations down the line a Bass or Bluegill will not be those fish I have to travel to get here in tropical south florida. It is simple folks...
When fish do not get enough to eat and are constlantly chased from place to place... breeding numbers go down and some may not be strong enough to protect their broods.
There is no doubt that the exotics are here to stay because not enough anglers are willing to make the distinction and have conviction. Hey Lets start a commitee ourselves and push the state and fedeal government. Ive written my letters expressing my concerns to my representative.

I dont care whether people kill or release exotics, its a personal choice, but I do care about people throwing fish on the bank creating a smelly situation for non- fishing folk that may frequent the places i fish, for other activities, i.e. jogging, dog-walking etc. Doing something as inane as leaving a fish to die on the bank is not only cruel but it can create a situation where if you do it in areas of shared recreation YOU will no longer be able to share those areas because of YOUR careless attitude towards the area enjoyment of other non-fishing folk. Get enough complaints of dead fish on the bank and those "No Fishing Allowed" signs will be going up and possibly enforced. If youre gonna kill it take it home and eat it, bury it in your yard or put it in a trash bag, if its your prerogative to kill it its your responsibility to dispose of it properly. Dont throw it on the bank and possibly create a situation where fishing access is denied to all

I am sorry so much is implied and maybe I signed up to a vegan forum by mistake...
Fish can be dispatched Humanely and quickly. If you happen to be in an area where others dont realize a fish will soon become fertilizer or food... put it in the canal to feed minnows shrimp crayfish turtles and other fish in that body of water.
If you dont kill fish... you dont fish...EVERY fisherman has incidental fatalities in their fishing history. I do hope my critics are not putting live bait on their hooks!

Wolfish, just thought I'd throw this out there..The canal system in south Florida is not "natural" but man made so nothing really is suppose to be there.... I have been around the world and have caught the snakeheads in it's native countries. Malaysia, Thailand and India.
I have caught 3 of the big 4 snakeheads, striped, giant and cobra (bullseye) and can tell you that I'd rather drive 3.5 hours south to catch them than 24-30 hrs of flying to get there. Now don't get me wrong I love traveling to the jungle to fish but cost is an issue.
I will also say that peacock bass fishing is a big economical boost to guides down there. Snakeheads are gaining ground there too. More people can fly to Florida and get a chance to catch exotic species that they never would get to otherwise. They in turn spend money here. Even the fact that I drive down there every couple of weeks just to fish for them has an economical effect. I as get something to eat buy gas and shop at Bass Pro. I put money into that economy that I wouldn't if the snakeheads weren't there.
Just another point of view.
You say lemons....I say Lemonade

P.S. I will be heading to Maryland/ Virgina to catch the Northern snakehead this spring.
Japan and Korea are out of the picture this year due t financial reasons.

Point taken sir...
I hope you kill what you catch.
And I am well versed with the south florida lake and canal system.
Its purpose was never intended for fishing at all. That is just our little bonus.
It was and still is an evolving system designed to accomodate the need for more
dry land upon which to build. The fact that native fish would enter ecah new piece as it joined the Flood control system was inevitable and wonderful.
Peacock cichlid ( somebody got the great idea to call it a bass ) of all the exotics we have were the only fish purposely introduced by the state for the specific purpose of controlling other exotics. Hence...your lemonade.
Nice tick about the economy. Your money would be better spent at a local Mom & Pop
tackle shop. Ask one of those south florida guides from Broward on down to find you a 10+ lb bass nowadays.
No we cannot kill all of them but it is our responsibility to control them As Best as We Can! Or maybe we should not worry about exotic creatures at all like pythons. We should have python wrangling clubs in florida so we wont have to travel to africa to wrangle them. That would be too expensive.

Love reading the responses to this topic... Very interesting - both sides... As one of the most hard core bank beaters to hit the banks of the "system"... I would love to see the government/state get involved in trying to balance out the "system" and get it to what is was like in the early 80's... Without doubt, the best urban bass fishery on the planet!!!! Without the state/gov getting involved... An angler properly disposing of his or her exotic specie catch will do absolutly nothing... And I do agree what was mentioned above about "sun drying the exotics on the bank"... That will DEFINATLY result in non-fishing tree huggers protesting.