Can Somebody Please Help ID This Fish?

Joupdog1

Caught on fly rod in a local golf course pond, my 1st thought was mudfish, but after looking at it, it is obviously not. I'm stumped. Anybody?

bmoody

Hard to be sure from your picture, but a common stumper in the area is bigmouth sleeper. Look one up and see if it matches your memory and/or other pictures.

GT Fish

I have caught one in the Lox river out in the farms.

Joupdog1

bmoody wrote: »

Hard to be sure from your picture, but a common stumper in the area is bigmouth sleeper. Look one up and see if it matches your memory and/or other pictures.

Bigmouth sleeper it is, thanks! First time I've ever seen it

mandaferret

Too late to the party. Started catching those things a few years ago and nobody had a clue what they were until I finally found them in a field guide. I incidentally caught the record (record 5lbs, I caught one around 7) and released it. They do taste pretty good.

capt louie

Fillet and release.

mastercaster

Hmm, never seen or heard of those.

Pescatoral Pursuit

Been fishing in FL for over 30 years and never heard of that thing til just now. Never recall seeing it on FWC website/ regs, nothing.

Son of a gun. Native? Exotic? Range? Table quality?

It looks like a confused Bowfin and Largemouth got frisky.

Frisbee

A fish I never saw before too

mandaferret

Pescatoral Pursuit wrote: »

Been fishing in FL for over 30 years and never heard of that thing til just now. Never recall seeing it on FWC website/ regs, nothing.

Son of a gun. Native? Exotic? Range? Table quality?

It looks like a confused Bowfin and Largemouth got frisky.

Fwc doesn't provide any information about them. Native. From here to Texas and Central America. Live in brackish/salt water and move into fresh to spawn. Can get them stacked up in spillways and such living in the rocks. I've only caught them out of two ponds, and one was connected to the St. Lucie River. They are neat to catch on topwater, almost like a red that takes a few tries to eat it. From the one I have eaten they taste like any other fish. When you get a close look at them they look a lot like walleye. Mean set of teeth too.

BASSHOLE

now i gotta add another one to my bucket list..

crazy ive never heard of or seen this this fish either.

i live in north palm beach county and if you say their brackish and fresh to spawn, i know a few spots i can go try to target.
is there any notable technique to getting em? or is it just bycatch while fishing for any other game?

with a big mouth plus teeth like that id imagine theyre predatory. the shape of the fish leads me to believe its bottom dwelling, especially points at the end of the pectoral fins. which can be used to crawl on the bottom.

anywho, exciting thread!

Joupdog1

Ours was in a complete freshwater pond btw, but the pond holds tarpon and snook.

mandaferret

BASSHOLE wrote: »

now i gotta add another one to my bucket list..

crazy ive never heard of or seen this this fish either.

i live in north palm beach county and if you say their brackish and fresh to spawn, i know a few spots i can go try to target.
is there any notable technique to getting em? or is it just bycatch while fishing for any other game?

with a big mouth plus teeth like that id imagine theyre predatory. the shape of the fish leads me to believe its bottom dwelling, especially points at the end of the pectoral fins. which can be used to crawl on the bottom.

anywho, exciting thread!

My suggestion is get some minnows/minnow imitating lures and work them around the rocks at a slow pace. They are all over spillways in Martin County, so I am sure they will be in Palm Beach.

Joupdog1 wrote: »

Ours was in a complete freshwater pond btw, but the pond holds tarpon and snook.

I've only found one isolated pond that had them where the eggs were likely introduced by waterbirds. If the ponds have snook, tarpon, and sleeper they are definitely connected to saltwater somehow as snook and tarpon eggs cannot survive in freshwater.

LeeH

I've never seen or heard of one but i think it's a Pretty **** Cool Flyrod Catch! Congrats!