Some nice Florida drum!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Dude, it's much safe to eating a 22" pike than a 55" muskellunge. I got super ill from eating a 45" northern pike two years ago. Massive stomach aches and pass out randomly at different times. Mercury levels in small fish isn't same levels in larger fishes. That's why it's recommend to eat a larger fish (minus trout and salmon) over 28" per one month. I knew few people get sick from eating 30" walleyes and larger pikes they caught. It doesn't matter if you cutting up the larger fillets in small ones, it's too much mercury in the fillets.
I know what you are saying and I agree....keystone predators have the most contaminants because they eat the fish that eat the fish that eat the fish that eat the fish that have contaminants and it builds up.

What I am saying is contaminants can be found in any fish, not just the big ones.

Now catching a 50" trophy Musky and killing it only to NOT go get it mounted (or eat it ). Simply idiotic. Thinking I would expect from single-celled organisms, not humans or anything that requires food to live.
 
Definitley some serious Drummage here, dude...I'd love to get reds OR blacks like that anyday.

Why don't I see any of those world-famous Florida-strain Largemouths in these pics? I CAN'T make a trip to FL without catching some. I love the everglades/keys area where you can end up catching Largemouths in the same places you'll get Snook and Reds and Grouper and stuff. Such a uniquely biodiverse place

Just seeing this Message! I usually only fish salt and brackish in Florida. The big largemouth are definitely down near my place in Arizona. 10+ pound hogs! Here in Washington, I'm lucky to get 3lb out of my lake.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Frank Castle
Just seeing this Message! I usually only fish salt and brackish in Florida. The big largemouth are definitely down near my place in Arizona. 10+ pound hogs! Here in Washington, I'm lucky to get 3lb out of my lake.
You fish the upper St. John's down there, you never know what you could catch. You see the link on Stingrays?
 
I did! So many more saltwater species travel into fresh to feed and sometimes spawn than I ever realized. Reminds me of when we started fishing in Arizona. I was surprised to learn that stripped bass were living landlocked in lake pleasant and Powell. I had no clue so many species were so versatile
 
I did! So many more saltwater species travel into fresh to feed and sometimes spawn than I ever realized. Reminds me of when we started fishing in Arizona. I was surprised to learn that stripped bass were living landlocked in lake pleasant and Powell. I had no clue so many species were so versatile
These striped bass are stocked in Arizona.
 
These striped bass are stocked in Arizona.
yea, definitely an Atlantic species....stocked, considered invasive by some, protected under the Bush admin. several years ago.

That's like Brown Trout being listed as endangered in the U.S. even though they are only native to Europe. Why would you protect a species that's not native unless it's like the last stronghold of it's kind and the only place on Earth they still bred?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dieselhybrid
These striped bass are stocked in Arizona.

According to my park ranger fishing buddy it was intentional back in the 70's. They thought they couldn't reproduce in the Colorado river system and in lake havasu. They were wrong and they established breeding populations.

When they built the CAP ( central Arizona canal project) they diverted water from lake havasu down to the Phoenix metropolitan area to keep up with water demand. Since striper are free spawners their eggs and larvae worked their way down to lake pleasant much to the dislike of fisherman and the state. It used to be a trophy largemouth and crappie lake, barely catch those anymore. Now that they are in pleasant the state wants them gone and wishes they never stocked them to begin with. There's no limit on them and you can even spear them with scuba equipment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Frank Castle
I was wrong I my earlier post when I wrote lake Powell. Want to correct that it was havasu
 
According to my park ranger fishing buddy it was intentional back in the 70's. They thought they couldn't reproduce in the Colorado river system and in lake havasu. They were wrong and they established breeding populations.

When they built the CAP ( central Arizona canal project) they diverted water from lake havasu down to the Phoenix metropolitan area to keep up with water demand. Since striper are free spawners their eggs and larvae worked their way down to lake pleasant much to the dislike of fisherman and the state. It used to be a trophy largemouth and crappie lake, barely catch those anymore. Now that they are in pleasant the state wants them gone and wishes they never stocked them to begin with. There's no limit on them and you can even spear them with scuba equipment.
They should just send them all back to eastern U.S.....we love 'em out here where they belong
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dieselhybrid
MonsterFishKeepers.com