Went To Alligator Alley

[Louie]

I've been seeing a great number of warmouth in my canal, which have never been there in my 17 years of living on this canal, so maybe the invasives getting taken aback has helped, although I've been catching less fish than ever because I used to catch a lot of pbass and mayans and now all I catch is LMB's (cant complain about that but my numbers are done and variety has left).

I am slowly starting to see cichlids back in the canals around here . We never had warmouths nor suns in them as to hot in a months time.

During the cichlid absense they didnt come in to the canals.

 

[Louie]

I am glad you and Chompers have replied.....your probably right about warmouth and Lmbs.....Florida Bluegill is a subspecies of Bluegill and is only endemic to the Florida peninsula.......have you all seen how the Florida bluegill are doing, how about Everglades Pygmy Sunfish? Thanks Joe.

The places I have found Pygmy suns have always been specific places as far as shallow and real weedy loaded with plants .

I have never seen other fish in those areas other than little minnows but nothing else.

 

[Louie]

Ok went out fishing for a few minutes in one of my local canals about 4 miles out from the Glades in Broward County. Right off of Griffin Road. This canals water was always popping between the Clarius and the Plecos. It was still and silent. When I walk the shoreline nothing darted from the shoreline like last year. The mollies were abundant and not very scared to be swiming around. They were swiming around even away fromt he top water foilage. Nothing is chomping on them. I think a very good chunk of Browards Exotics BIT it in the big SFLA freeze. I will say this another canal fed by the same main canal a few miles east. I saw two huge mozambique tilapia swimming around but those were the ONLY two exotics I saw. The rest of what I saw was native.

I have recently seen them also but nothing like before.

I havent gone fishing only herping but might go this weekend fishing by Glades as canals still suck.

The egret ,vulture birds and turtles this yr had a feast they should produce lots of young this yr.

 

[warmouth]

The places I have found Pygmy suns have always been specific places as far as shallow and real weedy loaded with plants .

I have never seen other fish in those areas other than little minnows but nothing else.

Good, Ive never had anything against cichlids but I was a little scared for our Native diversity when the FWC electroshocking reports were 80% exotics in some parts of the Everglades. I am sure some exotics lived and will make a comeback .......just hopefully not to the 80% they were before.

 

[MN_Rebel]

Good, Ive never had anything against cichlids but I was a little scared for our Native diversity when the FWC electroshocking reports were 80% exotics in some parts of the Everglades. I am sure some exotics lived and will make a comeback .......just hopefully not to the 80% they were before.

Sadly, they will come back to 80% as before since you still has few survivors swimming around in the waterways and they will breeding soon.

 

[fisherman1035]

yea it might be a tough fishing year

 

[Louie]

Sadly, they will come back to 80% as before since you still has few survivors swimming around in the waterways and they will breeding soon.

I am not sure because keep in mind they do have predators such as PB-bass-Pickerel -gar -gators-herons-assorted turtle species and fishermen .

If the numbers are low they may not. However the PB might be close to gone itself but the rest do take cichlids in large numbers plus so many with cast net fishermen who break every law there is with impunity like keeping countless spawning sunfish ,under size native bass used to take sacks of cichlids.

Granted that's over with but with numbers so depleted enough taken will stop/curtail their come back. I think some might be completely gone like Midas . I have not even seen a single iguana by me and used to have few .

I doubt they will ever be a fraction of what they once were .If the state were to restock PB which bring in big fishing revenue for guides, motels,eaterys,etc as no one is going to come to Miami to fish LMB which they can fish further north in the state for cheaper than the PB will now take a big toll on natives .




"they will breeding soon"
Yes the breeding is about to start because I recall last 2 yrs when the male gators start bellowing the cichlid breeding is right around the corner and its in 80s now .

 

[Louie]

yea it might be a tough fishing year

I know as I loved cichlids and fished isolated Miami canals for them wasn't to much into Glades . They are for most part now empty canals not even PB.

I am glad I experienced it all for couple yrs it was great ,interesting fishing.

 

[Louie]

Good, Ive never had anything against cichlids but I was a little scared for our Native diversity when the FWC electroshocking reports were 80% exotics in some parts of the Everglades. I am sure some exotics lived and will make a comeback .......just hopefully not to the 80% they were before.

Funny everything the state tried proved fruitless but BOOM the cold took them out at min took them out in numbers all the states combined efforts could not.

Behind closed doors considering the revenue they bought in fishing wise some rather they be here and to now justify restocking PB which next to carp also state introduced do take natives would now be hypocritical of the FWC but they certainly will if fishing $ subsides.


http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/rooms/species/fish_help/

 

[warmouth]

Funny everything the state tried proved fruitless but BOOM the cold took them out at min took them out in numbers all the states combined efforts could not.

Behind closed doors considering the revenue they bought in fishing wise some rather they be here and to now justify restocking PB which next to carp also state introduced do take natives would now be hypocritical of the FWC but they certainly will if fishing $ subsides.


http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/rooms/species/fish_help/

I agree 100% with you on people taking spawning fish, and bait-fish with seine nets....Ive seen it and think its ignorant. I also hope they hold off a year or two on stocking exotic fish to see how many cichlids and P-bass made it before they restock (until they can do some population surveys). I dont know why the state isnt stocking Flagfish to control aglae and plant growth and Florida strains Largemouth bass and Bluegill?! I think the Cichlids will come back also......I just hope not in the numbers they were in (I like them in fish tanks).