Snakeheads

[ErikNJD]

Does anyone know/recommend any guides/charters that target snakheads in NJ?

[ErikNJD]

Well I found a guide, thanks everyone 😆 Went out the last Friday in June down in Salem County. Landed 3 of 7 snakes and 1 of 4 largies, plus a bunch of swipes and misses. Threw poppin frogs all day long.

On a side note- I heard a report of snakeheads in the Toms River, but I have yet to run into one bass fishing. Now I know they have made it above the dam and into Oakford Lake in New Egypt, so I assume from there they could use the creeks/brooks like Jumping Brook and Bordens Mill to make it into the Tom's. Has anyone else heard or seen snakes this far east in Jersey???

[Godrew1972]

Those are a great fight, and they really slam it when they hit. Does the guide want you to kill them after the picture, since F&W requires that they be killed?

I have never caught any in NJ waters, but have gotten them around the golf courses in Florida.

[AndyS]

I hope you didn't release them back into the water.

[ErikNJD]

Guys you dont have to kill anything. The only thing you have to do is release them back into the same water you caught it in. They cant force you to kill something. All fish were safely released since I did not want to keep any. The negativity around them is bs and the little studies on them show that. They should be embraced not treated like villains

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by ErikNJD

Guys you dont have to kill anything. The only thing you have to do is release them back into the same water you caught it in. They cant force you to kill something. All fish were safely released since I did not want to keep any. The negativity around them is bs and the little studies on them show that. They should be embraced not treated like villains

yeah, so... you are 100% totally incorrect about the law in NJ. none of the states around here have that "back into the same water you caught it from" provision for snakeheads... i think that's a FL thing? anyway, here in NJ, including salem county where you caught the fish, it is prohibited to release alive any species listed on the aquatic invasive species management plan as a potentially dangerous species. your release of snakeheads alive anywhere in NJ, including back into the water they came from, was unlawful.

please see https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/upload...ement-plan.pdf and https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/fres...asive-species/ for more information

N.J. Admin Code. § Section 7:25-6.1(g) states “The possession and/or release of live potentially
dangerous fish species, identified in N.J.A.C. 7:25-6.2, is strictly prohibited. Potentially
dangerous fish species encountered while angling shall be destroyed. There are no season,
minimum size or creel limits on these species.”

7:25-6.2...
"Potentially dangerous fish" means the following species:
1. Asian Swamp Eel Monopterus albus
2. Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
3. Black Bass species other than Micropterus spp. other than M.
Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass salmoides and M. dolomieu
4. Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus
5. Brook Stickleback Culaea inconstans
6. Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris
7. Grass Carp (diploid) Ctenopharyngodon idella
8. Green Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus
9. Oriental Weatherfish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
10. Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus
11. Snakeheads Channa spp.
12. Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
13. Warmouth Lepomis gulosus

if you disagree with this, fish and game council meetings are the proper place to express your disapproval and try to get the NJ fish code changed

[Ol Pedro]

. Has anyone else heard or seen snakes this far east in Jersey???[/QUOTE]

Grandson caught 1 out of the skimmer outflow creek below Prospertown dam. It tasted great !!! Don't think that they can get into the lake via the flume/skimmer.

[ErikNJD]

Yeah I know about them being caught below Prospertown. Thats as far as they can go there

[AndyS]

INVASIVE. If I ever catch one I'm tearing it's head off.

[AndyS]

Since everyone is so smitten with these newly introduced invasive fish why don't we just cut to the chase and try this instead. We'll scuttle all the hatcheries, both Pequest and Hackettstown. Do away with all law enforcement since we will no longer will have size and bag limits along with closed seasons. Let people stock whatever fish they desire. We won't need fishing licenses also, won't that be great ! I'm heading to the exotic fish store, any requests ?