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landlocked saltwater fish

Started by Guest_basssmaster_* , May 28 2008 01:55 AM

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12 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_basssmaster_*

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Posted 28 May 2008 - 01:55 AM

I lived in sarasota, Fl for a few years and i found a couple ponds that contained bass, tarpon and snook all living side by side. And it was not just juvenile fish either i was with my buddy when he caught a 36in snook out of a lake, and the same day we watch a 4ft tarpon cruise by in the lake we caught bass from. I even know of one pond thats about 30ft by 40ft on a golf course that is loaded with 20-30in tarpon, and some of the larger ponds on the golf course have qiute a few tarpon over 6ft. When i think about it every tarpon i've caught has been landlocked. My buddy who showed me these ponds has claimed hes caught redfish, seatrout, flounder, ladyfish, and a blackdrum out of them. Has anyone else seen the same? What other kinds of saltwater fish have people documented living in land locked ponds?

heres a picture of a landlocked snook

scan0025.jpg 192.98KB 4 downloads, and a tarpon that was caught out of the tiny pond in the backround of the picture

scan0023.jpg 46.03KB 5 downloads

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#2 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 28 May 2008 - 09:10 AM

I really don't believe you.
I'm afraid next time I'm in Florida, you will have to take me around and show me all these ponds so I can see for myself. :tongue:

Just kidding
I have heard of what your are refering to. I've even heard locals believe there are underground tunnels connected to the sea that the fish use.
More likely the ponds are at least temporarily linked to the salt by storm overwash, tidal streams, who knows, maybe even underground tunnels.
All the species you mention are known to inhabitat brackish or fresh water so could easily survive if stranded by a storm tide.
My bet is they get in as very small juvies.

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#3 Guest_basssmaster_*

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Posted 29 May 2008 - 02:49 PM

Well I know that when Tarpon Hatch out that they are very tiny and in a larval state that gets carried with the tide, And i could see maybe some getting washed in during a storm or thru drainage pipes but some of these ponds are a few hundred yards from the ocean or intercoastal water. I think its cool finding a habitat thats holds largemouth bass, snook and tarpon it creates a very uniqe ecosystem.

Plus the golf course that has some of these pond, were rumord to be stocked by Mote Marine Labratory as an experament to see the viability of saltwater speices in ponds. Thats what I was told be my buddy that showed me some of the ponds.

Edited by basssmaster, 29 May 2008 - 02:51 PM.

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#4 Guest_Mysteryman_*

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Posted 30 May 2008 - 01:16 PM

Ha.
There was a guy trying to sell freshwater tarpon on Aquabid last year. I guess he might have actually had some.

If you can reliably get small Tarpon, fresh or salt, then consider this:
many of the public aquariums along the gulf coast are trying to restock their systems after the hurricane. Small tarpon are in big demand, and I'm sure some of them would love to hear from you.

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#5 Guest_basssmaster_*

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Posted 30 May 2008 - 05:09 PM

All the tarpon I've caught were on hook and line, and I dont know after the stress of a 15min battle if they would transport to well. Plus you need to have a tag to keep one. I dont know if it would be legal to net one? But also Im not In Florida right now, wish I was.
Thats kind of surprising that Small Tarpon are In high demand Because there qiute common in south Florida. I would love to help some people out. Maybe next time i go down there, I could try to do something. I have to look into the regulations and legalitie issues first ofcourse.

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#6 Guest_Gambusia_*

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Posted 01 June 2008 - 10:36 PM

Red drum are stocked in Texas in several freshwater lakes.

They cannot reproduce but they can grow!

Striped bass are a saltwater fish that got landlocked. Same for some white perch.

Also flounder can live in freshwater (some species) and I believe tarpon can too.

Also bull sharks follow tarpon into freshwater

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#7 Guest_basssmaster_*

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Posted 02 June 2008 - 10:07 PM

I heard something about texas stocking redfish into freshwater, I geuss that was pretty succesfull?

And Iv'e caught baby flounder about an inch long in freshwater streams that connect to the intercoastal waterway's, I tried to keep one but it didnt last to long. Although I think it wasn't a flounder but a hogchoker a smaller reletive with no regulations..

And speaking of bull sharks and freshwater, I know that lake Nicuagra witch used to connect to the ocean thousands of years ago, actually has a breeding population of freshwater landlocked Bullsharks, but they are becoming increasingly rare.

What i think is crazy is that people catch american eals out of the rivers up here in Missouri, they travel all the way up the Mississppi and about 120miles up the Missouri before they can reach where Im at. But several damns that have been built on the Mississippi, Burden them from ever reaching this far, only a lucky few some how manage..

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#8 Guest_scottefontay_*

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Posted 03 June 2008 - 04:03 AM

What i think is crazy is that people catch american eals out of the rivers up here in Missouri, they travel all the way up the Mississppi and about 120miles up the Missouri before they can reach where Im at. But several damns that have been built on the Mississippi, Burden them from ever reaching this far, only a lucky few some how manage..

Not nearly as crazy as the fact that the eels swim to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and the young find their way back in the first place. They travel the gulf stream developing along the way. Pretty far out!

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Sargasso_Sea
(how the heck do you replace a link with a word, like "Sargasso Sea" to be shown as the above link?)

Edited by scottefontay, 03 June 2008 - 04:08 AM.

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#9 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 03 June 2008 - 08:23 AM

Not nearly as crazy as the fact that the eels swim to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and the young find their way back in the first place. They travel the gulf stream developing along the way. Pretty far out!

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Sargasso_Sea
(how the heck do you replace a link with a word, like "Sargasso Sea" to be shown as the above link?)

Highlight the word(s) you want to be the link. Then click the green "+" icon in the menu above when you post, and insert the appropriate link.

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#10 Guest_scottefontay_*

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Posted 03 June 2008 - 08:55 AM

Highlight the word(s) you want to be the link. Then click the green "+" icon in the menu above when you post, and insert the appropriate link.

Thank you

Edited by scottefontay, 03 June 2008 - 08:56 AM.

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#11 Guest_SeaweedGuy_*

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Posted 08 June 2008 - 03:37 PM

Tarpon and even bull sharks used to make it as far up the Mississippi as Minnesota. Our alterations to the waterway have really blocked this though. I think a bull shark was actually found in Minnesota a few years ago though.

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#12 Guest_fish for brains_*

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Posted 08 June 2008 - 08:42 PM

Don't some fish spend the early part of their life in fresh or brackish water and then move into salt water at some later point? If I remember correctly that's true of some flounder.

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#13 Guest_basssmaster_*

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Posted 09 June 2008 - 04:01 PM

Snook, Tarpon, redfish, flounder, seatrout, shrimp, and a ton of other speices live out there juvenile lifes in the protection of the mangroves that thrive in the brackish water water ponds and backwater's. They are the nurseries of the ocean..

Usaully they move out to the intercoastal waters when there large enough to not be prey for everything...

Without the mangrove/brackish water habitat, a lot of fish speices would be in peril, thats why Florida is now taking an effort in restoring mangrove's thru out the state...