
Snakefish can be a fun sport fish to target. But they’ve also been known to go after other mammals like turtles, toads, lizards and snakes. Florida’s bullseye snakefish tends to be a bottom dweller that feeds on small fish and crayfish. Like other Florida fishing, understanding their feeding habits is also important for the greatest chance of success.

These updates from fishing guides and captains will let you know about productive areas, how many snakeheads they’re catching, their size and weight, and what they’re using. They’re often found in shallow areas with overhanding shoreline vegetation, dense submerged vegetation and debris.Īnother way to locate where you should head to target snakeheads is to refer to a Florida fishing report. Snakeheads can be found in freshwater bodies of water like canals and ponds. Moreover, if you catch a snakehead, before tossing your catch on the grill, try to remember to contact your nearest fish and game agency or US Fish and Wildlife Service to share data about the size, number and location of the fish so they can use the information to help control this invasive fish in the state. Permits can be obtained by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. And under federal regulations, snakeheads can’t be transported out of the state either since a permit is required to take them across state lines to prevent their spread. While anglers can fish for snakeheads, it’s unlawful to possess, transport, or otherwise bring into the state or release any freshwater fish that’s not native to the state without a permit from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In that way, they have the potential to disrupt ecosystems if they become permanent.īecause of the significant threat they pose to fish and wildlife, there are some restrictions, however, when Florida snakehead fishing. That’s because these invasive species compete with native fish for food and habitat, and prey on other fish, small reptiles and sometimes birds and small mammals. Unlike native fish, there are no regulations limiting anglers’ ability to catch snakeheads in Florida. In fact, as they have been centered in the region for two decades, some anglers are beginning to argue that the bullseye should be designated as just another Florida fish. This location provides an ideal home for bullseye snakehead fish as they cannot survive in water temperatures below 50F. Of the two snakehead species found in Florida, northern snakeheads have rarely been reported in the state, while the nonnative bullseye snakehead fish in Florida is mainly found in northeastern Broward County, mostly between the freshwater waters in Pompano Beach west to Margate. But now they’re found in the US in Florida as well as several other states. Instead, they’re native to parts of Asia and Africa.

Snakeheads are an invasive species, which means they’re not native to North America. They also share the same scale patterns and eye positions of snakes. Snakeheads are air-breathing, sharp-toothed, mucus-covered freshwater fish that get their name because they have a long, cylindrical body.
