anybody own any north american lake fish?

[oldshell4481]

i was wonderingif there was anyone one here that has tried keeping; large&smallmouth bass,sunfish,perch,pickerel,trout,crappies etc.??? me and my friend go fishing and if we catch any small fish we take em home. they live fine. also when we set our live bait traps we sometimes catch very small bass and sunfish we are goin to try raising this year.

 

[frog girl]

Yes I have kept some of those fish. Keep in mind that most of the fish you named (I don't know all of them) are predators & can be territorial - so unless you are thinking of a pond 2 males will probably fight as they mature. Sunfish are fun because they are colorful & lively & fun to watch breed if you have a pair. The make nests & the males take care of the eggs in most species. I think perch would also be pretty cool & I know they are not game fish but I kept stickleback as a kid (much better size for aquarium living). All the fish you named would need quite a bit of space and habitat complexity to be happy. We also kept a couple catfish that learned to eat from our fingers. They are slow & mellow & unlikely to freak out in an aquarium.

You will want to look into permits (most states all you need is a fishing license I believe).

Trout usually need heavily oxygenated flowing cool water & they swim around a lot so I wouldn't recomend them unless you plan to set up a stream system.

One warning. Releasing aquarium fish into the wild even if they belong in that habitat can be dangerous because they can carry exotic diseases into the population. It would be best if you didn't release the fish you raise unless you have a pond.

Good luck.

 

[KaiserFish]

A friend of my dads kept a 3000 gallon tank in his basement that he raised northern pike in. He had the tank in the basement, and the floor of the main floor was a thick glass so you could walk overtop of the tank. Was pretty cool. When they want fresh fish for supper... well....

 

[oldshell4481]

as far as i know pike are disgusting to me but some of the coolest fish

 

[frog girl]

that is a confusing statement oldshell :?

Do you mean they taste bad but are fun to watch??

 

[oldshell4481]

they are bad tasting but are cool to watch i did a report on them and when they are about to attack another fish they bend themselves into an S position and then lunge quickly, wicked sharp teeth, and capable of swallowing food 2/3 of its size in length.

 

[frog girl]

I have waded around with them & seen a lot dead they are indeed formidable.

 

[Toirtis]

Nothing like a toothy, 52" pike to humble you.

 

[oldshell4481]

lol 11" pickerel (smaller Cousin) has sharp enough teeth to leave quite a scar on you, ive handeled many a pickerel, if your fishing for them you better have needlenose pliers or a pair of hemostats to get the hook out or else you should just cut the line.

 

[Toirtis]

Yep...big pike often eat ducklings and even young muskrats. A friend of mine lost one and a half fingers to a pike once.

 

[chainsaw]

Well I've got what I believe to be a largemouth right now (he was mixed in with a load of minnows I bought for bullhead food). He's still about an inch long, I've only had him for a week but I'm pretty sure he's a bass.

I'll let you know how that turns out. 8)

 

[oldshell4481]

thatd be killer i tried to get one that was 1/1/2 inches long but it died before it got home.
man that would suck, having lost fingers to a pike!!! i know they eat ducklings and rats but losing fingers they must really have monstrous teeth. never caught one but will take precautions.