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Post by bullfrog on Aug 13, 2023 20:16:32 GMT -5
Anyone know where any oscars are outside of extreme south Florida?
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Post by One Man Gang on Aug 14, 2023 7:25:57 GMT -5
I've caught them on Okeechobee but if you really want to get into them, hit the canals along 27 south of Belle Glade or alligator alley.
My dad and I were catching them some regularity with flyrods at Johnny's Basshole back in the 80s. We used to give the bank fisherman a bunch back at the ramp. One old black lady was thrilled to death exclaiming, "OOOH! Them's African bream! I'll take all you got!"
Also, the Mayan cichlids will be even more plentiful when if you come down. At times you can get hit on every cast.
I haven't been in years but I'm willing to bet the fishing is still great for them.
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Post by bullfrog on Aug 14, 2023 13:43:07 GMT -5
Oscars are one of my favorite aquarium fish. I also understand that they taste excellent. I am going to soon look into the legality of transporting them live. If I can do it, I’d like to bring several large adults from south Florida next spring to release in one of my deep ponds that is closed to other water sources. I’m curious to see if they can overwinter this far north in deep water. This winter I’m going to measure my water temperatures at various depths. I’d like an alternative to tilapia.
Last night I was looking at a map in Georgia that suggested there are populations of oscars established there.
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Post by Crkr 23 on Aug 14, 2023 14:12:47 GMT -5
Oscar is a spotted tilapia, looks like they can't be transported alive. Attachments:
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Post by Crkr 23 on Aug 14, 2023 14:14:09 GMT -5
You might could get that "special" permit.
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Post by flconch53 on Aug 14, 2023 14:15:44 GMT -5
They are not a spotted tilapia but no invasive can legally be transpor t ed alive
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Post by Crkr 23 on Aug 14, 2023 14:21:37 GMT -5
You're right, I reread it. I skipped over the part of where spotted tilapia are erroneously called Oscars.
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Post by bullfrog on Aug 14, 2023 18:23:07 GMT -5
You're right, I reread it. I skipped over the part of where spotted tilapia are erroneously called Oscars. You are correct to the extent that oscars are in the same overall family of fish that tilapia are in. Oscars are cichlids. Means they are mouth brooders. There’s an African branch and a South American branch of the family. Oscars are of the South American side, tilapia are from the African branch. The various other cichlids in south Florida are closer relatives of oscars than tilapia are. Oscars have a lot of personality. They’re like aquatic puppies in a home fish tank. They’ll beg for human attention from across the room. They’ll also rearrange a fish tank to their liking and will secretly move things back where they want them when no human is looking if a human changes things in the tank.
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Post by tonyroma on Aug 14, 2023 20:07:56 GMT -5
Let’s roll Bullfrog, I’ll take the hit if FWC gets nosey. Plus Josh has our back.
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Post by richm on Aug 15, 2023 13:51:56 GMT -5
I had an oscar in a tank and he did pretty good. Hungry lil thing.
Also had a green sunfish I caught - that thing lived 10 yrs with me and then my cousin took it and had it for a while. Musta caught & released that thing 1,000 times.
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Post by tampaspicer on Aug 16, 2023 9:31:37 GMT -5
There are a bunch of cichlids in the ditches of Clair Mel in Tampa. We use to catch them all the time behind the house when I was growing up. Last time I drove through there you could still access the ditches.
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Post by bullfrog on Jul 28, 2024 23:37:38 GMT -5
I forgot to measure my water temps this past winter. Going to try to remember to this coming winter.
As far as transporting them, I doubt its illegal to transport them. They’re legal aquarium fish. I can go buy one at any chain fish store. Its not illegal to drive them home from the pet store.
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Post by lemaymiami on Jul 29, 2024 6:57:10 GMT -5
We catch and release a ton of oscars locally while fly fishing or using light spinning gear with small minnow plugs for peacock bass locally- some of them get pretty big (up to well over a pound) - and they do put up a good fight. Locally, I've been told that the Mayan cichlid is the preferred table fare and that oscars don't cook up very well at all, even though they certainly seem to have much more meat on them than the Mayans - but haven't tried either specie myself. All of our canal fishing is west of Ft. Lauderdale so we're talking south Florida - but we rarely find them at all in any areas where they've been spraying herbicides for weed control. The difference between the canals west of US 27 and urban canals that have been sprayed is dramatic... Here's a pic or two of each specie locally... double header - oscar on the left - peacock on the right, when the conditions are right every cast gets bit in these canals on the edge of the Everglades... this medium sized oscar ate a popping bug one more exotic - believe this is a "jaguar guapote" Funny thing -now that we're solidly in the wet season - canal fishing isn't anything to write home about - way too much water in the canals scatter the fish. Once we're back in the dry season - as water levels fall things get really good (if we can avoid a hurricane this year..). That business of folks catching and transporting fish (whether legal or not) is probably why we now have peacocks over near Naples in places where they were never stocked at all. The peacock bass is the only exotic that was sanctioned by the state for stocking in the early eighties - and that was only in the Miami area - they's expanded their range since then...
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Post by bridgeman213 on Jul 30, 2024 8:41:48 GMT -5
Are the bullseye snake heads in the same general area as the peacocks, oscars and clowns? The ones up north around the Potomac were said to be good eats. I always had great access to walleye before I retired and migrated south. I've never caught a peacock or any if the other invasive exotics, would be a different species added to the list
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Post by illinoisfisherman on Aug 9, 2024 18:26:38 GMT -5
Had a friend that had Oscars. Got tired of them and cooked them. Said they were good
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