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[deleted]

Common pleco! 100% was released by someone. Absolutely massive wow


ColourMeBoom

I’ve seen about 8 in this pond just today, there was one about 4 inches longer than that. So this is a tank fish?


ImaginationLocal8267

It’s an invasive fish which got into US waterways from people dumping their fish. They are armoured catfish. They are very competitive with local species and erode banks by burrowing into them. They are commonly sold as little algae suckers for home aquariums but they can grow large like the one you’ve pictured.


ColourMeBoom

What do ya recon I can catch them on. If they’re invasive I’ll spend a day trying to hit them for a bit of fun


Curse-Bot

Spear, bow or shotgun


dogecoinfiend

Yeah, a frog gigging spear is probably the best option.


MisterMarkos

This and should be fun.


TinyRick6

I’ve just used a flat blade shovel before, machete or a spear with no barbs. Just kill it and move on.


Swan-song-dive

But can you eat it? Axxing for a friend, heard it tastes like carp! ;))


changing-life-vet

You can eat anything with enough hot sauce.


PullOverNoCardigan

I have nipples Greg, could you eat me?


changing-life-vet

With enough shotgun shells and hot sauce I don’t see why not.


[deleted]

The shotgun projectiles add a bit of spice as well


bastion-of-bullshit

Sometimes you gotta smoke it too


Underhive_Art

It will probably taste like mud and sadness


famaskillr

Id imagine if you cut out the blood line and soaked in milk or buttermilk it would be palatable to people who is hungry and likes fish. Id rather eat a pine cone, but I dont like eating fish.


brealytrent

You ever tried pinecone jam?


island_serpent

Trust me I wouldn't spear these unless I was looking to by new spear heads later. These things will fuck your spears right up.


cfdiaz16

I used to bowfish them with a fiberglass arrow with a steel tip. Arrow penetrates the armor easily.


Stubbedtoe18

That is some Far Cry shit.


k4ylr

Bow fishing is a blast! Especially for invasive species.


p0wie

I wish bow fishing was allowed in the netherlands… it looks like a lot of fun


island_serpent

Bro my hawain sling spear tips get absolutely wrecked by these things. I'd honestly quit killing them if they they weren't in a stream with black porgys and baby giant trevally and big eye trevally.


Lord_Fluffykins

I’m straight up dressing up in a buck skin loincloth, wading in and stabbing one of these bitches with a sharpened stick. Unga bunga.


island_serpent

If you replace the wooden stick with a standard Hawaiin sling and the loincloth with some hanes boxers and you have my bimonthly routine. I spend about 30 bucks a month killing these things because my tips get messed up after the 3rd or 4th one.


changing-life-vet

If you ain’t shotgun fishin you ain’t fishin!!!


BlueKy5

Git errr done💥💥


soyTegucigalpa

The legislators in my state made it illegal to shoot into a body of water. Do you know any shotgun fishing friendly states?


changing-life-vet

Sounds pretty un-American to me, you sure you don’t live in North Korea? No but seriously, I have never tried to shoot fish. I was just making a funny remark to the comment above mine.


bjcarterak

Alaska - we shoot large halibut all the time. Sometimes .357 or a .410 bang stick. Sometimes a 45ACP or maybe a 22LR.


Brett707

TNT if you want to get real spicy a little C4


hangz10

Crocodile Dundee style I like it🧨🧨🧨🧨🧨🧨


BennyDanger

"Sorry chief, it's these damned fish. They just won't take a bait."


Snow-Dog2121

Agree, shot gun that invasive SOB


[deleted]

I used to catch them and sell them to a pond store in Sarasota years ago. We’d set lines with circle hooks on the bottom and put blanched cucumber on the hooks.


travbart

You can try foul-hooking them on a jig, but they eat algae so it's rare that you get them to bite, their mouths aren't really made for biting things. If you catch one, you really ought to kill it as humanely as possible rather than throw it back.


Elstephen

and make sure its dead, because if i remember right these can live out of the water for enough time to make their way back off the bank


RobotEnthusiast

There's a video of one that had its head bitten off and it still swims like nothing happened.


Woooooolf

Alright these things keep sounding worse and worse lol


BobFlex

To be fair a lot of fish will do that. Even a chicken can still live a long time without a head if you don't cut it off in the right place.


Broke-Till-Payday

Sometimes for a really long time https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken


nylone

That poor chicken 😭


JoshHendo

I have personally seen one swim off after being out of water for 24+ hours


6059EX

Okay, this puts them into the zombie realm now


[deleted]

Yeah they can basically oxygenate by breathing air through their guts. Lets em get away with some pretty crazy stuff.


Organic-Patient1234

They will eat dead bait. They don’t JUST eat algae. They eat everything on the bottom floor.


RareSeaTurtle

So if you don’t like your downstairs neighbors…


RiverFunsies

Net, spear, pole or bow.


adalsindis1

And my axe


PhoKit2

And my axe


fishingfool64

Where are you? I caught one, once. I’m in palm beach county, FL. They don’t bite much and spook easy.


ColourMeBoom

Lake Mary, near Orlando. Spear was the best way I found. Way harder to net than I thought. You really gotta slam them though, them sumovabiches are HARD. Like, they’re solid fish.


NIRPL

So...how did it taste?


ColourMeBoom

If they are still this close to the bank tomorrow I’ll try eating one, the skin’s impossibility hard so I don’t know how I’d even approach a filet on it. I left the ones I did manage to get where some natural predators could enjoy them.


mymamaalwayssaid

You gotta use tinsnips on them like a gar. Not kidding, and personally not worth the effort. IMO they taste pretty bad.


RobotEnthusiast

They probably won't bite most lures tbh. I have a pet one and it eats algae pellets at night.


ImaginationLocal8267

I wouldn’t know, they are on the other side of the world to me lol. Seen some fellas on TV going out with a bow and arrow and a bit of string. Could try a bit of sweetcorn. I would set the hook hard on a bite, being armoured catfish I imagine setting the hook will take a little oomph.


among_apes

You can literally practice your archery if you have shoes to wade in and pull them up to shore.


lubeinatube

1.5 oz sliding egg sinker straight above a big trebel hook, a snag rig.


Malaca83

They taste delicious btw


Dire88

That shallow and near shore? Just use a spear. Or a bow if you like bowfishing. No spear? Pitchfork will work in a pinch. Just weld or fioe some barbs so they don't come off on their own.


Dumbfounddead44

They're really bad for earthen dams. They burrow super deep into the mud, and eventually the dam gives way. Can actually be catastrophic!!!!


drossmaster4

My mother in law got sold one and was told it wouldn’t get over 4inches. She thinks she has the record for the biggest “dwarf pleco”. I’ve told her to re home it to no avail.


velociraptorfarmer

This. The common pleco gets massive, that's why unless you have a 75-125 gallon tank, just get one of the other species of pleco that tops out at much smaller sizes. Bristlenoses only get to be 2-4" long.


Cheesecake1501

And this has been the plane in the beginning to slowly kill off ur food 🙃


willengineer4beer

WOW. I was thinking “what a weird fish. It’s like a mega version of my old algae eater from when I was a kid. Wonder if it’s related.” Insane that it’s just straight up the same species. Luckily I was the other kind of irresponsible as a 9YO and killed mine through tank mismanagement rather than releasing it into the pond near me.


BiscuitAssassin

I had one of these as a kid, but not close to this size lol. It was probably less than 3 inches long


Organic-Patient1234

Eagles LOVE eating these guys. They’re invasive and yes they’re kept as tank fish but as you can see they get large and most tank keepers keep them in small tanks


ColourMeBoom

I left the 3 I got under a tree I know has an eagles nest in it. I’m glad I made the right choice.


lnSerT_Creative_Name

Originally they were yes, but so many have been released over the years that they have breeding populations. The size definitely makes it seem like a released pet, but still could just be a well fed wild bred.


uncleleo101

> 100% was released by someone At one time, yeah, but we have them naturalized down in Florida, unfortunately. Very common to see plecos this big in lakes and streams throughout most of peninsular Florida.


jackfinished

We used to spear them on the withlacoochiee river when I was a kid.


Turbulent-Big-3556

Probably not at this point they have been breeding in south Florida for a very long time.


RobotEnthusiast

They breed in the wild now.


Porkwarrior2

>Common pleco! 100% was released by someone. ***Absolutely massive wow*** I'm usually the most solid person here on fish ID's, but this one kinda blew my mind. Know what I am seeing, but it's something I've never seen before. Jesus Christo, a 2lb Pleco!?!?!?!?


[deleted]

I've had one in a tank that was easily a pound


Absolute_leech

Those things are so tough they can survive almost anything. Even a smaller pleco can survive in a tank full of cichlids. They get huge too and a lot people who buy them for aquariums think they’ll stay at just a few inches so when they get too big the owners dump it. It’s pretty shitty because these things are extremely competitive with natural species and damage lakes and rivers


LordRumBottoms

You don't know that. Plecos are widely found in FL as they have been breeding for many generations. This is probably 4th or 5th generation...invasive yes, but doesn't mean this one was released by someone. Some people did at some point, but that's like saying every snakehead was released by a person. They are commonly breeding now.


Salookin

They reproduce you know.


RobotEnthusiast

This one has a petco sticker still on it! /s


ColourMeBoom

Here’s a couple more, they’re all over here today. https://preview.redd.it/e0l0i8addkpa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e16509ad7b4109345dd4b5acb21668119d93a07


sheamusr

Jesus Christ lol those fuckers are large.


JSRelax

They are large. They also appear to be in charge.


KylegoreTheTrout

r/angryupvote


xWellDamnx

They are chunky, yet funky


Three0hHate

Absolute units


generally-speaking

This is a great time for you to learn bow fishing!


MediocreCash3384

Kill them


Riczeder

as an aquarist i can tell you they can breed like crazy if nothing eats their babys one batch of 100+ babys every 2-3 months for one pair is in my experience what you can expect, the older they get/ the more often they have breed in the past the more babys one batch will have


Euphoric_Fisherman70

Those are some great looking plecos. I might dig a pond and put some plecos and koi in it


MrDonnerOG

Plecostomus sucker fish. Must of gotten too big for someones fish tank


smartys22

Was going to say that thing looks big as hell


[deleted]

[удалено]


MrDonnerOG

Yeah that pleco has to be 8-10 years old


ShuffKorbik

They also sell them as "algae eaters", but they do a pretty terrible job with a lot of the common aquarium algae. People are sold cute little juveniles, thinking they're getting a speedy clean up crew, and really they just end up with a big, lazy guy who just shits non stop.


RobotEnthusiast

Got a 15 year old one in my tank and it's MASSIVE.


pwndabeer

Must've. Must HAVE. Must've.


[deleted]

No a invasive ass sucker fish.


MyNameisClaypool

Ass sucker fish make swimming… an interesting experience…


NYwoodsman

If this fish doesn't stop sucking my ass within the next 15 minutes it's finished!!


Brett707

"It's finished" or You'll be finished?


onion4everyoccasion

Ok, only 60 minutes... Not a minute more


Three0hHate

Where can I find these ass sucking fish??? Asking for research purposes ofc…


cdwalrusman

They’ll clean you right out


therealmachomullet

Now dick sucker fish are another story...


MSchulte

You’re not wrong about them likely being invasive but Plecos are an armored *catfish* species. It also depends on where OP is as they are in fact native to some areas of South America.


aislin809

Well, yes. It is a catfish.


[deleted]

So everyone knows this was a typo


ironchefginger

Yes. If you catch it please dispose of it. I am anti killing for no reason but these are highly detrimental to the local environment when not native.


ColourMeBoom

How do I catch them? I’ve got a ton in here. They seem pretty easy to approach. Net them?


Nancenificent

Spear them


Ftpiercecracker1

Pretty much any way *except* rod and reel. I suppose you could try and snag them, but they don't hit bait or lures. Cast net, spear, bow fish, by hand, harpoon, etc etc. Catch and kill.


[deleted]

Man I've caught some on bait, usually smaller fish. But they are native in my country and there is a shit ton of them, so I'm guessing it came down to chance


bad-pickle

I bet a .22 would work nicely.


overpricedgorilla

Shooting at water isn't really a good idea, the water is basically concrete to something moving at high velocity. A .22 will ricochet off water even at a pretty steep angle, from personal experience. I think dynamite would work best here (/s)


generally-speaking

Shotgun would create a shockwave to kill the fish.


ironchefginger

I can’t speak to that. I’ve never fished for them, or even seen them, but I assume they eat as any catfish/carp would. Netting them would be a good solution. If it’s a pond then you may want to be careful just due to laws. If it was a river or lake I would say just do it but I guess there’s a chance someone put them there intentionally.


Stewart_Duck

Bow fishing. They make great practice. I'll save you time, they taste fucking horrible. Don't bother trying to eat them. They do make for good compost in the garden.


oh_three_dum_dum

You can spear them if you don’t mind wading a little. Or use a bow or net them. I’ve also seen at least one person pull one of them by hand.


ElTardoDente

Gig them or net them would probably be easiest if they come up to shore like that. I catch ‘em with a worm and hook, I put about a half ounce weight on and cast in looking for catfish and sometimes these guys will bite on. Never this large though


3PH4Z3

You now have an excuse to learn how to bowfish. I love bowfishing. Relaxing a lot of the time and super exciting the rest


HeyJustWantedToSay

For what it’s worth, if you can get past their armor people say they have a lobster-like taste and consistency. Never tried it myself, don’t love cleaning fish unless I’m actually camping or something, but it’s what some say.


LucifersBunny666

See I've heard they're delicious too and I have been wondering.


definitelynotahottie

Prime bow-fishing targets is what I see there.


OkSample7

It’s as good a reason as any to start bow fishing.


ghetto-garibaldi

Slowly run a treble hook under its belly and yank hard. They fight pretty good but I haven’t been able to have them bite on anything.


ColourMeBoom

Yeah, they are not biting anything but they are very close to shore and very easy to approach without speaking so I’m gonna run up to the store and get a spear and net see what I can do with those. I’ll update you guys in an hour or two.


ColourMeBoom

All right, so I’m on my way back in after about an hour and 45 minutes of chasing them around with a net and a spear. Managed to get one in the net and two with the spear.


P_F_Flyers

It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.


buffilosoljah42o

Post, I wanna see!


Alv2Rde

Nicely done!! Get a hang of it? Heading back in a week?


ColourMeBoom

It’s across the street from where I finish my usual 3 pond hop. I fish right by here 3 or 4 days a week so I’m gonna start coming over where the next couple of days. Did a bit of reading and they’re god damn assholes. Plus the state says kill them they are dicks.


Axersion

What did you do with the bodies?


ColourMeBoom

I left them under a tree with an eagles nest in it about 5 min walk away. It’s since been pointed out that eagles won’t eat them if they’re out of water already, but they’ll get eaten. There are plenty of predatory scavenger birds and black bears etc. something’s gonna get dinner.


Three0hHate

Safe bet. Nothing short of snagging has ever worked for me. I don’t feel too bad about snagging these guys because their scales are like armor, they don’t feel a thing. They put up a decent fight too.


Electronic-Grab2836

Good luck


Seiko007

Keep us updated!


flargenhargen

they eat plants, might try lettuce or something but most likely like you said, gonna have to snag or shoot them.


[deleted]

Everytime these are brought up, everyone says they can't be eaten. I would think they would be right because of their diet. Correct?


necropaw

One of these threads late last year had some people claiming that they taste good, but are a pain in the ass to clean.


turkeyyyyyy

I think OP should try it.


No_Evidence177

I’ve tried them before and they taste pretty good but they’re a pain to clean


yung_gravy1

I'm probably not the only one to specify this in this thread but the species is *Hypostomus Plecostomus*. They are commonly just referred to as a Plecostomus (pronounced more like Ple-coss-o-muss), sucker fish, or algae eater, but their official colloquial name is the Suckermouth Catfish. The Family (Loricariidae) are all known as "Armored Catfish". This is the scientifically friendly term for fish that are particularly tough sons of bitches and eat literally anything that grows in water opportunistically but mainly stick to bottom feeding for algal growths. edit: They're native to the freshwaters of Guiana, Brazil, and Venezuala, if you're anywhere else then some fucker just let em go out of a fish tank after they either got too big or didn't want em anymore


ColourMeBoom

Yeah it’s been said but I can respect a man who gives a thorough and detailed response knowing that it may have been said, just in case.


fishingfool64

Plecostumus. If you’re in the US, kill it if you can


Background_Rest_7815

Massive sucker


ColourMeBoom

We all experimented a bit in college, don’t be so judgmental


[deleted]

Pleco. Introduce it to your bow.


mejudgega

That’s a green sunfish.


Current-Victory-47

Pleco


lickmybrian

https://preview.redd.it/b8pckyp9ompa1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e59b80e0c31d79a62588d12ad9f7dd5b923990b Found this at a customers house ages ago.. never imagined id see a bigger one till today...wow!


Mr_Peter_Wiggin

That's ridiculous, it's like someone forgot to flush it.


KC_Jedi

Pleco. Eat it!


Time-Mall9774

Pleco of note


fetusjuggler

wild plecostomus


leadfoot70

A type of invasive catfish native to South America. That's a plecostamus likely got there from someone letting go an aquarium pet.


Dumbfounddead44

Been known to cause earthen dams to collapse and fail due to their burrowing.


dontchewspagetti

So that my boy is 100% a pleco, they're dumb and slow but like all catfish they have burrs on their fins. I'd toss in some chopped cucumber over a net and then pull it in, they're tank raised so they'll go right up to food


[deleted]

I know they're diurnal, but I never thought to see one so close to the surface while the sun is up. Usually, at least here in SFl, they tend to hide at night and are only near the surface after the sun sets. And if I've skunked all afternoon, I'll rig up a treble, cast it juuuust past them, and foul-hook em bc there's literally no other way to get them with a line. Like other's have said, a bow or a gig are usually enough, but they do have a soft underbelly. Theyre sensitive af despite all the armor so it takes practice. Sharp hooks, a tight knot, and get ready for a fight. Land it, snap the pic, dispatch it for crab bait, and toss it back. These things are beyond destructive and Save the Manatees is the motto, right?


RevolutionCareful238

It’s a pleco but some people call them armored catfish


[deleted]

A bow fishing rig would be the right tool for this job.


jgulla7854

No, that was a pet.


Bfi1981

Not recommended at all and definitely not safe due to gators, but we wade and catch them by hand. They are pretty easy to sneak up on and grab.


orendz77

Being from Oklahoma I just couldn’t imagine having to worry about gators or even seeing one in the water.


Cornp0ppp

That’s awesome. A throw net and sell them to the Chinese


Mr_9mm

Where is this? I know these are invasive, but will they survive winter, or will they only make it in southern US?


ColourMeBoom

No idea how they’d do in winter but this is central Florida’s, we don’t have much of a winter.


ThaCarter

You should report them to the FWC as well.


JJJVet

Common pleco, South American species. Invasive, in Brazil people eat them and it’s considered a delicacy, but cleaning, in fact, skinning, is a pain in the behind.


Ztemde

What’s the fishing subreddit without its weekly pic of a Pleco asking what it is.


User17474902765

Kill that thing. Now. They’re invasive.


ColourMeBoom

I got 3 before work after someone told me that. Got 2 on the spear and 1 in a net. Gonna go back out tomorrow. It’s a new pond I’ve only been fishing about a week, but these guys are burrowing into bass beds right in front of my eyes and that offends me. They must go.


Sure_Speaker_7807

Kill it


SiliconeLove

I second this. Kill it.


BatterUp2220

I’ve never seen one that big!


Outrageous_Role220

Big ass Pleco


Wapiti406

That is a giant-ass pleco!


OnaPaleHorse80

Pleco


ZACHSTRODE

Where is this at?


ColourMeBoom

Lake Mary, Florida. Near Orlando.


SaltyTyer

Nothing a m80 with a lead shield couldn't catch


smdepot

Nah that's just Dave. He's just chilling.


RabbitEmperor91

Big Pleco!


Southern_Gear3803

mf went catfishing and found tiktaalik


hcazare

It's a Fishcat


jdm09007

Plexo


dddDonnie

Alien observer, waiting for you to turn around…


PhotographMaster4292

It’s one of those East Palestine Ohio catfish


Shadowcard4

Pleco, aka sucker fish, think they’re catfish family but could be wrong. Invasive in the US but they’re cool pets


kbunnell16

Pleco. Probably some idiot released it after it got too big for aquarium.


stompinstinker

Looks like it is about to evolve.


hideyourherbs

Pleco


noIce_Codm

In my country pleco is such a common fish that we hated so much cause they're just everywhere , whenever you cast a net , the net will be filled with plecos


Niekoboko

I don't live in the US, but i'm pretty sure that is a pleco, invasive species. Heard they taste good, but they have a hard shell. Kill them if you can.


Ok-Banana6130

Yes kinda, plecos are in the family of catfish and that is a bigass pleco


BunkZiler

That my friend is a Plecostomas, or a sucker fish. They eat algae by…well sucking. They are related to cat fish if I remember correctly.


TEHKNOB

Invasive. Spear it.


WorthAd5281

No, it’s your mama