Florida’s Most Invasive Fish Is Actually Delicious

Añadido: 2026-05-05

[00:00:02]Puppet Shaw.

[00:00:06]I guess >> No, I knew it. Come on, Eric. We had the bucket.

[00:00:16]>> All right, y'all. Here in Florida, we got invasive species on land, in air, and in the sea. And you know me, I'm going to hit them in every place I can, son. Oh, >> you never know what you're going to see out here on the canal, especially at night. And we found all kind of stuff tonight. Sunken cars.

[00:00:39]>> Look at the sunroof, dude.

[00:00:41]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:00:44]>> Sunken tables, buckets, even lazy boy chairs.

[00:00:50]Even though these snake heads are ugly and slimy, believe it or not, they are delicious. And for me, that's what's made them my target species for tonight.

[00:00:59]Not only do they have huge negative impacts, but because they're so tasty, I'm trying to get some in the boat.

[00:01:17]All right, y'all. We're out here tonight. All right, we're in the new Prodigy boat working these lights.

[00:01:22]Instead of using them as python lights like I normally do, we're doing some invasive bow fishing. Nice shot, Alisa.

[00:01:33]>> Nice work, girl.

[00:01:35]>> This canal is just ate up with invasive snake head, clown knife, tilapia, all kind of other stuff, and it's really messing up our native bass populations.

[00:01:47]Um, so we're out here trying to help them, trying to save these embankments from plecos that are digging their burrows as well to lay their nest, downgrading the embankment.

[00:01:57]>> Where you get spots where the water's not moving too in them ponds that are dried up.

[00:02:02]>> Yeah. They no water's been flowing through here. It's just been sitting baking. It's already like really nutrient rich fertilizer water and then that algae just explodes on it. A lot of this is pollen from the trees that goes in to break down and to make the algae.

[00:02:18]Yeah, >> I've heard of a whole pack of dogs getting lost to that algae.

[00:02:22]>> Yeah, I'll stop I'll stop sending them in it when it gets bad.

[00:02:26]>> [ __ ] I got some on the back of my head when I was a kid out of the river, man.

[00:02:31]A hole in the back of my head, dude.

[00:02:33]Yeah.

[00:02:36]>> Yeah, some in the river. They used to release from Lake Okachchobee into the river and we'd always be playing in the river all day and got something in there that ate a hole in the back of my head.

[00:02:49]>> That's how he turned out the way he is.

[00:02:50]>> Yeah. At least I don't talk like that one guy Kennedy that's in charge of our health department and has like brain worm.

[00:02:59]>> That's because >> Dude, big ass snake head just went under the boat. Get ready y'all. I think we're getting back into them.

[00:03:07]>> Over the years, I've been battling with bad socks. I get them and they're either too thick and my feet are sweaty, or they're too thin and they get worn out in a few weeks of hard use in my boots.

[00:03:20]These hollow socks are the perfect mixture of both. While they seem like they would be too thick for down here in Florida, I was a little worried at first. My feet are actually cooler and drier than they've ever been. I've noticed too during our colder weather nights and wearing them, my feet are still nice and warm. And I think that's because of the baby alpaca. Not just any alpaca, baby alpaca. And uh I tell you what, my feet feel nice, dry, and comfortable. Hey, Clementine, what's important?

[00:03:54]>> Good socks.

[00:03:56]>> See, even my three-year-old daughter knows good socks are important. For a limited time, Hollowoscks is running a special sale where you buy two socks and you get two more for free. Head to hollowoscks.com today. Check it out.

[00:04:10]That's hollowoscks.com for up to 50% off of your order. And when you check out, be sure to tell them I sent you.

[00:04:28]>> And it's a good one.

[00:04:30]That a boy.

[00:04:33]That a boy.

[00:04:37]Hell of a shot, girl.

[00:04:40]Brained them pretty much.

[00:04:43]Nice work, Ally.

[00:04:52]>> Oh, no way. What a catch, folks. That was wild.

[00:04:58]>> It is, right? Isn't that crazy?

[00:05:01]>> Well, this connects at some point or another to the inter coastal. Out here on the canal, there's all kind of invasive fish, and they all have their own unique way that they're negatively impacting our state. Some of them burrow into the embankments, downgrading the canal structure to lay their eggs. Some of them eat our native fish or compete with our native fish for prey. Either way, our native species are already struggling as it is because of water management, overdevelopment, and the last thing they need is an invasive predator or another invasive species competing with them on top of it. These invasive clown knife fish prey upon our native wildlife and have large appetites. The worst of them is the invasive bullseye snake head. We've caught these things eating everything from native ducks, opossums, fish, and everything in between.

[00:05:59]>> Perfect shot.

[00:06:01]>> Perfect shot.

[00:06:02]>> Good eye, y'all. I didn't even see that thing.

[00:06:04]>> Perfect shot.

[00:06:06]>> Good job.

[00:06:06]>> That's about to kick off.

[00:06:09]>> They're really good at kicking off.

[00:06:11]We're in the meat now.

[00:06:14]Go ahead.

[00:06:17]>> Got him.

[00:06:18]>> Good job.

[00:06:19]>> He came off. No, >> they're notorious for that. How many did we lose last time, Eric?

[00:06:24]>> 25, >> man. And I got him. They look in his head. I'm pretty sure I hit him in his head, dude.

[00:06:29]>> Right behind the head. If it hits him in the head, it doesn't penetrate the barb.

[00:06:33]>> Well, it might not be a fish, but it's definitely an invasive.

[00:06:39]Got it. Oh no, he got off.

[00:06:47]>> That's a good one.

[00:06:48]Happy birthday, Billy.

[00:06:50]>> Yes, sir. What do we got here? Looks like we got a sunken car. And you never know what the story is behind these.

[00:06:58]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:06:59]>> Whoa, there it is.

[00:07:02]>> Is that a car or an ATM?

[00:07:05]>> A safe.

[00:07:08]That looks like a car.

[00:07:10]Skeleton.

[00:07:12]Oh, look. I see the hand.

[00:07:17]>> Yeah. Yeah, it is. Dude, look at that.

[00:07:19]That's an old classic.

[00:07:21]>> Yeah, buddy.

[00:07:25]>> Who knows, man?

[00:07:27]Hard to say.

[00:07:29]>> Who's got the mask in the dive light?

[00:07:31]>> Yeah, I was supposed to bring a mask. I forgot. It's in the tracker.

[00:07:36]We can see.

[00:07:36]>> Yeah, that's the windshield right there.

[00:07:38]Huh?

[00:07:38]>> Yeah.

[00:07:39]>> Look at the sunroof, dude.

[00:07:40]>> Oh, yeah. That was spooky. Yeah, we can put the GoPro down.

[00:07:49]Get out.

[00:08:02]Bump it forward to the right. Perfect.

[00:08:06]All right. Maybe bump reverse.

[00:08:20]Well, there's definitely a vehicle down there. Looks like it's been down there for a little bit, but um probably most likely tomorrow, Sunday, I'll wait till Monday and report it. And uh I'm going to try to come out here and watch him pull this thing out and see what the deal is with it. So stay tuned, y'all.

[00:08:37]>> Hey, right there. Right there on the left.

[00:08:39]>> Wait, wait, wait. Right there. Get ready to shoot him. Slow down, Eric. Stop.

[00:08:45]>> Is it a bucket? Oh, it is a bucket. I got him.

[00:08:48]>> No way. No way.

[00:08:49]>> He's caught.

[00:08:50]>> No way.

[00:08:52]>> I need help lifting it. Eric, >> he's in the bucket.

[00:08:55]>> Yep. He's in the bucket.

[00:08:57]>> Don't knock me off. Hang on.

[00:09:00]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:09:01]>> I don't know how we're going to lift it.

[00:09:02]>> You got your You got your tractor supply bucket?

[00:09:05]>> Uh, yeah. Hold it right there.

[00:09:07]>> We'll take some of the water out.

[00:09:08]>> All right. You good?

[00:09:09]>> Yeah, I'm good. It's right there under that bow.

[00:09:11]>> Give us some room, guys.

[00:09:13]>> Yeah, take that bow. Thank you.

[00:09:17]>> There's a bow in there, too.

[00:09:19]>> Dude, wild.

[00:09:21]>> I was like, I really hope I don't Oh, I got >> I don't know if that's going to >> I was like, I hope that other end >> close.

[00:09:36]Thank you, Tractor Supply.

[00:09:38]>> One more.

[00:09:41]Look at this guy.

[00:09:48]>> One more.

[00:09:52]>> I mean, I guess No, I knew it. Come on, Eric. We had the bucket.

[00:09:59]Come on.

[00:10:03]>> Not to jump.

[00:10:04]>> I was getting ready to tell you, don't let him jump out.

[00:10:07]>> Come on.

[00:10:09]These canals used to be filled with peacock bass, especially on all those beds we're seeing. And uh that freeze killed pretty much all of them. I haven't seen one tonight yet. This water here in this canal was it's been so dry.

[00:10:22]It was shallow enough where the water got cold during that cold snap and uh got a little bit too cold for the peacock bass. I was iguana hunting out here just after it few days after when they had time to float up and I mean these canals were just lined with dead floating peacock bass.

[00:10:45]Wouldn't you know it, camera guy Travis from Chicago dropped my hat cam, broke the clip, so now it's become the mouth cam.

[00:10:54]>> Uhuh. Over here. Sometimes it's hard to record all the shots, especially when you're using your mouth as the camera holder, but we still got a couple good ones for you.

[00:11:05]>> Oh. Oh, >> no way.

[00:11:14]>> Hell yeah.

[00:11:17]Great.

[00:11:20]>> Yes, sir.

[00:11:24]All right.

[00:11:30]Oh, I want to go.

[00:11:41]Woo!

[00:11:46]Dude, he was off the bottom. On the bottom.

[00:11:51]I can't believe I hit him.

[00:11:54]I know.

[00:11:55]>> Hey, don't chop them. Don't chop them.

[00:11:57]Out of gear.

[00:12:02]>> Damn, baby. We're about to double up.

[00:12:07]>> Oh, dog. He's a good one, y'all. He's a good one.

[00:12:17]Yes, sir. That's what a big snake head looks like. There's a lot of meat on this guy, and I'm glad he didn't get away. This big old fat bastard is gonna fry up well.

[00:12:28]>> Hey buddy, another snake in the boat.

[00:12:31]>> These snake head skin is extremely tough and a lot of times even though you hit them with the arrow, you got to be very careful to quickly get them in the boat before they pull off. Often times the arrow doesn't go past the barb and that snake head has a chance to get away. And even though they've been shot with an arrow, them jokers are resilient and will survive.

[00:12:53]>> OH, GOT HIM. TRAVIS, you're missing it, dude.

[00:12:57]>> A double the same hole.

[00:13:06]>> Look at that. Two two arrows the same hole.

[00:13:10]Nice work.

[00:13:12]>> Good job.

[00:13:13]>> Good trigger work.

[00:13:14]>> That's right.

[00:13:20]I mean, that's hard to beat, y'all.

[00:13:24]>> That is awesome. Eric and Alisa both shot the same big old clown knife. And that's a good thing because couples that slay together stay together.

[00:13:35]>> All right. Who needs a lazy boy?

[00:13:38]>> We got We got another chair, too.

[00:13:42]>> Baby, we need we need that for the living room.

[00:13:46]Me and my guys, you know, we regularly hunt out here for iguanas and bow fish out here, all kind of stuff. And you never know, we could be ripping through here, not see this, and I don't want one of one of our boats hitting it, people getting hurt. Look at this thing. Yeah, we can use this for the barn.

[00:14:05]We'll see if I can get it.

[00:14:15]Maybe uh pull me up on this right side.

[00:14:21]>> Yeah.

[00:14:23]>> Goodness gracious.

[00:14:35]>> Well, oh there is fishing line on it.

[00:14:44]>> Yeah. Well, >> I might need help. I thought I had it.

[00:14:54]>> There we go.

[00:14:56]>> You're good right there. Thank you.

[00:14:59]>> You're welcome, Tombbo.

[00:15:02]See my snake head?

[00:15:04]>> Pretty good one, right? Dude, it this one and one, I want to say a little bit bigger that she shot at uh Ally and just barely missed. We came out here tonight because another buddy of mine was running in the area doing a bow fishing trip with some clients and uh I figured we would team up, hit the area hard. And it looks like they did pretty good.

[00:15:27]All right, we got the hard part done.

[00:15:29]Now it's time to enjoy the fruits of our labor and we're going to have a fish fry. Eric and Alisa are taking charge on the fish. They even brought some alligator. Ally whipped up some fried rice and some corn. And boy, we're going to be eating good.

[00:15:44]>> Yeah, we we got the circus.

[00:15:46]>> It's a wheelchair for a handy cable.

[00:15:48]>> The man who never wears shoes.

[00:15:52]>> It ain't yet, but we're determined to make snake head the next delicacy at our local restaurants. Same as lion fish.

[00:16:00]And believe me, it is equally just as good. It's absolutely delicious. a little easier to get. So, I think it can be cheaperly sold. Especially for a freshwater fish, it's mindblowing how good this snake head is. I grew up saltwater fishing and I'm actually a snob when it comes to freshwater fish. I generally will not eat any of them, but this snake head has really surprised me.

[00:16:25]>> I'm knocking the fur off this here fish, little lady.

[00:16:30]>> We're making meat.

[00:16:32]>> We're going to eat it.

[00:16:33]>> You hungry? Snake heads.

[00:16:35]>> Oh my god.

[00:16:38]>> Clementine, do you like fish?

[00:16:40]>> Yes.

[00:16:42]>> All right.

[00:16:45]>> Look how pretty that fish is. Spot like a pink dog bass almost.

[00:16:58]>> This is alligator.

[00:17:00]>> I I get like kind of like the eggish.

[00:17:03]So, how do you cook this? Just like >> slice it thin like this >> about a half inch thick.

[00:17:09]>> And then we take it and tenderize it.

[00:17:10]The >> color you can see it egg wash, a little heavy cream and then we fry it up.

[00:17:17]>> Happy.

[00:17:31]If the people frying your fish aren't barefoot, your fish is going to be gross.

[00:17:40]>> Fry daddy.

[00:17:41]>> Yeah, I can do it.

[00:17:42]>> Fry daddy 5,000.

[00:17:45]>> I'm putting shoes on though, dude.

[00:17:47]>> And gloves. What about a hairet?

[00:17:50]>> Yeah.

[00:17:51]>> Hair nut.

[00:17:54]>> You don't even need sauce.

[00:18:00]fire.

[00:18:01]>> By the way, hold that one more.

[00:18:07]>> I had Bud's fried chicken last night, which was really good. This beats the hell out of the butt fried chicken.

[00:18:16]>> Come try this out.

[00:18:20]Don't get any better.

[00:18:22]You don't need sauce.

[00:18:24]>> Yeah, that's good.

[00:18:26]>> I could eat that whole thing.

[00:18:29]I'm excited to try the gator.

[00:18:32]>> All right, chef. What do you think?

[00:18:35]>> Definitely hot. Look, >> it'll make a turkey. It's delicious.

[00:18:42]It's like mix between sniff and halibit.

[00:18:49]>> Girl, hold on.

[00:18:51]>> I know.

[00:18:54]Hot, but delicious.

[00:18:58]I think >> the snake sauce is good.

[00:19:05]>> Don't need it.

[00:19:09]>> Oh my god.

[00:19:15]>> Body slammer.

[00:19:16]>> Body slammer.

[00:19:18]>> Fish was absolutely delicious. What a great day with friends and family. Big thank you to my good buddy Chris for allowing us to use his facilities. come out to the ranch, do some bird hunting, some hog hunting, and have a fish fry in the process. It's really good to have good friends in the community that you can team up with, and both benefit from the relationship on top of being very good friends. We really hope y'all enjoyed the video. And if y'all want to come down here, come on a bow fishing trip with me, a python trip, iguana, hog, gator, visit pythoncowboy.com, book a hunt, shop some custom leather products, check out the auto children's book on Amazon. All of it supports the operation and we greatly appreciate it.

[00:20:00]Thanks a bunch for watching the video, guys. We'll see you at the next one.