Tdoyle Loc: Cottonwood Shores,Tx

Hi everyone!
I live in cottonwood shores and have access to some great areas for fishing, but want to focus on the smaller guys. Does anyone know if we have plecoes or Cory cats? Mollies and other small grouping fish? Thanks I’m advance!

charlykilo Loc: Garden Valley Ca

Better check the laws. Fish police have laws about what you want to do.

Tdoyle Loc: Cottonwood Shores,Tx

Ah ok…so you have any suggestions? Do you mean fish and wildlife?

charlykilo Loc: Garden Valley Ca

Yes! Different rules different species.

Tdoyle Loc: Cottonwood Shores,Tx

Very much appreciated thanks!

The Fishin' Musician Loc: Austin, TX

Hi TDoyle,

Unfortunately, Plecos, corydoras, black mollies, or what you would consider typical aquarium fish do not occur naturally in our Central Texas chain lakes or rivers. Sometimes people tire of a fish that has grown too large in their home aquarium and release them into the wild. That is why we sometimes see large Oscars or rarely Pirahna caught out of our lakes. That said, there are several species that will adapt to aquarium life. I have kept many of these in various aquariums over the years. There are many varieties of perch that would be nice in an aquarium. Also, various minnows that occur naturally can be kept. It is best to avoid gamefish like bass, catfish, and crappie though I have had them all in tanks before. What I did was recreate our natural lakes, collecting gravel, driftwood, and rocks, and making the aquarium as natural as possible. You will have the best success going with a larger aquarium vs a small one like a ten-gallon. 55 gallon or 75 gallons will turn out much better. You will have to put major filtering and air pumps in there. When you have your aquarium set up and cycled, then it is time to go collect your specimens. I had the most luck with a seine net and a buddy to work the other side. You can also throw a cast net. Remember that these species are on the aggressive side and will eat anything they can get in their mouths. Don't try and mix traditional aquarium fish with native species. Your guppies and mollies will get eaten by bluegills or other perch. Good luck if you choose to do it. It was really cool for a while. I graduated from freshwater aquariums to start a saltwater reef several years back. It is awesome but expensive as nice jewelry.

Tdoyle Loc: Cottonwood Shores,Tx

Thanks for the info! I have had freshwater aquariums in the past and am aware they aren’t normally occurring fish in our waterways. Your saltwater aquarium is beautiful! I will probably just use small net traps or recycled plastic bottles made into traps to get small stuff (maybe shrimp, guppies, crawfish)

River Runner Loc: Austin

I am not entirely sure what you are after, but on the small side, you can trap mosquito fish (gambusia) locally. They are cousin to guppies. Look the same with less color. I keep them in my koi pond to hold down mosquitos and crappie fish with them. I also understand there are mollies and swordfish in Waller Creek in downtown Austin, but I have not looked for them.

Tdoyle Loc: Cottonwood Shores,Tx

That is what I’m looking for, thank you! Nothing too crazy honestly. I just want some nice free fish that will give me something to look at while I’m recovering from surgery.