Potomac River Snakehead Fishing

[Traveler2586]

Spotted Channa, thats stupid. Why not just leave well enough alone. But it was a government official that thought of this so I guess that explains it...

   You got it..........

[Greeneye8181]

Lol

I figured you guys would catch on with my previous posts. Its me. Geez.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

We kind of picked up on that. We were just picking fun at ya. But really that name is a little rough though.

J-

[dave]

Spotter Channa Whisperer...?

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Spotter Channa Whisperer...?

Lol. 

[Traveler2586]

Found this on WTOP.COM (a Washington, DC news org) today and thought you might enjoy it.  There is also some interesting links at the bottom of the story.

 

http://wtop.com/546/3598721/River-Monsters

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

To funny I actually heard the interview on the radio while at work! It was very interesting. That being I personally don't 100% agree with it all. The fact remains only time will tell.

J-

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Sorry for the short response previously I am not a big fan of sending big messages from my phone.

Basically what I gathered from the live interview with Mr. Wade is:

He believes that the snakehead will hit its equal Librium in the river and take a slice of the pie chart. I am no so sure I agree.

I spoke with he Fort Belvoir biologist and he told me that studies show now that the number of snakeheads in the river have stop expanding and have peaked. I was curious and asked him how that assessment was reached. He said that they had been studying a 100 yard stretch of river by electric fishing and the numbers have leveled out. The numbers may have leveled out for that 100 yard strip of bank along the river but that is a drop in the bucket compared to the size of the river. With all the real-estate on the river there is no need for them to bunch up, YET!!!!!

I think about the fact that they were allegedly introduce less than 15 years ago. In that time they have expanded their territory to reach the brackish waters of the bay. I read somewhere that when salt levels are low due to rainfall they will travel further into the bay and as soon as the salt levels raise they retreat into the nearest fresh water creek. What is going to happen when they have no more new real estate to expand too? The studies show the numbers leveling out but in fact they are not they are still expanding. The effects are not going to show up for a long time but I think they will indeed show up.

Like I said before, people are going to think that fishing is getting better. They are going to catch bigger fish and more often, and I think that will be because the snakehead will have thinned the population of edible size dinks. I feel that after that happens and once numbers get a lot bigger snakeheads will start eating the bass out of house and home. Then eventually turn on a bigger size fish diet. It may not happen this way just my prospective.

 

J-

[Traveler2586]

..........................................

 

Basically what I gathered from the live interview with Mr. Wade is:

 

 

He believes that the snakehead will hit its equal Librium in the river and take a slice of the pie chart. I am no so sure I agree.

 

I spoke with he Fort Belvoir biologist and he told me that studies show now that the number of snakeheads in the river have stop expanding and have peaked. I was curious and asked him how that assessment was reached. He said that they had been studying a 100 yard stretch of river by electric fishing and the numbers have leveled out. The numbers may have leveled out for that 100 yard strip of bank along the river but that is a drop in the bucket compared to the size of the river. With all the real-estate on the river there is no need for them to bunch up, YET!!!!!

 

 

I think about the fact that they were allegedly introduce less than 15 years ago. In that time they have expanded their territory to reach the brackish waters of the bay. I read somewhere that when salt levels are low due to rainfall they will travel further into the bay and as soon as the salt levels raise they retreat into the nearest fresh water creek. What is going to happen when they have no more new real estate to expand too? The studies show the numbers leveling out but in fact they are not they are still expanding. The effects are not going to show up for a long time but I think they will indeed show up.

 

 

 

From my reads, territory and population within an area (or levels) are two different subjects, and are similar throughout nature.  When a new species is introduced into an favorable area their population will increase.  As this occurs the available food source of choice will start its decline, and depending on its reproductive abilities may be depleted or attain a maintainable level; and based on the available food, the new species population will level out to what the food source can support in any given area.

 

Expansion of a species into new areas can be driven by several things, i.e. the search for food, over population, environmental issues, human intervention, or just a natural wanderlust.  Any species has a naturally strong survival instinct that will drive them to adapt to the environment given enough time and resources.  Therefore, given enough time, I see a day when the Snakehead will be found from its max cold limits to the north on down to the gulf, Fla, and west to Calf, Mexico, and South America due primarily to human intervention.  I believe the only thing that can stop them will be a catastrophic disease to the species in a given area.  The spread of the Snakehead can be modeled from the historical records of the spread of the Black Bass.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Traveler I agree they will spread but here is another point. What other native species can grow in numbers as fast as the snakehead? I wonder if they will reduce offspring or their instinct to reproduce when they start to out grow the river? I thinks it's only a matter of time before their impact it truly felt.

That all being said it won't be long till we start wacking em again. Mr.Wade is right about one thing, they sure are a good thing for the sport fishermen.

J-

[Traveler2586]

Traveler I agree they will spread but here is another point. What other native species can grow in numbers as fast as the snakehead? I wonder if they will reduce offspring or their instinct to reproduce when they start to out grow the river? I thinks it's only a matter of time before their impact it truly felt.

That all being said it won't be long till we start wacking em again. Mr.Wade is right about one thing, they sure are a good thing for the sport fishermen.

J-

 

I don't have a good understanding of the Snakeheads reproduction rate, I've read that they lay fewer eggs than other fish, and like other fish they protect their young.  But we both know how a nest can be overwhelmed by other fish.  I would like to see a better feeding study done between the Snakehead, Bass, Catfish, etc. to see who is feeding on what throughout the year; and have the study conducted along the entire tidal Potomac as food sources change from area to area in much the same way the grass beds and bottom composition do.

 

I haven't caught a Snakehead yet this year, but I'm looking...... 

 

P.S.  I believe that throughout nature as the food source dwindles so does the offspring's.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

The may have less eggs than other fish but they also can reproduce several times a year.  That is how they have populated the river so quickly and they protect their offspring more aggressively than most or all other fish.  Someone once told me that they will even attack a Grey Heron if they get to close. 

 

Last year at this time I was already catching them.  Once the buck bass start to get shallow (which is now I have been catching them left and right) the snakeheads are very very very close to follow.

 

I don't have a good understanding of the Snakeheads reproduction rate, I've read that they lay fewer eggs than other fish, and like other fish they protect their young.  But we both know how a nest can be overwhelmed by other fish.  I would like to see a better feeding study done between the Snakehead, Bass, Catfish, etc. to see who is feeding on what throughout the year; and have the study conducted along the entire tidal Potomac as food sources change from area to area in much the same way the grass beds and bottom composition do.

 

I haven't caught a Snakehead yet this year, but I'm looking...... 

 

P.S.  I believe that throughout nature as the food source dwindles so does the offspring's.

 

J

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

UPDATE::::  Today while out on the potomac I seen 3-4 snakeheads caught!  2 or 3 of them came on a rattle trap and the last one (15lbs) got caught with a bobber and white grub combo (crappie fishing technique). Get your rods and reels ready folks its that time of year again!  Going to see if I cant snag me one tomorrow!!!  Oops did I call them snakeheads again!

 

 

J-

[CMG]

The may have less eggs than other fish but they also can reproduce several times a year. 

 

 

I've been present at club meetings where DC and VA biologists have spoken about the Potomac and snakeheads.   They say they don't have any solid evidence of fish spawning more than once.  What is likely happening it that spawning occurs throughout the warmer months. 

 

They also say that blue cats are a far greater threat to the fishery.  Once they get to 25" or so they become almost completely piscivorous.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

I've been present at club meetings where DC and VA biologists have spoken about the Potomac and snakeheads.   They say they don't have any solid evidence of fish spawning more than once.  What is likely happening it that spawning occurs throughout the warmer months. 

 

They also say that blue cats are a far greater threat to the fishery.  Once they get to 25" or so they become almost completely piscivorous.

Good info thanks for posting. I gave seen them spawning throughout the summer so perhaps they spawn once a year throughout the spring and summer. I can't agree though cause how can they spawn just once a year and explode to the numbers they have reached? If I were to release 2 or for that matter 5 bass in dough creek what are the chances that in 10-15 years being able to catch them from DC to near the brackish waters of the bay? Who knows?

Thanks again CMG

J

[Traveler2586]

Here's some links you may find interesting on snakehead nesting.

 

http://fishwild.vt.edu/snakeheads/nesting_habits.html

 

http://fishwild.vt.edu/snakeheads/reproduction.html

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2012/06/16/snakeheads-are-invasive-and-on-the-move/

 

Here is another good read on the migration of Snakeheads!

 

J

[CMG]

Good info thanks for posting. I gave seen them spawning throughout the summer so perhaps they spawn once a year throughout the spring and summer. I can't agree though cause how can they spawn just once a year and explode to the numbers they have reached?

 

Because they don't get eaten as fry and they grow very fast.  The DC biologist said they've seen fish that have grown to 8lbs in three years.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

Yeah maybe so, but I believe what I believe, and that is that they spawn more than once a year. I am no biologist but from what I gather from what I read and observe they do have predators that catch kill and eat them. Not to mention all the fishermen who catch and kill them yet they still are thriving to big numbers covering hundreds of miles in only 10-15 years.

Jay

[MDBowHunter]

We also have to take in account that the world record Snakehead is from the Potomac. I find it incredibly that the record is from this side of the world and not where they're from.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

We also have to take in account that the world record Snakehead is from the Potomac. I find it incredibly that the record is from this side of the world and not where they're from.

I too think it's pretty incredible that the world record was caught right here in the Potomac watershed.

 

To be fair though the previous record is from Japan, and northern snakeheads are an introduced species there too (albeit they were purposefully introduced and not considered invasive.) It is geographically much closer to their native range though. 

 

Yeah maybe so, but I believe what I believe, and that is that they spawn more than once a year. I am no biologist but from what I gather from what I read and observe they do have predators that catch kill and eat them. Not to mention all the fishermen who catch and kill them yet they still are thriving to big numbers covering hundreds of miles in only 10-15 years.

Jay

 

I'm not sure whether they spawn more than once each year here, but I have seen Osprey nab some pretty large snakeheads out of the water (like over 12".)

[Smallmouth Hunter]

The Potomac produced the world record verified snakehead, but that doesn't mean there aren't bigger snakeheads overseas.

[DelfiBoyz_One_and_Only]

The Potomac produced the world record verified snakehead, but that doesn't mean there aren't bigger snakeheads overseas.

That being said I think there are several more snakehead records to be broke here on the Potomac river. Were I catch my snakeheads there are a number of 16 pounders caught regularly. That is incredible if you put it in this perspective, the world record bass is 20 something pounds imagine catching 15 pounders regularly. I know I had one around 20lbs on my line that I didn't land.

J-

[Snakehead Whisperer]

That being said I think there are several more snakehead records to be broke here on the Potomac river. Were I catch my snakeheads there are a number of 16 pounders caught regularly. That is incredible if you put it in this perspective, the world record bass is 20 something pounds imagine catching 15 pounders regularly. I know I had one around 20lbs on my line that I didn't land.

J-

x2.

 

I've caught snakeheads up to 17lbs. or so, but I am certain that I've seen some that were at least 5lbs larger than what I've caught around these parts. 

 

The Potomac produced the world record verified snakehead, but that doesn't mean there aren't bigger snakeheads overseas.

 

There definitely are. It's not uncommon for toman/giant snakeheads to grow upwards of 25lbs in Thailand. These 2 are possibly over 20lbs. 

 

 

 

As for northern snakeheads, this may be true; but I am doubtful. Who knows? DPRK (North Korea) is crawling with them, but it's anybody's guess what size they grow there. From what I've seen of northern snakeheads in South Korea, China, Russia and Japan; the average size is larger on the Potomac. 

[Brick]

I fish out of pohick bay and mason neck park from my kayak.  Any suggestions on snakeheads in this area?  I catch tons of bass, and a fair share of catfish on lures, but as of yet not one snakehead.  I've fished back into cane creek, little cane creek, and so far no luck.  Do they like certain types of grass over others?  Anyways, any help would be appreciated.  I may just be fishing too deep most of the time.