Where To Catch Snakeheads In Potomac Or Maryland

[ianschneller]

Hello -- Can anyone recommend a good place to catch snakeheads in the Potomac or Maryland.  My young sons who love fishing want to catch one -- it's our summer goal!  We don't need big fish -- just want to land one.  Many thanks.

[MDBowHunter]

Potomac river, pautuxent river, black water , tuckahoe just to name a few. You can also try any retention ponds within walking distance of an Asian market. It seems like they were the first places that held snakeheads at least until they flooded with rain and now they're here to stay.

[Logan S]

I've been seeing a ton in Pohick Bay, was out on Saturday and caught an average sized one and saw several others.  They like really grassy areas and will often be in very shallow water.  I usually catch them on frogs, soft or hollow body.  They are everywhere though, any section of the tidal Potomac will have them.  Get in some skinny, grassy water and you'll likely run into a few.  

 

 

This is the type of water you should look for, those little ripples are snakehead fry...There was a giant snakehead with them that I was trying to take a picture of but it kept eluding me.  

[Nick Vega]

Snakeheads that you can find at Mattawoman Creek....

[Richard Church]

I'm not interested in game fish.                 I think attacking the invasive Snakehead population is the way to go. Likewise, you can cook and eat them if you want to.  Can anyone offer advice on- the bare essentials- of rod, reel, line and lure ?  There's a lot of info on the subjects; I would like to hear from the guys that are out there hitting them hard under different conditions, weather, healthy or sick water-ways. 

 

Thanks in advance,

Richardbchurch.5@gmail.com

[Choporoz]

I catch them in Potomac tributaries using anything I am using to target bass, so no special equipment needed.  If you were to be starting with nothing, I would suggest a 7' or longer medium heavy or heavy rod with a fast tip.  I would get some chatterbaits, frogs, and swim jigs.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

They are here in the cheasepeake bay also down point lookout....

[gnappi]

On 5/29/2019 at 8:41 AM, Richard Church said:

I'm not interested in game fish.                 I think attacking the invasive Snakehead population is the way to go. Likewise, you can cook and eat them if you want to.  Can anyone offer advice on- the bare essentials- of rod, reel, line and lure ?  There's a lot of info on the subjects; I would like to hear from the guys that are out there hitting them hard under different conditions, weather, healthy or sick water-ways. 

 

Thanks in advance,

Richardbchurch.5@gmail.com

Snakeheads down here are aggressive, hard fighting fish that will take a moving frog before anything else. Often a frog stuck in an overhanging branch dipped up and down in the water over a snakehead will get an explosive hit. Also standing above a ledge, culvert, or weed cover and dipping the frog gets results.

 

A strong stiff frog / heavy rod (for me a shorter rod is better) with braided line (I use only 20 or 30 lb 4 strand but heavier is really recommended) and I don't know anyone who targets snakeheads that uses mono.

 

If you're fishing in heavy weeds, even heavier line is best, 40 lb. minimum. They like to do an insaneo thrash (think gator in a roll) in weeds and heavier line can help get them out. 

 

I use rear drag spinners, but the drag on them isn't as strong as front drag, but for fish up to 11 pounds (so far my PB) my drag hold them just fine. My fishing buddy uses 40 lb 8 strand braid with an even heavier leader and front drag spinning reel and they've broken his line off diving into a drain culvert. They have bent Eagle claw hooks so now I use wide gap offset Gamagatsu hooks.

 

Time to fish is odd. Sometimes I'll catch them at dawn, late morning, early or late afternoon, but so far very few at dusk and I never fished at night for them but some say they do with success. Lo vis water, crystal clear water makes no difference, I catch them equally in both.

 

Two tips:

 

1. Give them a few seconds to have the lure before you set the hook.

 

2. Set the hook really, REALLY hard. They have a bony mouth and a wimpy set will lose fish.

 

Things that were unsuccessful before I got to where I am...

 

Medium heavy rods and those longer than 6 feet, Hybrid mono / Fluoro line, other baits, Eagle Claw hooks, fishing when water temps were dropping or in the rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Richard Church]

Awesome feedback, very well done! 

 

This Saturday (9th)  I'll be heading out to a snakehead derby at Harriet Tubman state park..It's free.  They want to thrash the S-head population there in the water ways and have a great time too. If you have the time, it starts at 9:00 am. No limits of course.

   They said medium rod and test would be ok....well, that's all I have anyway! 

  Thanks for the advice. It's fits what I was beginning to think of too. I bet I'll read it over again; good solid stuff.

 

Rich

[Mhan7]

On 6/4/2019 at 3:06 PM, gnappi said:

Snakeheads ... will take a moving frog before anything else.

I am not so sure about this.  I outfish my kid about 10 to 1.  He's a die hard frogger, and I prefer chatterbait or spinnerbait.  However, it's situational.  Depends on where you are, what time of year, fishing style.

.

He's the sight fisher, I'm more of a fish hunter.  I fish with my instincts, he fishes with his eyes.  Once you manage to spot them, they'll take pretty much anything you put in front of their face - especially if you can accurately drop it right on them.   And I say situational, because sometimes they're feeding, and even more often, they're defending their fry.

.

My kid uses a 7' medium heavy with a 2000 size spinning reel, spooled with 20lb braind, tipped with fluoro leader.  I use a 7'4" heavy rod, 200 size baitcaster with 25lbs of drag, and spooled with 50lb braid, topped with a "bangkok hooker".

.

They will certainly bend up some hooks.  This is the one area those frogs certainly shine.  The frog specific double hooks really hold up well, as they're much more structural than a single hook.  De-hooking can be a nightmare, but I guess that's part of the game.

[gnappi]

39 minutes ago, Mhan7 said:

I am not so sure about this.  I outfish my kid about 10 to 1.  He's a die hard frogger, and I prefer chatterbait or spinnerbait.  However, it's situational.  Depends on where you are, what time of year, fishing style.

>>SNIP<<

You will note the "sentence"

 

"Snakeheads down here are aggressive, hard fighting fish that will take a moving frog before anything else"

 

I've caught them on wiggletail plastics while fishing for peacocks but overall they and other baits are a waste of time "down here". Also down here they're so skittish, invariably a lure dropped on top of them spooks them. Softly dropping a frog from a grassy bank or pulling one past them after a cast "upstream" is likely to produce most results, down here. 

 

If you're out fishing someone (especially one with a med/hvy rod) I'd guess that your fishing partner is likely losing more fish to hookset issues due to the rod than hits from a selected frog.

 

Also with a 10 to 1 success rate with anything but frogs up north, you'd be 1 in 10 (if that) down here. Of that I'm 100% certain. :-)

 

 

[Mhan7]

OK, not having an internet argument.  I fish them "down here".  I don't outfish based on hooksets.  I rarely ever use frogs.  Only in heavy vegetation where nothing else really works.  I definitely know what works in Broward county.  I know that most people only use frogs.  All good, it works.  I just have my preference, and it works better for ME.

.

We have a kit of dedicated bullseye snakehead gear.  I wasn't trying to start a fight - I was simply trying to help out the guy you replied to, because my experience is very much different than yours.  In truth, these fish aren't hard to catch at at all. (and there are multiple strategies)

.

Again, not having any debates on this.  This is my sole freshwater target, and my skill in fishing them is picking up quite considerably.

[gnappi]

1 hour ago, Mhan7 said:

>>SNIP<< This is my sole freshwater target, and my skill in fishing them is picking up quite considerably.

Not an argument at all, sorry if you took it that way. Differing points of view add light to a conversation, arguments add only heat. 

 

What's your personal best? Mine was a bit over 10 pounds. 

 

[Mhan7]

11 minutes ago, gnappi said:

Not an argument at all, sorry if you took it that way. Differing points of view add light to a conversation, arguments add only heat. 

 

What's your personal best? Mine was a bit over 10 pounds. 

 

Didn't get an exact weight on it, but it was ~10lbs.  This time of year is when all of the biggies start coming out to mate and protect their horde.  My boy caught 2 in one day that were on the margin of 10lbs. (we need to get a better scale - all we have is the old Zebco mechanical spring scale - which read 10lbs)  Anyway, he plopped a hollow bodied frog right on top of it, and when he set the hook, it went aerial, and put itself right on the bank in front of him.

.

To be honest, I misunderstood your post, because I thought that other fella was asking about fishing down here.  I still like discussing the crossover, because my son and I are planning a trip up north one day, and it'll be interesting to see if we catch them the same way here and there.  I also hear rumours that the Northerns may soon - if not already be - in our state waters.  Seems they are all over the South, and a couple unconfirmed reports in state.

[Mhan7]

On 3/5/2016 at 12:00 PM, Nick Vega said:

Snakeheads that you can find at Mattawoman Creek....

That's a hog, dude.  I'm jealous.

[soflabasser]

On 6/9/2019 at 2:42 PM, Mhan7 said:

I also hear rumours that the Northerns may soon - if not already be - in our state waters.  Seems they are all over the South, and a couple unconfirmed reports in state.

Where did you hear the rumors of northern snakeheads being caught in Florida? I am sure the anti exotic fish people will go crazy if the Northern Snakehead establishes itself like the bullseye snakehead did in South Florida. 

[Mhan7]

9 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Where did you hear the rumors of northern snakeheads being caught in Florida? I am sure the anti exotic fish people will go crazy if the Northern Snakehead establishes itself like the bullseye snakehead did in South Florida. 

 

I saw an obscure news story somewhere.  Sorry, I didn't save it.  It talked about the Northerns being found in Mississippi, and Alabama, and mentioned the (2, I believe) unconfirmed reports in Florida.

 

I can't hear all of this ranting and raving about exotic "invasions".  Ecosystems on earth have changed many times, and something viable always emerges.  When a species is established, we're well past the point of resetting nature, by killing one fish at a time. Florida has the most diverse freshwater fisheries in North America, and it's thriving.  I won't cry if they show up.

[soflabasser]

The reports of northern snakehead in Florida waters are unconfirmed at this moment in time but I will not be surprised if they eventually become an established species in Florida. 

12 hours ago, Mhan7 said:

I can't hear all of this ranting and raving about exotic "invasions".  Ecosystems on earth have changed many times, and something viable always emerges.  When a species is established, we're well past the point of resetting nature, by killing one fish at a time. Florida has the most diverse freshwater fisheries in North America, and it's thriving.  I won't cry if they show up.

I am sure you know how I feel about exotic fish. They are some of my favorite freshwater fish to catch and we are blessed to have them. South Florida is one of the few places in the world where you can catch fish from 6 different continents. You can bet I will fish for northern snakehead once they can be caught in reliable numbers or eventually take a vacation to the Northeast to catch them.

[Mhan7]

Yes, I reiterate, lest I be misunderstood - those reports of the Notherns are totally unconfirmed.  

 

Bt I agree on the other points.  This is an amazing state, in which to be a fisherman.  Whether you like salt or freshwater.

[Choporoz]

I was bass fishing Belmont Bay on Sunday and saw snakeheads come up out of the water to attack red wing blackbirds on emergent pad leaves....twice.  Neither was successful, but it was an impressive sight. 

Another totally unrelated first....caught two large gars not far from there on an RES....and a LOT of blues....just wish the bass had been half as aggressive as the rest of the fish out there