Mattawoman Creek Snakehead Overfished?

[Anantha Patel]

Mattawoman Creek seems to be everyone's destination for snakeheads. Bowfisherman and anglers alike visit that place. Is it overfished? I read somewhere that there is a lot of angling pressure on the snakeheads there, and bow fishers have spooked the snakeheads from the easier to access areas.

[HookdUP]

Snakeheads spook? 

[Master Bait'r]

Good!  If any species needs to be overfished it's the d**n snakeheads.  

[J._Bricker]

52 minutes ago, Master Bait'r said:

Good!  If any species needs to be overfished it's the d**n snakeheads.  

+1

[Western-Mass-Bass]

+2

[Bluebasser86]

Send those guys our way if they want to chase some more invasives. I'm doing what I can, but I'm only one man.

[J._Bricker]

On March 21, 2016 at 11:34 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Send those guys our way if they want to chase some more invasives. I'm doing what I can, but I'm only one man.

Nice!  Now I've gotta ask, were those carp pinned in the air or in the water?  Wish some thing could be done about keeping the sea lions out of the Delta...

[Bluebasser86]

30 minutes ago, J._Bricker said:

Nice!  Now I've gotta ask, were those carp pinned in the air or in the water?  Wish some thing could be done about keeping the sea lions out of the Delta...

Those were both aerial shots.

[J._Bricker]

30 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Those were both aerial shots.

Hahaha, I've gotta say that's some good shootin', especially the one (second picture) that charged the boat!

[gulfcaptain]

2 hours ago, J._Bricker said:

Nice!  Now I've gotta ask, were those carp pinned in the air or in the water?  Wish some thing could be done about keeping the sea lions out of the Delta...

Oh come on who wouldn't want to be bass fishing up in the Delta in the grass and have a 1000lb bull sealion  pop up next to him or better yet run off with that 8lb bass you were fighting.....they are sooo cute.  Word on the street is that they make great slippers....lol  j/k

[J._Bricker]

4 minutes ago, gulfcaptain said:

Oh come on who wouldn't want to be bass fishing up in the Delta in the grass and have a 1000lb bull sealion  pop up next to him or better yet run off with that 8lb bass you were fighting.....they are sooo cute.  Word on the street is that they make great slippers....lol  j/k

Hahaha, he was 10 yards away up in what's left of the tules with me on Saturday!  You'll probably have a chance to experience it come May, at least you'll know you're around fish...

[Turtle135]

Anyplace that Northern Snakeheads are bow hunted on the Tidal Potomac seems to make for some very nervous Snakeheads. Before the heavy bow hunting began I would frequently have Snakeheads at Mattawoman swim up to the side of my kayak to take a look at me. Now they frequently explode into cover at the slightest disturbance. 

I have a couple of spots tucked away with bad access for a larger craft where Snakeheads are still fairly bold. 

[Bluebasser86]

11 hours ago, J._Bricker said:

Hahaha, I've gotta say that's some good shootin', especially the one (second picture) that charged the boat!

They really just jump all over with no real thought into where they're jumping. I've seen them jump onto land and run into each other midair, as well as countless numbers of them jumping straight into the boat.

There was a lot of misses that go into the few hits that I had each time, but it is a rush when you finally do connect. 

[dave]

My partner and I guide on the Mattawomen for snakehead and bass.  It went from booming bonanza to very tough fishing.   We still catch them but,  man do you have to work hard.   Bowfishermen not only decimate the fish but,  the grasses too.  That affects the largemouth.  They use the outboard to run right at the edge of the hydrilla and spadderdock fields,  a lot of the times leaving it quite a mess.

Snakehead have their nitch in the ecosystem.   85% of their diet in the Potomac River system is banded killifish. There is zero proof the snakehead are affecting the forage base, bass or other native (relative term) fish in the water system.  Snakehead breed many times per year.  Their young have become a major food source for fish and birds.