Snakeheads

[ptomacbass]

Well, the month of May was a good month for me. I finally caught a Snakehead. One day, I saw tons of Snakeheads gulping air in the Potomac, so I tried to catch them. They wouldn't bite, so I kept on fishing for them for 4 hours a day, for the next 5 days and eventually caught one. They are very slimy, smell like anise, and can slither on land. In all, I caught 3 during May, and then the Snakeheads left the section of the river I was fishing. They weighed 1 pound 7 ounces, 3 pounds 9 ounces, and 5 pounds 6 ounces. Snakehead is the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

Here are some pictures of the Snakeheads.

[.dsaavedra.]

good job! bet they were fun to catch.

[endless]

Well, the month of May was a good month for me. I finally caught a Snakehead. One day, I saw tons of Snakeheads gulping air in the Potomac, so I tried to catch them. They wouldn't bite, so I kept on fishing for them for 4 hours a day, for the next 5 days and eventually caught one. They are very slimy, smell like anise, and can slither on land. In all, I caught 3 during May, and then the Snakeheads left the section of the river I was fishing. They weighed 1 pound 7 ounces, 3 pounds 9 ounces, and 5 pounds 6 ounces. Snakehead is the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

Here are some pictures of the Snakeheads.

in maryland you wont get in trouble for keeping them?? well actually i thought there was a national law about them?? well anyways nice looking monsters.

[Dan:]

Well, the month of May was a good month for me. I finally caught a Snakehead. One day, I saw tons of Snakeheads gulping air in the Potomac, so I tried to catch them. They wouldn't bite, so I kept on fishing for them for 4 hours a day, for the next 5 days and eventually caught one. They are very slimy, smell like anise, and can slither on land. In all, I caught 3 during May, and then the Snakeheads left the section of the river I was fishing. They weighed 1 pound 7 ounces, 3 pounds 9 ounces, and 5 pounds 6 ounces. Snakehead is the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

Here are some pictures of the Snakeheads.

in maryland you wont get in trouble for keeping them?? well actually i thought there was a national law about them?? well anyways nice looking monsters.

The law is that you must kill them if you catch them. After that they could care less what you do with thim--throw them on the bank, feed them to stray cats, display their heads on your car antennaes, or eat them...

[.dsaavedra.]

display their heads on your car antennaes

excellent suggestion  

endless, you will get in big trouble if you have live ones in your possession, not dead ones.

[ptomacbass]

Yeah, you have to kill them.  

Anyone from Bass Resource want to have a Snakehead fishing get together sometime?

[endless]

Well, the month of May was a good month for me. I finally caught a Snakehead. One day, I saw tons of Snakeheads gulping air in the Potomac, so I tried to catch them. They wouldn't bite, so I kept on fishing for them for 4 hours a day, for the next 5 days and eventually caught one. They are very slimy, smell like anise, and can slither on land. In all, I caught 3 during May, and then the Snakeheads left the section of the river I was fishing. They weighed 1 pound 7 ounces, 3 pounds 9 ounces, and 5 pounds 6 ounces. Snakehead is the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

Here are some pictures of the Snakeheads.

in maryland you wont get in trouble for keeping them?? well actually i thought there was a national law about them?? well anyways nice looking monsters.

The law is that you must kill them if you catch them. After that they could care less what you do with thim--throw them on the bank, feed them to stray cats, display their heads on your car antennaes, or eat them...

i thought we had to call some number and report it. but like you said they probably wouldnt care as long as its dead.

[aarogb]

    You ate a Snakehead?

[ptomacbass]

I had heard that they were tasty. Also, since I killed them, I didn't want to waste them. They taste amazing.

By the way, Snakeheads are the only fish I keep.

[Dan:]

Well, the month of May was a good month for me. I finally caught a Snakehead. One day, I saw tons of Snakeheads gulping air in the Potomac, so I tried to catch them. They wouldn't bite, so I kept on fishing for them for 4 hours a day, for the next 5 days and eventually caught one. They are very slimy, smell like anise, and can slither on land. In all, I caught 3 during May, and then the Snakeheads left the section of the river I was fishing. They weighed 1 pound 7 ounces, 3 pounds 9 ounces, and 5 pounds 6 ounces. Snakehead is the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

Here are some pictures of the Snakeheads.

in maryland you wont get in trouble for keeping them?? well actually i thought there was a national law about them?? well anyways nice looking monsters.

The law is that you must kill them if you catch them. After that they could care less what you do with thim--throw them on the bank, feed them to stray cats, display their heads on your car antennaes, or eat them...

i thought we had to call some number and report it. but like you said they probably wouldnt care as long as its dead.

Yeah, they used to say to call the VDGIF when you caught one to report it but I've heard that they are telling people not to call anymore because they are getting too many calls.

[Dan:]

You ate a Snakehead?

Why not? I've heard they are some of the best tasting freshwater fish.

[endless]

Well, the month of May was a good month for me. I finally caught a Snakehead. One day, I saw tons of Snakeheads gulping air in the Potomac, so I tried to catch them. They wouldn't bite, so I kept on fishing for them for 4 hours a day, for the next 5 days and eventually caught one. They are very slimy, smell like anise, and can slither on land. In all, I caught 3 during May, and then the Snakeheads left the section of the river I was fishing. They weighed 1 pound 7 ounces, 3 pounds 9 ounces, and 5 pounds 6 ounces. Snakehead is the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

Here are some pictures of the Snakeheads.

in maryland you wont get in trouble for keeping them?? well actually i thought there was a national law about them?? well anyways nice looking monsters.

The law is that you must kill them if you catch them. After that they could care less what you do with thim--throw them on the bank, feed them to stray cats, display their heads on your car antennaes, or eat them...

i thought we had to call some number and report it. but like you said they probably wouldnt care as long as its dead.

Yeah, they used to say to call the VDGIF when you caught one to report it but I've heard that they are telling people not to call anymore because they are getting too many calls.

thats most likely true cause after i caught my bowfin i was talking to the game check clerks in ap hill and they was telling me they would get tons of phone calls claiming to catch a snakehead when actually its just another bowfin.

[mrlitetackle]

nice.....

fun to catch.....

must kill them......

and, tasty to eat........

thats a tri-fecta right there.

[burleytog]

Their taste is the reason they were introduced.

[DINK WHISPERER]

Weren't they introduced illegally!?!

[Dan:]

Yes, they were introduced illegally. They are smuggled to the country for sale in Asian markets because they are used in some Asian recipes. People bought them to eat and then released them because they either didn't realize the possible consequences or just didn't care what could happen.

[.dsaavedra.]

dang i wanna catch one real bad lol. they look like so much fun.

i'd get a skeleton mount done on one.

[LCpointerKILLA]

Weren't they introduced illegally!?!

Oh yeah man they are the latest species to destroy the canal habitat. NOT COOL. Snakeheads are just as bad as any other invasive species; I don't care about thier sporting quality. To me they are just another invasive species that destroys the bass fishery.

[Jaric]

Weren't they introduced illegally!?!

They are also big in the aquarium trade because of their "tough" reputation. So you get a bunch of mouthbreathing morons who buy them, not realizing that that 3 inch baby you got is going to grow, and grow big enough to eventually break your tank.

So instead of doing the responsible thing, they just toss them into the rivers/lakes/ponds. Since snakeheads have no natural predators here, they take quickly over the body of water.

d**n things are worse than locusts.

EDIT:  Even worse, is because they can actually survive on land for 3 days and use their fins to walk, they can spread to other bodies of water in the area even without being directly connected.  I believe Maryland killed every living thing in one lake that had an infestation of them simply to prevent them from spreading to other lakes in the area and completely destroying the local ecosystem.

[Fishing Rhino]

If they are better than eel or swordfish, I want to try them.

Eels and Johnnycakes were a staple in this part of the country for years.  'til the Cormorants homed in on them and decimated their numbers.

[J Francho]

Weren't they introduced illegally!?!

They are also big in the aquarium trade because of their "tough" reputation. So you get a bunch of mouthbreathing morons who buy them, not realizing that that 3 inch baby you got is going to grow, and grow big enough to eventually break your tank.

So instead of doing the responsible thing, they just toss them into the rivers/lakes/ponds. Since snakeheads have no natural predators here, they take quickly over the body of water.

d**n things are worse than locusts.

EDIT: Even worse, is because they can actually survive on land for 3 days and use their fins to walk, they can spread to other bodies of water in the area even without being directly connected. I believe Maryland killed every living thing in one lake that had an infestation of them simply to prevent them from spreading to other lakes in the area and completely destroying the local ecosystem.

The snakeheads in the Potomac are Northern Snakeheads, Channa argus and to my knowledge were never imported for the aquarium trade. These are hardy fish, obviously capable of surviving some pretty cool winters.

The spp. I'm aware of being imported (having actually imported maybe thousands) are Redlined, or so called Giant Snakeheads Channa micropeltes, Dwarf Snakehead Channa orientalis, and one other I can't think of. It is unlikely that any of these would survive a winter north of the Mason Dixon line. Southern states, well that is another matter altogether.

Snakeheads, all spp. are illegal to import into the country, and are no longer available in pet shops.

And yes, any exotic species introduced into domestic waters is illegal. Some of the sources of these invasives were traced back to Asian roots, both as an ill advised source for cheap food, and as some spiritual meaning from home.

There was a bust made where hundreds of large, live Northern Snakeheads were intercepted before release. I can only imagine how many made it through outside of that bust, given our success with the "war on drugs."

[EastMarkME]

Article I read:

AGFC Plans Eradication Of Northern Snakehead Fish

September 3, 2008

Release from: Associated Press

BRINKLEY - State and federal wildlife agencies are planning to use a toxin to try to eradicate the invasive northern snakehead fish, which has been found in east Arkansas.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is to use the toxin rotenone in nearly 200 miles of waterways in Lee and Monroe counties. Game and Fish spokesman Keith Stephens said the effort will cost $572,000 including a contribution of $150,000 by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The state banned the fish in 2002, but officials say there were earlier attempts to grow the fish in ponds, from which they escaped. The fish is considered an Asian delicacy.

Game and Fish plans to use the chemical rotenone, which coats the gills of fish and suffocates them, in the Piney Creek watershed. The treatment is planned to start Sept. 29 and last through Oct 18.

On Sept. 18, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public meeting at the Brinkley Convention Center on the eradication plan.

The agencies want to prevent the snakehead from entering the Mississippi and White River basins. Stephens said the eradication effort will be the largest in state history.

"It has never been done before," Stephens said of the scope of the plan. "We want to make sure we get all of them."

The fish has been found in large numbers in Maryland and Virginia, where it has shown its propensity for rapid breeding and aggressiveness toward other fish.

The fish can breathe air, survive on land and adapt and thrive in foreign environments. The northern snakehead is native to Asia and is long and narrow and has brown diamond-shaped markings.

"We don't need anything in there competing with our sport fish," Stephens said. "We want to make sure we have healthy sport fisheries in Arkansas."

A farmer near Monroe spotted a snakehead on April 14 when he saw it in the middle of a road on his farm. Since that initial discovery, more than 100 northern snakeheads have been found, all in or around Piney Creek, according to an environmental assessment completed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Samples taken from waterways in Lee, Monroe, St. Francis and Phillips counties show no indication that the fish has spread beyond the Piney Creek watershed. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services southeastern office spokesman Tom MacKenzie said it is best to act quickly, since the fish does not appear to have spread.

The effort will include application of up to 24,000 pounds of powdered rotenone and 3,000 gallons of liquid rotenone to Big Piney Creek, Little Piney Creek, tributaries and ditches. The chemical will be applied both from helicopters and from boats.

MacKenzie said the chemical will kill all fish in the water.

After an initial treatment, biologists will sample for fish and snakeheads. Any area where live fish are found, could be retreated with more rotenone. The second round of treatment, if performed, would be complete by Nov. 1, according to the environmental assessment.

The Game and Fish Commission will restock waterways with largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish, starting in November, the agency said.

So there it is...$572 K to get rid of them in one place. Too bad the money couldnt go all into new ramps or stocking gamefish. :'(

Mark

[Jaric]

The other sad part Mark, is that in order to kill all the snakeheads, they have to kill every fish in the lake.  Even with restocking that can take years to rebuild the ecosystem.

We had a problem with the white river here in Indiana where (I believe) it was firestone dumping their waste into the river prompted a fish kill a few years ago and it decimated fishing on the river.  They've made serious efforts to clean the river up (which it has been) but the fishing has truely suffered here.

I hate snakeheads for this exact reason.  And the people who dump them in lakes (for whatever reason) should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law (and then some)

[BadKarma42]

Last evening, on the Nat. Geo channel, "Hooked" was on.  The episode was about the Snakehead.  It was interesting and discussed how they were "discovered" in the states.  Most of what they talked about has been posted here.  The only thing that I will add is that the fish is sued in Asian cultures to make a medicinal soup.  

Apparently an Asain man had a sick sister so he was able to acquire a/some snakehead(s) with the intention of making the soup to help his sister.  

She recovered before he had a chance to make the soup so he released the fish, the custom as opposed to killing it.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

Weren't they introduced illegally!?!

yep....smuggled over for asian markets and restaurants...a mighty tastey meal, so I've heard