The Maryland snakehead invasion.

[Mad_Cabbie]

Snakeheads were first discovered in a Crofton pond in 202, but they were already breeding in the Potomac since the late nineties.

All of the Crofton fish were poisoned, specimens from the Potomac river were genetically dissimilar.

I first started fishing for these critters in 2010 when I found them breading in a southern MD pond.

This is Bumpy Oak Pond, it is fed by the Mattawoman creek when it floods. Snakeheads use this pond to bread, but the bass population remained unchanged and fat. Why? Snakeheads don't eat that much.

Small three ponder caught on topwater frog.


2012 I found snakeheads exploding in the Potomac.

Caught this one June 2013 on the Anacostia.

It seems that there was a ton of misinformation about these things early on.

I soon learned:

1 They don't "walk" on land.

2 They can't live on dry land for five days.

3 They do NOT eat up all the other fish.

Also, they seem to have a kind of motion based sight. If you move too quick, they will scatter, but you can actually walk right up to them if you move slow.

Second biggest one I ever caught. 13 pounds, 31 inches!

This was the biggest -- 15 lbs and 33"!!!

I released him back into the wild.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Moonglow]

Are they worth frying up for dinner?

 

[Mad_Cabbie]

Are they worth frying up for dinner?

They taste like flounder, but sweeter.

 

[Moonglow]

Damn nice..

 

[Mad_Cabbie]

By the way, It's spelled BREED!!!

 

[jon_berzerk]

thanks for posting the pictures

never seen one before

look like an old world fish

 

[Mad_Cabbie]

Jon, they mostly come from China. They are quickly spreading over the entire planet.