Potomac River Snakeheads

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Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on September 24, 2024 at 2:29pm

This was my friends snakehead caught in the Potomac River in Maryland….back in 2015

Comment by Jim Gronaw on October 2, 2015 at 7:38pm

Jeff is right...powerhouse fish! Keep in mind that the snakeheads have been in the Potomac about 10 years or more and they are there to stay. During that time, most of the guys I know who have fished this water say the crappie fishing remains outstanding with lots of fish and 2 pounders to boot. Truth is...bass will eat snakehead fry, too.

Comment by Jim Gronaw on October 2, 2015 at 7:32pm

A good friend of mine, expert angler Joe Bruce wrote a book on how to catch Potomac River snakeheads, which are actually a spectacular sportfish in their own right.Here are some facts...

-the snakeheads are showing up in other river systems as well as the Potomac, and are on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

-They are an excellent food fish, and there is a heavy market for them in the DC area as bowfishermen kill many at night. Even some restaurants are serving them!

-Although spreading, their numbers appear to be down compared to a few years ago. Many anglers are now targeting them.

-There are several guides that now offer snakehead trips...'Potomac Pike'

-There has been no clear research that has indicated that they have negatively impacted the Potomac bass fishery. Other items like angling pressure, too many bass tourneys and pollution issues seem to be fueling the bass fishing problems.

-Several snakeheads in the 16 to 18 pound class have turned up...that's a 40-inch fish!

My friend fishes for them mostly at the Mattawomen and uses a kayak almost exclusively. They are not the 'monster fish' that so many have made them out to be. They mostly stay shallow and deep within the weed and lily pad cover, avoiding heavy tides.

Comment by JBplusThuy on October 2, 2015 at 8:16am

They do have a lot of offspring, and they guard them, too. I don't recall if it was River Monsters or a similar show, but there was an episode went to Thailand and talked with professional snakehead fishermen (IIRC, one guy speared them skin-diving; that's a scary job, in that near-zero visibility water!) and he went diving and filmed them. The parents circle around the ball of fry, guarding them from predators. They're even more aggressive at that time than usual.

There is concern about them harming other fish stocks, since they are an alpha predator, and in most waters become the alpha of alphas, even feeding on other alpha predators. Maybe only in muskie and northern pike waters will they not be the alpha alpha. Even there, they'll probably stand on something close to an equal footing with muskie and pike.

Comment by Slip Sinker on October 1, 2015 at 6:46pm

yeah ... i heard they are voracious preds ... and good eating too!.

Comment by carl hendrix on October 1, 2015 at 6:09pm

my biggest concern with these types is;; their reproduction rate !!  if I am  correct;; they have hundreds; if not thousands of off spring per year-- fear nothing-- and eat all other types of  fish...  a good question here is;;;  will the snake heads;; not only dominate a area of water;; but also soon deplete the native fish ??

Comment by Slip Sinker on October 1, 2015 at 6:07pm

great looking fish... on my bucket list

Comment by JBplusThuy on October 1, 2015 at 5:34pm

If I ever wanted to move to the east coast, telling my wife they have snakeheads might do the trick - she loves to eat them :)

I think that's a northern snakehead, and they're pretty tolerant of cold water. Some other species are tropical. Note: if you catch one of these while bass fishing, don't try to lip it if you want to keep your fingers :)

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on October 1, 2015 at 4:32pm

Very cool looking fish......Jim Gronaw might be able to add some credibility to how they got in the Potomac River in Maryland.........Friend says he has never caught a more aggressive fish and it really drives you nuts when you're trying to catch some bass for the tourney.........