All posts by Dr Snakehead

Dr Snakehead on the water but most of you may know him as Dr D, the "Natural Health Talk Radio DJ" on WCHV, 107.5 FM in Charlottesville, Virginia. And he practices full time still in Ruckersville, Virginia as a Chiropractic Nutritionist. But here we just call him Dr Snakehead! Loves to fish all over the world but mostly right here on the East Coast.
Snakehead Season

Snakehead Fishing Fall Drop Off?

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Snakehead Fishing Drop Off?

I am not a biologist just a fisherman who spends a lot time on the lower Potomac River chasing snakeheads.  It has become my addiction!  I am new to this and only started May 2014.    But last year I noticed that by the end of August the fishing had slowed down dramatically.  Now this year was a “slower” year all together compared to last year and everyone I spoke with who was snakehead fishing agreed with me.  The fishing this year did have a little peak in certain creeks like Accokeet off Potomac Creek in July and early August then it died by September 1st.   Like I said earlier I saw the same pattern last year and think this may be a seasonal change in snakehead fish behavoir more than a population change.

One interesting thing I noticed the last few weeks is that I get fair amount of “follows” and short strikes now they are much less aggressive so the “misses” happen more often now than the pole bending slammers of July.   I am also catching and seeing mostly small fish under 20″.  In the past 3 weeks I have only seen 4 “bigger” snakeheads (caught one 27″).  When you seem them they are the ones that just crash out as you get close to their sunbathing spot or when you cast a bait over them and it scares them. I assume they think it’s a bird trying to eat them!   Early last month even when catching them was slow I was still spooking 10 or 12 big ones with their characteristic big swirly splashes as I cruised by them in the weeds!  Now nothing but small ones bugging out occassionally and only a few.

So maybe the big ones move to deeper water and hang in the channels as opposed to their summer haunts in the weeds.  No sure.  Any observations you have please leave your comments below, all us snakehead fishing fans would appreciate it.

See you on the water but the woods will be calling me soon as bow season is not far away and I have a buck or two that I’ve been watching all summer!

 

Dr. Demetrios Kydonieus, Chiropractic Nutritionist with a passion for the outdoors!

Check out my chiropractic website or radio show pages.  www.TotalChiro.net or www.DrDSays.net, my weekly radio show.

Snakehead Season

Snakehead Fishing As Summer Winds Down

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Is Snakehead Fishing Slowing Down?

Well not sure yet come back over the next few weeks to see and I will keep you posted.   Lately it’s good and bad days (isn’t that called fishing? LOL).    

Did this video last week on the upper Potomac Creek and it was a fair day.  Started just before low tide(dead low was 9:30ish that day) around 7:30 am and caught 3 nice ones by 11am and missed 3.  Then it died for the rest of the afternoon no bites just sore arms from casting and paddling my kayak! Then after high tide around 3:30 pm I paddled up the creek to the “small” area  and got off the “wide” water part of the creek with the big weed beds cause nothing was biting there and  caught 4 more, 3 small ones 18″ – 20″ and one average one at 26″ between 4 pm and 7.      So overall my 11 hour day on the kayak yielded 6 fish which sounds good but remember it was quite dead during the middle of the day and hot too!

Yes, when I go out I go all day dawn to dusk if I can!  10 -12 hours whether I kayak or bass boat it!  I make my 90 minute car ride to the river worth my time and gas.

Post your comments, questions so I can answer them. Do not post unless it is about fish or fishing I delete all other comments.

 

Dr. D chiropractor and outdoor enthusiast!

If you have nutrition or health interests direct those questions  to my other blog.  Check out my radio show in Charlottesville, Virginia, www. DrDSays.net and read my blog there!

 

Snakehead Season

A great 12 lb. Snakehead with video too!

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12lb Snakehead caught on green floatin' Toad top water
12lb Snakehead caught on green floatin’ Toad top water

A Great Way to End a Snakehead Fishing Trip!

I fished all day that day on Potomac and Aquia Creeks, it started out well with a 6 pounder and a 9 pounder in the first 45 min

Two nice Snakeheads, 6-9lbs.
Two nice Snakeheads, 6-9lbs. Gave the smaller one to a nice young couple fishing on their aunt’s dock. I have plenty in my freezer.

of an outgoing tide that morning but then it died for the rest of the day only 3 bites.  Two of those strikes missed the lure but tore up the weeds as they dove back down and one bite spit the hook, that’s fishin’.  But as high tide came in the late afternoon and then started going out again the evening bite picked up.   That is when I missed 4 and caught 3 more by dark, one of which is the 12lb monster you see pictured at the beginning of my post.

They were again in the large grass or weed flats along the edges at low tide and across the flats in the higher tide times.

but not in the leafy lillies that stick up above the waterline where you “usually” find them hanging out. But as fish change habbits with many factors you never know for sure and have to just start your day figuring out their current pattern.

 

See you on the water!

 

Dr D

For nutrition or chiropractic check out my office webpage.  www.TotalChiro.net

Snakehead Season

They’re Back! Snakehead Fishing Has Exploded!

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Snakeheads in the Potomac Creek and Aquia Creeks Are Out and Biting!

10 lb Female Snakehead on a 5" bubblegum swimbait
10 lb Female Snakehead on a 5″ bubblegum swimbait
2 nice ones, about 10 and 8 lbs almost 30"
2 nice ones, about 10 and 8 lbs almost 30″

Now they have come out of hiding,  the grass beds at low tide on the creek last week is where they were, stacked!  I ran over a bunch as I kayaked up the grass edge.  A change from the week before when they were in the lillies and large expanses of water plants that grow above the water while they swam in between the stems.  Now there were some in those big lilly expanses but most were out in grass at low tide.  I found the incoming tide better than the outgoing and things slowed down dramatically at high tide, even in the lilly fields.  But after 9 hours on the water I landed 9 nice ones 5 of which were 6-10lbs and 4 smaller ones.    And the largemouths, bigs ones were hitting at the end of the day, 4-7 lbs!

 

Here is one I caught two days later on the bass boat.  Only had 4 snakeheads that day.  But over all they have really picked up, saw 3 pods of babies being guarded by mom and dad but they weren’t biting anything just hanging by the “kids”.

a nice 6lb largemouth on a floatin Toad top water
a nice 6lb largemouth on a floatin Toad top water

Other anglers on the water that day were having success too.  Jason here had a nice 10+ pounder that did a lot of jumping as he fought to get him to his kayak.  Way to go Jason!

Jason with a 10+ Pounder
Jason with a 10+ Pounder
Snakehead Season

Snakehead Fishing is Picking Up!

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Ah the Snakeheads are Still There!

Well another day on Potomac Creek and I found a few fish. The days are hot now and the fish are active.  Still casting to the banks by any vegitation, lillies and grass seem the best. The weed flats are slow as the fish seem to be underneath and aren’t coming up to grab the top water stuff (the only thing you can fish in the thick weed flats, drop shotting hasn’t worked for me).

This average 5 pounder was right at the bank mid day and very hot 92 degrees. He was sitting inbetween the thick weed matts that the low tide was exposing when he slammed my  white “Floatin’ Toad” straightened the hook a bit too!

Potomac Creek pretty far back
Potomac Creek back way back up in the small part of the channel

The nicest one of the day was this 8 pound female that also killed my “Floatin’ Toad’, green/silver pattern in the morning.  She also almost go off by straightening the hook!

Nice 8lb female Snakehead
Nice 8lb female Snakehead

 

Here was real nice largemouth right at dusk in the main channel of the creek, about 5 lbs. It was real wild hard to hold and snap a photo with my phone so this was all I could get.  Wiggled right out of my grip when I was holding it up for a nice classic pic and went back into the river!  So you just get my foot(size 12) and the fish, so you can get an idea of the fishes size! LOL!

5lb. Largemouth on a White Floatin Toad top water
5lb. Largemouth on a White Floatin Toad top water

Well see ya’ll next time on the water.  Share your bass and snakehead fishing stories, tactics and locations(if you don’t mind that is..)  We’d love to learn from you too.

 

Dr. D (Dr. Snakehead) signing off till next time!

 

Check out my radio show on nutrition and chiropractic, www.DrDSays.net

Snakehead Season

The Snakehead fishing is DEFINATELY SLOW THIS YEAR

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Snakehead Fishing  2015 is DOWN

4Lbs. and 7lbs. both got filleted and tasted great!
4Lbs. and 7lbs. both got filleted and tasted great!

But the good news is that the bass fishing on the Potomac River and its creeks seems to be up!  I have caught more largmouths this year than Snakeheads which for me is a bummer but I will take it as the bass have all been nice ones in the 2.5 to 4 lb. range…a bit skinny but long.  Now since I am fishing 90% top water my numbers are not huge on the bass, 3 or 4 most days and on a slow day  just 1 or 2 bass.   The snakeheads which I am targeting not bass have been hard to find, at least for me in my kayak.  I have caught a few each day but no numbers and definately not like last year.  A average day on the water for me in my kayak is 1 or 2 landed and 4 or 5 misses- but spectacular misses!  The acrobatics, jumpsand head shakes wear the spit the lure most of time is awesome!  I have to get a better video system on board and try to get some their areals on film.

This is one of the best things about fishing for snakeheads that I love.  Not to mention their shark like attack, they see or hear the lure and charge it from a distance fin up leaving a huge wake like Jaws as they SMASH the lure and dive.  As  you set the hook they dive deeper and swim hard, many times coming right up and out of the water like a minature swordfish or marlin tail-walking on the water thrashing their head side to side trying to spit the hook- which many times they do!  Their areal moves are great to watch even when you lose them.

This year though I have not seen many of those great water walks, just not catching that many fish.  In my conversations with other snakehead anglers on the waters where I have been fishing they all say the same thing.  “This year has been really slow and the lowest catches in 5 years”, Stewart told me yesterday on the Potomac Creek.

Now these fisherman have been fishing snakeheads hard for 4 or 5 years and can remember in 2011, 2012 and 2013 catching 10 to 20 fish in the boat between 8lbs. and 15 lbs. regularly!  Even last year 5 to 15 fish caught regularly was common by many snakehead fishermen.  But this year so far it’s 2 to 5 a day most of the time with a few big ones at 34″ and 12 lbs. but it a long day finding them.

I have fished Quanico Creek, Aquia Creek and Potomac Creek mostly this year and did one long day on the Maryland side at Matawoman Swamp(didn’t catch one, only missed one small one!)  So it’s been hard, I don’t hear as many breaking the surface this year either.  Last year was my first year targeting snakeheads I heard them all day long smashing the surface inside the lilly pads but this year it is sporadic and not so many “KIRSPLASH’S” in the weeds a sure sign the catch and kill regulations have greatly reduced their numbers if you aske me.

 

So I will keep hitting the water till deer season wish me luck.  Hope to see y’all on water sometime soon!

Dr D

I would love to hear your comments so please post them here and I will read and approve them.   Please post ONLY fishing stories, I appreciate the “nice blog comments…keep up the good work, etc” but most of those are just people trying get their sales weblinks which they post in the contact part of their comment posted on my blog and I willl not approve those types of posts.

Snakehead Season

2015 Potomac River Snakehead Tournament Has Come and Gone

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Well another great tournament my hat is off to the organizers!

A Very Nice Snakehead Mount
A Very Nice Snakehead Mount

They did a lot of work and it went off beautifully, lots of FREE food, I loved the fried snakehead nuggets and the bagget sandwich with grilled snakehead and gourmet sauce!  MMMMM!  There were free donuts and IPA beer too.  Darn if more people knew about the free beer we would had to beat them off at the gate of the park!

Potomac River Snakehead Tournament 2015
Potomac River Snakehead Tournament 2015

Over 1500 lbs of snakeheads were caught mostly by bow fisherman(is that really fishing…I call it fish hunting, I do it too…just wondering I guess it’s just semantics)  These boats just glide over the water and at night with all their lights going they look like UFO’s- very cool!

One of the many bow fishing night rigs
One of the many bow fishing night rigs
Bukket of Snakeheads at weigh-in
Bukket of Snakeheads at weigh-in

I watched as hundreds of pounds of dead snakeheads(rules all fish must be killed when landed- no live snakeheads) were weighed in and it was impressive…took over 2 hours!  The rod and reel contestants of which I was one were a few but the top rod and reel team(2 guys) had over 60 lbs of fish, 11 in total which is a good day on the water this time of year!  The #2 rod and reel team was a family event, Dad and daughter and Uncle with 45 lbs. and also 11 fish, just a bit smaller than the other team.

Great fish from last year courtesty of Potomacsnakehead.com
Great fish from last year
courtesty of Potomacsnakehead.com
Bow fishing for snakeheads in Mattawoman Creek, MD
Bow fishing for snakeheads in Mattawoman Creek, MD

As a side note, Dad is the current world record holder for the largest snakehead ever caught, 17 lbs. 9 oz.   which he caught last May in Quanico Creek, Virginia of his dock!  That is where he liesurley fished this year for the tournament, a heck of lot easier than the hectic week-weekend I had and I got skunked!  It was very cool to meet Louis and his family and see his cooler full of fish as we stood in the weigh-in line.

No snakeheads for me this time but thats’ why they call it ‘fishin’ and not ‘catchin”!  I did get 3rd place in the Blue Catfish Division with an 8 lb 4 oz fish but then there were only 4 people to weigh in any catfish this year as it was the first year they had the catagory.

8lb. 4 oz Blue Catfish
8lb. 4 oz Blue Catfish

First place as a monster at 38 lbs big and ugly about 3 1/2 – 4 feet long!  Second was a 20 pounder so I was never really in contention for any prize, LOL!

All in all I had a blast fishing all night in my new bass boat.  But as I learned a bass boat is not the best boat to get into the lilly pads and fish, that is where the snakeheads were back deep in the pads not in the main current.  A flat bottom boat, kayak, or canoe would have been much better and maybe got me on the board.  Lesson learned I will be ready next year going back to my kayak!  But I did catch 2 nice bass at 4 lbs each. (In addition to my catfish).

See ya’ll on river!

Dr D

For health tips or to hear my weekly radio show on natural health alternatives check out my other blogs, www.drdsays.net and www.totalchiro.net

Snakehead Season

Maryland Snakehead Tournament May 30th

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Okay time to fish for Snakeheads

7lbs. Potamac Creek, 8 pm on a white Ribbetts Floatin Toad
May 5, 2015 – 7lbs. Potamac Creek, 8 pm on a white Ribbetts Floatin Toad

Let’s go fishin’ and maybe win $1,500.00 prize money!  Well Maryland Wildlife is holding their anual Snakehead Fishing Tournament May 30, 2015 6 pm to May 31, 2015 12:30 pm.  No age restrictions just have your Maryland, Virginia, or DC fishing license and you’re set!

Read more here  and don’t forget to post your catch totals here afterwards!

 

See ya’ on the Potomac next weekend!

 

Dr D, Snakehead Hunter