A good video, no talking just cutting!
Category Archives: Snakehead Season
They’re Back! Snakehead Fishing Has Exploded!
Snakeheads in the Potomac Creek and Aquia Creeks Are Out and Biting!
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”.
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!
Snakehead Fishing is Picking Up!
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!
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!
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!
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
The Snakehead fishing is DEFINATELY SLOW THIS YEAR
Snakehead Fishing 2015 is DOWN
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 Fishing in the Potomac is Finally Heating Up
Snakehead Fishing on the Potomac
I run into Terry a lot, we fish the same creek and he does a great job finding and landing them! Here is a link to a nice fishing article that the Washington Post did on him. Lot of pictures Enjoy!
2015 Potomac River Snakehead Tournament Has Come and Gone
Well another great tournament my hat is off to the organizers!
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!
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!
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.
courtesty of Potomacsnakehead.com
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.
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
Maryland Snakehead Tournament May 30th
Okay time to fish for Snakeheads
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
The Snakehead Waters are Warming Up!
Out last week, 4/21/2015 and the water was warm on Potomac Creek. After the wind calmed down by 7 pm the water was smooth and the fish were jumping! Caught one nice 8 lb snakehead about 28 inches and one nice largmouth 4 lbs. in the same set of pads.
Sorry left the camera in the car that day but will have pictures next trip.
Let me know how you are doing and where you are fishing.
Dr D
Maryland Snakehead Tournament 2015
A great tournament I fished it last year. They have good cash prizes so check it
Windy Fishing in Early April!
Snakeheads Were Being Picky!
Wow hit the water on a warm but windy day! Made kayaking hard work, it was low tide when I put in and I paddled till most of high tide came in but no luck on Potomac Creek in Stafford area. I saw some nice snakeheads jumping up river in the shallow flats but no takers on my rattle traps, 6″ white frog with a red head or my orange buzz bait! They seemed to be cruising and not staying in one area since no weeds were growing yet. The protected little cutouts with less wind were where I saw the few jumpers of the day as opposed to the windy side of the river which makes sense. Scared a lot of carp and a few big catfish as I paddled around these low areas but not many snakeheads yet.