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. 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
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Snakeheads in the Potomac Creek and Aquia Creeks Are Out and Biting!
10 lb Female Snakehead on a 5″ bubblegum swimbait2 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
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!
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
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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.
Wow what a long and COLD winter it has been here in Virginia but now it is finally warming up! Can’t wait to get out on the water next week and find some snakeheads! They should be out of the mud and moving around a bit now that the water is above 40 degrees. I would recommend noisy deep water divers for now. Rattle Traps, large ones and bright colors over dark. Orange deep diving rattle bugs are my favorite for now. But cannot wait for the water to warm up more and hit the top water frogs!
Nothing fights better in freshwater than a Snakehead!
