Snakeheads,,, when

[Slackdaddy]

The boys are asking when the snakeheads start hitting (Mattawoman).
Anyone know when they strat hitting? April? may?

Thanks,
Slack

[ronaultmtd]

Snakeheads are a new species to us- they may be a 12 month a year fishery- but we don't know how or what they eat during colder weather so we only fish for them during warm weather- they hibernate during droughts in mud, so maybe they hibernate during winter time- cold will not kill them as they are native to China and Korea- during the Korean War our soldiers complained of below zero winters- and the more we learn about them the more myths fade- like Northern Sankeheads cannot tolerate salt water, yet are thriving in the Potomac and waters south- they swam miles across salt water bodies to get from Maryland to the tidal Virginia side of the Potomac- and how did the fish get to St. Jerome's Creek on the Chesapeake Bay if they can't tolerate salt water?

[LoudounFisher]

Quite a bit is actually known about the snakeheads in the Potomac.

Here are some relevant excerpts from a study.


In the winter (November–April), these fish moved to deeper water (135 cm) with warmer temperatures, but habitat selection was weak at both scales. Northern snakeheads returned to shallower water (95 cm) in the prespawn season (April–June) and used milfoil and othercover.



Habitat preferences of northern snakeheads are affected by seasonal changes in habitat availability such as the growth and senescence of aquatic macrophytes and changes in water temperature. Activities of northern snakeheads can be grouped into four distinct behavioural seasons (prespawn, spawning, postspawn and winter), during which different behaviours such as foraging, spawning and resting generally require unique habitats.


The following seasons were defined: postspawn (16 September–15 November), winter (16 November–19 April), prespawn (20 April–7 June) and spawn (8 June–15 September).




The day 19 April 2007 was the last day that mortality signals were detected in association with inactivity due to cold temperature. The day 7 June 2007 was the onset of peak spawning season, based on gonado-somatic indices (A. Gascho Landis, unpubl. data). Unlike Owens et al. (2008), we included December in the winter season because northern snakeheads had moved to areas where they remained throughout winter.



Fish were found both inshore and offshore in outer bays during the postspawn season but moved entirely offshore into deeper water in winter. Fish stayed in the macrophyte beds that remained in deeper offshore waters until spring. During the prespawn season, fish moved upstream into inner bays, creek mouths and upstream sites in the creeks. Many fish remained in these areas during the spawning season, whereas others moved farther upstream in creeks or back to outer bays and shorelines.



Microhabitat selection was the weakest during winter. During the winter, however, northern snakeheads selected deeper water with more soft substrate than during any other season and avoided other forms of cover and coarse substrate .



Habitat selection was the weakest during winter at both scales. Fish moved to the deepest parts of embayments where soft substrates dominated and where microhabitats were mostly homogenous. Fish may have avoided shallow, inshore areas despite the cover available there (docks, woody debris, etc.), because these areas exhibited larger temperature fluctuations. Our results showed that active fish selected warmer habitats, possibly explaining the consistent large (>500 m) movements observed during winter (N. Lapointe, pers. obs.). Conversely, remaining in cooler waters may have driven northern snakeheads into a state of torpor, where movement ceased for >8 h.

Despite the nonsignificant associations between fish and macrophytes or other forms of cover in winter, northern snakeheads may still have selected habitats based on cover. Soft substrate may offer a form of cover, given observations of northern snakeheads burrowing in sediments when water was removed from ponds (Courtenay & Williams 2004). We observed this behaviour in shallow, open water when releasing fish after tag implantation. Additionally, our habitat observations were limited by higher turbidity during the winter months. We observed sparse milfoil throughout the winter, and we often found it on the boat anchor even when it was not observed from the surface. Northern snakeheads may have selected deeper offshore habitats for cover provided by sparse milfoil in winter.

[Turtle135]

Snakeheads were hitting lures in shallow water on April 14th last spring. May have been there before that but that is when I started running into them.

[c-villefisherr408]

I wanna get myself and some friends to mattawoman this spring. Neither of us has ever caught one and are dying to. The traffic to get back to baltimore is usually horrible in the evenings. Are there places you can camp? Ive never been there and camping out and leaving in the morning would prob be better if possible

[M_Duong60]

Whats going on nowadays with snakeheads?

Haven't heard about them in the news or anything lately. just from the guys on the forum.

[c-villefisherr408]

There not very active in the winter from what ive heard.. spring and summer is the best time to catch them

[ronaultmtd]

News reports are only about sensational "right now" events- Snakeheads are "old" news, history, really- they are well established in the ecosystem, unable to be eradicated without destroying every species. Probably able to catch them as a by catch for folks fishing for yellow perch with minnows, but they are sluggish this time of year.What is news is the extent of their spread and how- no one ever dreamed they could tolerate salt water to swim for days across miles and miles of pure salt water to get to new territory-

[DanMarino]

What turtle said. The lone snakehead I caught in 2012 came the last weekend in April.
If you fish with bass gear, you will encounter them. People catch them on topwater frogs, buzz baits, spinner baits, chatter baits, flukes, plastic worms, tubes, and crank baits.

They are easier to deal with if you bring a net along. Keep the beast wrapped in the net until you are able to cut the gills, smash the head, or break the spine. We've seen them break a brand new set of plastic fish lip grippers.

[archeryrob]

Ditto on what Tom said about the net. They lock their jaw like a vice and I have to beat them with a boga grip to get it in their mouth. I caught one 4-28, the same day as Tom and she was full of Roe. So April seems like the time to get at them.

Seems like the water has to get closer to 50 to be worth bothering.
Thread form on here

[ronaultmtd]

What turtle said. The lone snakehead I caught in 2012 came the last weekend in April.
If you fish with bass gear, you will encounter them. People catch them on topwater frogs, buzz baits, spinner baits, chatter baits, flukes, plastic worms, tubes, and crank baits.

They are easier to deal with if you bring a net along. Keep the beast wrapped in the net until you are able to cut the gills, smash the head, or break the spine. We've seen them break a brand new set of plastic fish lip grippers.

I had a 30 (+) incher in the boat on plastic lip gripper last spring at Mattawoman (15 + lbs) (Abu Revo SX 30# Braid) on a top water Natural Target green frog- started going crazy as I was removing the hook, twisted the Plastic lip gripper and fell out of the boat- my best ever "fish story"- two weeks later I beat one to death with a fish club before bringing it in the boat- lesson learned- they remind me of a big flounder- you can never say you caught one until it is in the cooler with the lid firmly locked-

[chimo]

-they remind me of a big flounder- you can never say you caught one until it is in the cooler with the lid firmly locked-

I've also learned that the hard way on snakeheads and flatfish... Had a 30+ inch snakehead jump out of my net and spit the hook >

[archeryrob]

You guys need to invest in the metal boga grips for the snakeheads. Jeff Little lost one about 40" the same day Tom and I caught our first ones when his plastic fish gripper broke from it twisting. I think snakeheads fight harder when at the boat then big stripers or any other large fish I have caught do.

I bought a nock off at at fishing shop in Northeast for about $15

[Paddle4fish]

i'm near that area..where near mattawoman you catch those snakeheads.? i'm waiting for the weather to warm up and hitthe pond off bumpy oak road and the indian head rail trail intersect there s a pond there that is loaded with snakeheads...caught a few there and had a few missed hook sets at the beginning learning how to catch them critters...

[beerums]

i'm near that area..where near mattawoman you catch those snakeheads.? i'm waiting for the weather to warm up and hitthe pond off bumpy oak road and the indian head rail trail intersect there s a pond there that is loaded with snakeheads...caught a few there and had a few missed hook sets at the beginning learning how to catch them critters...

I hit that pond quite a few times last year and had some good luck. The ones I caught weren't very big they put up a pretty good fight on UL tackle. As far as Mattawoman goes, they are all over the spatterdock off to the left of Slavins dock. A lot of times in the summer you can see them right at the surface getting sun, but don't get too close they will spook easily. I read somewhere they have extremely good vision and will sit and watch you to see if you will present a threat or not before re-treating. Interesting fish for sure...