Northern Snakehead

Type: Tidal
Region: Southern
Location: Mattawoman Creek

I caught this snakehead (my second this year over 11lbs) on September 17, 2011. It weighed 14lbs 4 ounces and hit a black spro popping frog in some pads back in the no-wake zone of Mattawoman Creek. This thing fought like crazy and was delicious!!

I would like to point out that asking anglers to kill these fish immediately is nearly impossible with a fish of this size. Not only was it thrashing all over the boat but there was no way I could behead this fish with the normal pocket knife I keep on the boat and I could not hold it still so I could cut out the gills or slice it�s belly. I brought this fish home alive in my livewell and I began to decapitate it with a filet knife on my back deck but I could not sever the spinal cord. I cut all flesh all the way around the fish so the only thing holding the head to the body was the spinal cord and the fish was still attempting to swim. I finally severed the spinal cord with a saw. This was a very bloody endeavor and would have totally ruined the carpet on my bass boat. I had to hose off my back deck after the deed was done as it was incredibly bloody. The DNR needs to rethink the legality of keeping a live snakehead in a livewell so that it can be killed at home, asking anglers to ruin their boat carpet every time they catch this invasive species will result in more anglers simply releasing the fish.

Thanks,
Marc Borger

DNR's Response by Joseph W Love, Ph.D.
Currently, these are the only legal methods of killing a snakehead before transporting them. We're always interested in new ways that could be more convenient to anglers who are on the boat. I've struggled with snakehead that size, so I understand the problem. I've used towels to hold the fish steady. For fish that big, two pairs of hands are really needed. Some folks might bring a saw with them. Some anglers have punctured the brain case before pulling out gill arches. Transporting the fish alive could lead to fines. Please do not transport them alive in live wells.