Northern Snakehead

Type: Tidal
Region: Southern
Location: Near Mattawoman Creek

Attached is a picture of a medium sized snakehead recently caught in the vicinity of Mattawoman. I just read the report from Mark Borger regarding the difficulty encountered when trying to dispatch a large, upset fish with big teeth. I have a solution that works very well. I keep a small hand gaff on board. When I get the fish up to the boat I carefully gaff the fish under the belly favoring the area just below the gills. Then, I lift the fish out of the water and stick my needle nose pliers deep into the the underside of the gills. Squeeze tightly and give the pliers a quick twist. This will break the entire esophagus and gill connective tissue which kills/immobilizes these fish immediately. I then place them in a plastic bag and put in the cooler or toss them onto the bank for the raccoons and birds.