My First Northern Snakehead

Type: Nontidal
Region: Southern
Location: Mattawoman Creek

I caught this 21 inch northern snakehead on a Booyah Pad Crasher Topwater Frog while kayak fishing Mattawoman Creek on 6/7/18. It put up a great fight and turned out to be a fantastic dinner.

Has the Department of Natural Resources changed their stance regarding northern snakeheads now that they are here to stay? In the past, anglers were required to kill them, but in the recent post about the new state record they said, "Anglers are encouraged to catch-and-harvest snakeheads immediately or to release them back in the exact location they were found." Is live release in the same location now a legal option?

I hope it is because although they are not supposed to be here, now that they are, I'm grateful for another beautiful, powerful, and delicious gamefish in our waters.

DNR Response: The Department (Maryland DNR) encourages anglers to kill all three major invasive fish species (northern snakehead, blue catfish, and flathead catfish) when caught. It is not illegal to release a snakehead immediately in to the same wter body where caught, HOWEVER, transporting live snakeheads to another location, alive, is illegal.

For more information about kayaking and canoeing in Maryland, visit our Kayak and Canoe Fishing page.