Snakehead Whisperer

I'm with A-Jay... nothing beats good tuna sashimi (or any fish served that style, for that matter.) Gonna go with walleye, yellow perch, northern snakehead and rainbow trout for freshwater. For saltwater I'd say Alaskan halibut, and ling cod. My absolute favorite cut of fish to eat is grilled coho salmon jaw, hands down.

While this is a bit outdated, it gives you a good overview of what is in the river. http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/2233/report.pdf My guess is that it would be safe to adhere to the bass consumption advisories for whatever stretch of the river you are catching the snakeheads. I've heard anecdotal stuff about how snakeheads don't have the high levels of PCB's because they grow so quickly, etc... but this doesn't sound plausible, as they are top predators and eat just about everything in the river. I've never seen a scientific study conducted which determined the levels of metals or other pollutants in the flesh of snakeheads out here. There have been several studies on what forage species the snakehead eats, which could help you make a more informed decision. Can't find the article now, but I posted it earlier in this thread IIRC. :edit: Found the article here.

That's terrible, especially considering it was a child who caught their rig. Could've been one of those really cool moments if the guy had been the slightest bit thankful. I'm guessing your 10 year old handled it more maturely than the other guy did.

Thanks. Was cruising beneath the 14th St. bridge here in Washington DC and hit a barge wake at over 30mph in a flat bottom boat. The boat didn't turn over until it was completely swamped. When I came to my senses, I realized that I was probably 100 feet from the boat. This happened last November and water temperatures were in the high 40's-low 50's, and the air was cold. I started to experience mild then moderate symptoms of hypothermia and probably would not have lasted very long out there if I had not been rescued. Now I drive much slower when it's cold. Promised my old lady that I would wear the life jacket, and it saved my life. Despite the lost gear the boat and motor were fine after towing them to land. Just had to get the water out of the cylinders. There's a thread detailing the accident here. edit: This also speaks volumes about level flotation in boats. I've made a lot of safety mods to this boat since the accident, and now it's back on the water and serves me well. Boat didn't sink (thankfully.) See above.

Capsized my boat while underway last year and lost 8 complete setups (St. Croix rods and Shimano/Abu reels.) Also lost a large tackle bag full of hard baits (no clue what the value was, and some of the lures were priceless to me.) It was a really hard blow, but I'm alive to tell the tale thanks to my life jacket and another boater who rescued my friend and I.

Can you return/exchange the reel? If so you should check this out. BPS PQ/Carbonlite Combo Pretty hard to beat this combo at this price point.

I use a 1000 for my dropshot rig, and most of my other finesse spinning rigs. Can't imagine having a 2500 on my 6'6" ML rod, it would seem huge. I've caught snakeheads up to 17lbs and blue cats over 40lbs on the 1000, and it handled these fish well. Plenty of line to play a big fish on these small reels.

This is pretty much the idea that I had with mine. Wanted something tiny and hard to spot. They are about 2" tall and I will most likely paint them dark green. It would be nice to have a home made set though.

Funny that you should mention this. I decided to make my own just last week, and the project has been on the backburner. I turned a couple on the lathe and primed them, but haven't really done anything yet as far as finishing them. The design is similar to a slip bobber with a spool in the side for the line. Probably going to use some light braided line for them and a 1-2oz. weight. I'll post more when I finish them and see how they work.

This year has seemed to be slower for reaction bites with all of the fish species I target, snakeheads included. I have not caught one snakehead this year on a spinnerbait, buzzbait, frog, crankbaits, etc. I have caught several on finesse presentations in natural colors. Caught my pb on a dropshot with a 3" Havoc Sick Fish in Green Penny, and others on soft plastics. Most recently I caught a 5lber on a wacky rigged 5" senko in baby bass, fish struck the lure about 5' from the boat. Caught one earlier this year on a night crawler while catfishing at night too. They're definitely still there. I see them often, catch them less often, and watch bow hunters shoot them too often. They really seem to feed more agressively in late summer/early fall, as well as in the spring when the water temps reach the high 40's low 50's. When I'm going after snakeheads I fish the usual frogging areas and flip/pitch a jig or soft plastic, and fish it as slow as I can stand to. Punching can also be productive.

Thanks. They serve me well.

Tulibee and whitefish do look similar to shad. Enough that a shad bait would look close enough, at least.

I usually tie on a leader that is twice the length of the rod, so my leaders are anywhere from 12-16'. I like this because I can re-tie several times without having to change the leader. I like to use fluorocarbon at roughly 2/3 the strength of the braid I'm tying to. This helps reduce the line diameter difference, and I can break it off if need be.

'83 GMC S15 High Sierra 2.8 w/TBI and Borg-Warner T-5. Tows my jon boat and still gets roughly 24 mpg, and about 28 without the boat (protip: tonneau cover.) 280k miles on the motor, and still running strong.

x2 on the buzzbaits and torpedos. Try working them across the current in swifter moving water. Less is more with the popper. Gurgle up a little water then let it drift.

This is more of a personal preference, as there are literally dozens of (if not more) tackle makers who produce quality spinnerbaits. My personal favorites are War Eagle and Northland. In the situation you describe on my local waters I'd probably throw a War Eagle Finesse spinnerbait in the mouse color with no trailer, which is more of an Indiana blade crossed with a willow leaf and a small Colorado blade on the side. Your mileage may vary. They make white too.

The 25lb. EconoScale is a good product, and at around $20 they're hard to beat. I've used it to lip countless large snakeheads and a few blue cats over 40lbs, and the thing is still holding up like new. The scale does not weigh in quarter pound increments, however (full pound increments.) I've owned 2 of them (one went overboard) and they have both been pretty accurate. FYI the boga only comes in 15, 30 and 60lb sizes, and the 15 is the only one that weighs in quarter pound increments (30lb boga grip weighs in half pound increments, the 60 in full pound increments.) Just re-read your post. You don't mention needing a gripper type scale. If you don't need the gripper, get a Chatillon IN-025 (25lb scale with quarter pound increments, very accurate.)

I hope he made it back safe too.

Caught my PB this year of 17lbs. Other than that it's been extremely slow snakehead fishing. Caught a few other dinks (5-8lb range, lol.) Caught my PB on a drop shot in 6 FOW and heavy current, for what it's worth. All fish I've caught have also had empty stomachs, with the exception of a killifish or 2.

Reminds me of all the stripper anglers I come across online, lol. I guess catching a stripper is better than catching a tampon, however. Apparently the OP has a freshwater spot for flounder and sea bass too, while we're at it. To the OP... that gear should be fine for both as long as you rinse it well after using in saltwater and keep them clean and lubed. I'd try to find a more sensitive rod, used if cost is an issue. If it were me I'd probably get something more like a 7'3"-7'6" MF with a 1000 sized reel for this type of fishing. More versatile and will give you a tremendous advantage in casting distance if paired with a lighter line like 15-20lb braid. Just my 2¢. Most will probably think that my reel selection is too small, but that's what I like.

Not much will keep me from fishing. Lightning is one thing that will, but the minute it passes I'm back out there. In my more reckless days of my youth I would fish through a storm and do pretty well (not recommended.)

To the OP. While I do agree that fishing pressure is real, we have to look at it realistically. It's not the boat/equipment that find the fish, it's the angler who does. Just because a lake/river is getting pounded 24/7 by $50k bass boats does not mean that these anglers are having success out there. Even if they are, you just need to think outside of the box. For instance I fish the tidal Potomac river about half of my outings every year, and this river gets a lot of pressure (especially around Mattawoman Creek.) Despite the weekly tournaments and constant drove of bass boats, there are still a great deal of under fished areas along this river that hold good numbers and size of fish. I'm sure other people might know about them, but most do not. Search areas where the boats aren't and you may find some hidden gems. edit: Also think about the stories you hear of people catching the same fish several times in the same week. Just because fish are getting caught, doesn't mean they won't be caught again. Try some slower moving baits and fish areas thoroughly before moving on if you think that fish live there.

Lake Brittle near Manassas and Burke Lake in Burke,VA both have walleye. As far as I know neither one supports a self sustained walleye population, but they are stocked. Burke Lake has some decent sized fish. The tidal Potomac in DC has decent numbers of walleye and there are some good sized fish in the 5+ lb range. The area above Harper's Ferry, WV around Dam 4 and 5 on the Potomac is even better for numbers and size, and there are also true strain muskie and tiger muskie in those waters. Like BrianinMD mentioned, Triadelphia and Rocky Gorge both contain walleye. Liberty Reservoir up near Baltimore also has decent walleye fishing. With the exception of the Potomac river all of these locations are electric only (as in no gas motors.) Triadelphia, Rocky Gorge and Liberty are pretty large and you'd need a serious electric rig to fish them effectively unless you have a kayak or similar. I'm by no means an expert walleye angler, but they are a relatively new species to me as I'm originally from northern California. It took me forever to boat my first. I started a thread about walleye fishing in winter on the tidal potomac here.

x2 on the Roboworms. My other top picks would be... -cut tail worm -Zoom finesse worm -ringworm -gulp or similar sized minnow like a Havoc Sick Fish in the small size -3-4" grub I usually like to add anise scent when dropshotting for smallies (although other fish seem to react positively as well.) Spike-It "Gamefish" flavor lure dye is anise scented and lasts a good long while. Like others have stated, pretty much any soft plastics will work on a ds rig. My good friend swears by small 4" lizards and does really well, I can't bring myself to do it . I usually start out on a 1/O hook, but adjust according to my hook up ratio and whether I'm trying to keep the panfish off the line or not.

I'm pretty sure they're both right. In the bodies of water that I fish I can find bass both shallow and deep in water temperatures ranging from the low 30's all the way up to 90 or so. Deepest bass I've caught was well over 40 FOW while vertical jigging for walleye (poor guy didn't look so good after that ascent.) Caught another that same day on topwater in the same general area, on the top of the dropoff in 3 FOW.