As far as licensing? I will be spending a week out in Maryland with a chance to bank fish the potomac. Im a little confused as to what i need to get, i see they have non tidal/ freshwater license does that cover the potomac? I thought i read somewhere that the potomac is a tidal river. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks

It's tidal..expect to catch anything use squid.1 Oz weight and top and bottom rig.and have fun .size 1 hooks.

It really depends on where you fish as far as licence goes. If your not on a boat it makes it a whole lot easier, can you be more specific on exactly where you plan to fish?

Near Darnestown,md is where ill be staying

Your fine with just freshwater md licence then. Just stay north of dc and disregard that whole bottom rig thing lol. Bring a frog rod and get you some snakehead!

Fwiw you might check out a VA license instead, there tends to be a little better access on that side of the river for the area your going to be in.

Are the snakehead abundant in that area? Id love to catch one out there. But I thought they were rare. Ive also read a lot about bass fishing being tough out there with all the tournaments, is that a heavily fished area?

Your up north...outta my area lol ooops

I'm by pointlookout ....Potomac on one side Chesapeake bay on the other..diff worlds then the upper Potomac

You will be in my neck of the woods, that area is not tidal and mainly a smallmouth fishery. A regular freshwater license is all you need.

 

As far as snakehead, I have only heard one report of a snakehead in the upper potomac (the upper vs. lower potomac just differentiates non-tidal vs. tidal portions) I was never able to confirm that report.

What Do I Need To Fish The Potomac

 

Around DC?...A Spanish version of Rossetta Stone...

My buddy lives in the area and his says he sees signs that say to kill them and such.  Would i be able to get into snakehead territory with a regular freshwater license? While i love catching small mouth, i kind of want to see what all this snakehead fuss is about while im out there.

To fish where the most snakeheads are would require a tidal license. There is not a whole lot of shore access to decent spots either.

 

I am in Germantown MD just a few minutes away from where you will be.

You will be in my neck of the woods, that area is not tidal and mainly a smallmouth fishery. A regular freshwater license is all you need.

 

As far as snakehead, I have only heard one report of a snakehead in the upper potomac (the upper vs. lower potomac just differentiates non-tidal vs. tidal portions) I was never able to confirm that report.

That was disproven, if you're talking about the guy who supposedly caught one near Whites Ferry a year or two ago. So far there are no credible reports of snakeheads being caught above Great Falls, and none that I know of above Little Falls in DC either. 

As far as licensing? I will be spending a week out in Maryland with a chance to bank fish the potomac. Im a little confused as to what i need to get, i see they have non tidal/ freshwater license does that cover the potomac? I thought i read somewhere that the potomac is a tidal river. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks

 

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Thanks Snakehead Whisperer, kind of figured it was bogus with it being only one caught. Just couldn't find anything to confirm my suspicions.

Thanks Snakehead Whisperer, kind of figured it was bogus with it being only one caught. Just couldn't find anything to confirm my suspicions.

Yeah, that was over 2 years ago now that I've re-read the article. Not one since... hmm. 

 

They are being caught pretty regularly on the eastern shore this year though. The Wicomico river has had several confirmed catches, and the area near the Salisbury zoo has been a hot spot. Folks have been catching them in ponds over there too. They're also being caught in the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers for the last few years. A friend of mine in Philly has caught numerous northern snakeheads up there, but none were as large as they get down here. 

I fish up that way alot, if your shore fishing bring a can of corn with you carp average 12-15 lbs however some go 30+lbs. They're a great fighting fish and alot of fun to catch. Also quite a bit of cats in the 2-4lb range in that area chicken livers will do for them. 

I fish up that way alot, if your shore fishing bring a can of corn with you carp average 12-15 lbs however some go 30+lbs. They're a great fighting fish and alot of fun to catch. Also quite a bit of cats in the 2-4lb range in that area chicken livers will do for them. 

I imagine the carp are quite big on the potomac. The only time ive ever been on it was a river boat dinner that took us past the reagan airport and i couldnt believe how much junk was in the water. Im not really a carp fisherman though. I mostly just stick with bass. Im also not going to be able to take a lot of rods with me so im going to leave the cat setup at home. Im really looking to catch something we dont have around here (snakehead), and from what i read i can catch them using bass equipment. So not only can i fish for bass (big fan) but at the same time possibly hook into something jeremy wade did an entire show about.

There is always the option of hiring a guide if your set on snakeheads now (sorry lol).