Third Time was the Charm - Snakehead!

[Johnsfolly]

Back in May I found out that there was a relatively local access (within 25 min of the hotel) or two on the Little Blackwater river where guys routinely catch snakeheads. Back in May I had  three strong strikes on a couple of different baits, but could not get a good hook set. So after a vigorous 20 to 40 seconds of hard pulling then nothing. So on this trip to Maryland I brought gear that was more suited to catching a large predatory fish. The access points are not real deep water with submergent vegetation. I brought weedless plastics and a variety of topwater baits. I fished three different fingers of the Little Blackwater River, tried several baits and did not get a single strike. Had carp milling in the shallows and boiling away when I got my baits up into the pockets within the phragmites or the emergent brush. I talked with another fisherman and he thought that the high tides affected the fishing, since he hadn't caught any fish in a week of fishing. He tends to fish frog baits. So I went and picked up a frog bait for the next time.

Tonight with my frog in hand (actually tied to my line) tried it again. At the first access, still had a bunch of carp, but no strikes or follows on the frog. Went to the next access and more of the same. Another couple of guys came in and they didn't have any luck as well. I ended up at the third access and fished the spot that I had the strikes back in May. I made lots of casts and then I got one single strike and I went to set the hook on the sight of the strike and not after I felt the tug and missed the fish. Then nothing else on the frog. I switched to a unweighted T-rigged 7 inch black/chartreuse ribbon tail worm. I made lots of casts and felt like I had two taps in the same location that I got the strike with the frog. Then again nothing while fan casting the wate I could reach. I put on .one of my hand painted floating rapalas. I made a couple of casts where I had strikes back in May and nothing. Then I cast along the weed edge that I had the two hits and BOOM hit and hooked up. This is a great fighting fish. I kept hoping that the hooks wouldn't pull. I finally landed my first snakehead. Even though it was a 14 to 15" fish, I was very excited. So a third time was the charm. The only issue is that due to its invasive and voracious nature you are obligated by the fishing regulations to kill them. I tried to give it away to a couple that came by, but no takers. Wished I had a way to cook it in my hotel. Not hard to see how they got their name.