mattawoman state park

[c-villefisherr408]

Hey guys just had a few questions.. I'm gonna try to do some kayak fishing from Mattawoman state park with a friend. One of the guys at work caught a 14 lb snakehead on a frog along with numerous bass. Are the ramps free to launch is my first question. Also how would u keep and kill a snakehead from kayak? I have the ascend fs12 t so im limited on space. Hopefully gonna get out tuesday but we will see. The guy at work said just fish the pads . that's all he did and did pretty well. Also do you guys think a fish finder would be needed? I don't think so but would like other peoples input. My transducer slid behind the foam on my kayak so I need to find a way to get it back to the front. Any suggestions? Thanks guys

[Capt C-Hawk]

What you're calling Mattawoman SP is actually Smallwood SP. There's a $10. launch fee for MD residents, for non residents it's $12. You're launching near the mouth of the creek close to the Potomac where the big boats play, so expect wakes. A better choice might be Mattingly Park in Indianhead. Take MD rt 210 south and make the last left before the Indianhead gate. This is a free launch lcated in the 6 mph part of the upper creek.
Snakeheads are primarily in the pads, but early and late you might find one along the edge. The bass are everywhere. There's a lot of grass in the creek usually below the surface. A fish finder helps see the grass edge if that matters to you. Hobies don't peddle well in the grass, but paddles don't mind it.
Be ready for a real treat, the Mattawoman is a beautiful creek. You'll see all types of birds including eagles. Fish are usually jumping everywhere (mostly carp). It's a really fun place to fish

[bruce19365]

I only know of two access ramps on Mattawoman - Smallwood State Park, which has a launch fee of $10 (last time I launched there) and Mattingly Park (aka Slavins) which is free. Kayak fishing the pads sounds like Mattingly which is in the no-wake area back in Mattawoman Cr off route 210 in Indianhead, MD. Killing a Snakehead is best done by whacking them in the head several times before attempting to bring them aboard, especially in a kayak. A sonar will not be necessary in the back of Mattawoman and fishing the pads and I've found your buddy's tactics of fishing the pads productive. If you have some hollow bodied or solid plastic swimbaits (white) in 4.5" - 5.5" toss them 5' - 6' back in the pads and work them out - using a stiff enough rod and 30# - 50# braid - using a pull stop retrieve. Buzz frogs or hollow bodied frogs work well in the open areas in and behind some of the pad spots. I've found you need to get back in the pads to catch fish, the edges have not been productive for me. Low tide for bass and the pads stick up about a foot above the water (different style of fishing that many are not used to) hence why I feel a MH - H rod is essential. High tide the snakeheads seem to be more ready to eat, so hit the pockets with the frogs.