Mattawoman 4/28/12

[Shady]

Nice work Ron, I'm really tempted to give it a try on Mattawoman this weekend.

On the subject of your digital camera, I have one that is about 10 years old and hadnt used it for a while. The batteries that I had for it stopped holding a charge, but the camera still worked fine. So, I bought some new batteries on amazon for about $5 for two. Now I have a camera that I dont have to worry too much about that works fine.

[camelbird]

NICE CATCH!! I think if they are feeding they will just about anything.

I bet that thing thrashed around your yak like crazy. I caught one last year about half the size.. was so excited to catch it that I lifted it right into the small kayak right next to the family jewels - i screamed like a little girl with that thing thrashing around my lap

Fish grips are essential

[dDreadnaught]

I heard snakeheads spook really easily. Is this what you all have noticed?


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[DanMarino]

Monsters moving in the pads

We would sit still and watch the fish move around in the lilly pads. You could clearly see the pads move and shake as some big fish were moving and thumping around. Imagine fish as big as a dog crashing through the lilly pads and you'll get the idea.

At some times I could see pads moving around in 6 or 7 places all around my stationary kayak. The big bass and the snakehead hit my beetlespin on a slow steady retrieve. I would cast to breaks in the pads and slowly bring it back.

It was a great time. I even caught a white perch on the thing.

I encourage everyone to get out there and make sure to have a metal fish gripper with you, plus some way to humanely try and kill the sucker quick.

I think the catch and kill regulation is dumb. The snakeheads are clearly established and plentiful. Killing them isn't going to diminish their numbers greatly from what I can tell.

It was interesting that we were catching bass mixed right in with snakeheads no problem. They seem to be coexhisting fine in Mattawoman.

[mango]

Way to go, what a neat looking fish. That pic down into it's mouth was awsome, never seen one up close like that before, cain't wait to catch one of my own.

[ronaultmtd]

The ultra light outfit was a blast- Got to say I love it- I would recommend the new Berkley SuperLine (Nano) to anyone wanting a premium fine ultra light line- a big 15-20 pound fish on a UL spinning outfit is like catching a blue marlin- the biggest blue catfish was a 24 inch fat hog- it hit the Rapala just like a bass and peeled line off big-time- I have the drag set at 3 #with a spring scale- about half the breaking test of the line- but put three pounds of sugar in a can and tie your line to it- set your reel to just pick it up and the line to be just barely slipping- that is really three pounds of drag- my 6 foot Fish Eagle rod was bent double at three pounds of drag, the tip all the way in the water- that much drag stopped most of the bass pretty quickly and the crappie and white perch barely squeaked the drag- it didn't do a thing to the snakehead- it was the immovable object- I drug it out a ways with the kayak to get it away from the hang ups but I couldn't gain anything on the reel for a long time- it kept running back to get in the lilly pads and I kept peddling the kayak out in deeper waters- I was afraid the small treble hooks would either straighten out or pull free (which it did- after hooking me). My hand is sore today but not too bad- still have a big smile on my face- Man- that was so much fun compressed into three hours of fishing! It was absolute dead low tide when I got back to Slavis ramp at dark-

[archeryrob]

I was using 1/4 oz a spinnerbait all white, lost that one and then use white/Chart with double Colorado blades about size 3 or 3.5 and they had .035 wire with the R bend. I add a mR twister or Yum walleye grub to all my spinnerbaits. I looked for openings in the lillies and cast in and slow rolled the spinner bait out of there. Over pads and drop back in and sink it. I did not catch any thing on normal retrieves until the wind forced me to make a paddle correction, I stopped reeling and when I started I had a perch. So I slow rolled and paused a lot. I got 2 yellow perch, 1 white Crappie, 6 Largemouth and the snakehead, twice.

The snakehead bend the she-at out of it and popped the end blade and swivel off inside my commander. The spinner was bend sideways at the head and twisted about 30 degrees at the R bend. I actually caught the same fish twice. I have a metal Boga and tried getting the boga in it's mouth, while in the water. Mistake! It trashed like wildfire and was gone. Three minutes later I had her back a pinned it in the bottom of the Commander until I got the Boga in.

The fish is a PITA but I am ready to go after more right now!

Tom, The beetle spin surviving made me rething altering my Untra Minnow mold to make spinner baits for stripers. I am to use the jigs as they are and add my own heavy wire like the Bettlespin. Like below, the top one I made and the bottom is a boyah or Something for Redfish. I can't remember. Greg will know, he sells them.

[archeryrob]

Ron, I also like to do the same as you where doing on the rapala. I fish some small creek for smallmouth and use 1.5" and 3" rapalas like a dead stick. I cast it out and let it sit like fishing poppers on a fly rod. 15 seconds then twitch, rest and twitch. If three twitch and no strike reel it it and start over. 85% of fish are caught on the dead stick and not the retrieve.

Dead sticking imatates a dying minnow and they can't refuse it, but one runninng for the hills that they have to chase is just not as apealing. They like the easy prey. Like weightless flukes or as you guys say Bass Assassins.

[ictalurus]

Thanks for all the great info, gents. I've got to get up there soon. I was thinking of trying a big spinner arm made for redfish like the Redfish Magic. I prefer having a real loop like Rob shows, though.

Congrats on finally landing a snakehead, Ron. Too bad you didn't get to invite it home to dinner.

As for humanely killing them, did you completely cut the isthmus (the area between the gills)? Submerging them in ice would probably help kill them faster. Sudden changes in temperature are lethal, and the cold slows their metabolism down, which is probably more humane.

[DanMarino]

Spinner Bait

Nice photo there Rob and good job making your own spinner baits. I need to get into pouring lead and making jigs.

[gkreps]

Rob, that spinner bait is a Red Fish Flasher made by Bomber Saltwater !!!

[OBX_RAT]

Nice snakehead you got there, man I might need to go try out there

[archeryrob]

See, I told you Greg would know. Regular spinnerbaits hold up to bass but stripers and snakeheads need the Bomber Redfish and the hinge point at the head to survive.

ictalurus, yes, the fish were cut complete between the gills.

[ictalurus]

ictalurus, yes, the fish were cut complete between the gills.

Yikes! Well, I've got nothing, then.

[DanMarino]

Snakehead Skull

My 14 year old son told his science teacher about the snakehead at school yesterday and the teacher was excited. He ased if we still had the fish head around and my son said that he could get it out of the woods if an animal hadn't run off with it.

Anyway, the teacher asked if my son could bring the skull and jaw into class for extra credit. So last night my son hack sawed the head off and boiled it in a pot of water on the grill. After that, he got all the soft tissue off and cleaned it up. He took some photos of the skull and I'll try to post one tonight.

The interesting thing about the snakehead to me was that the backbone was very thick and wide. The spine seemed about 1/2 inch thick and it was located up high on the back near the top of the head. So to break the snakehead's spinal cord, you need to cut down from the top of the head. Cutting up from the gills isn't going to get up to the spine from that direction unless you chop the entire head off of the fish.

So in my opinion the quickest way is to cut down from the top of the head and you'll have to probably go down about 3/4 to 1 inch deep.