Snakehead fishing derailed by carp?

[NoDakYak]

Took advantage of the beautiful weather on Thursday to put the kayak in the water, possibly for the last time this season--I'm not really outfitted for cold weather/water kayaking. Decided on a snakehead pursuit; I just started fishing for them semi-seriously this summer and have yet to put one in the boat. Also decided to try a location that's new to me.

Put in to the headwaters of the South River, at an unofficial "launch" that involves dodging traffic, lifting the kayak over a guardrail, and paying close attention to the tides. Beautiful weather, and a very nice paddle. Fishing was a bit of a struggle; the habitat seems perfectly suited for snakehead, with shallow water, good cover, grass/reed banks, lots of still water coves. And paddling around I immediately noticed a lot of fish activity. But it became apparent very quickly that these were all carp--a huge population of carp! Kind of cool to glide over big schools of fish, or spook a giant one right next to the boat, but carp weren't my intended target.

So the question is, does that population of carp crowd out the other species (namely snakehead)? Or do they co-exist? Trying to determine if it's worth trying again for snakehead next spring/summer, or if the carp dominate those waters year round. Also curious if the perch/pickerel/stripers make it all the way up to the headwaters, or if the carp crowd them out as well.

Cool place to paddle, I enjoyed the location, just wondering if anyone has any luck fishing for anything other than carp at the very top of the South River.

[dsaavedra]

Carp and snakehead coexist. There are tons of both in the tidal river complexes of Dorchester County where I do most of my snakehead fishing. In the springtime (May is typically the worst) the carp will spawn and make an absolute mess of the shallows... thrashing through the lily pads, splashing like crazy, and muddying up the waters. This kind of commotion drives the snakeheads out of the shallows and/or gives them lockjaw. It's the worst time of year to fish for snakeheads when the carp are spawning. They coexist well enough during other times of the year though. I imagine a similar relationship plays out in the western shore rivers, though the snakehead populations are considerably lower here.

Your note about tons of carp schooled up in the very headwaters of a tidal river is interesting, that's the 3rd time this week I've heard of people encountering that phenomenon in western shore rivers, the other two were in Patapsco tributaries. I'm not sure what they're doing, but I'd bet it's some seasonal behavior related to the upcoming winter.

[J.A. Veil]

A few years ago I launched several times at the same South River headwater area you describe. In May, the shallow waters near the launch spot are loaded with carp. I recall paddling along in 1 ft depth and seeing hundreds of mud puffs as carp scooted out of the water. A few larger ones smacked the underside of my kayak as they tried to move out of the way. And there was a great deal of lovemaking going on in a rather vigorous manner. I have never seen snakeheads there, nor have I caught much in the shallow areas near there. But I have fished in the streams that feed into that shallow area. I caught yellow perch, lots of fallfish, and an occasional largemouth or white perch.

As Dave noted, yesterday I observed hundreds of carp in shallow water in the back end of a tidal creek. They were just hanging out there with occasional rolling at the surface. As I paddled along, they scooted out of the way. I cast a paddletail at them but got no bites.

Be very aware of the tide and wind if you launch there and try to move downstream. There is a large expanse of shallow water overlying thick sucking mud. You do not want to be stuck several hundred yards from the launch spot and bottom out your kayak. You won't walk your way back to the launch.

[NoDakYak]

Dave--It's good to know that snakes and carp co-exist, although it seems that when the carp are that thick and active, they crowd out the snakes. I'll probably try this spot again in the summer after the carp spawn, do some more exploring.

John--I'd driven by this spot many times, including when the water was low, so I made sure to pick a high-tide time to put in. Good to know about the mud-flats, I'll pay extra attention to the tide charts if I put in there again. I'll probably give it another shot next summer; I'll try exploring some of the creeks you mentioned.

Interesting that you observed similar carp behavior at another location. I've not had any luck (or interest, frankly) in carp fishing, but it was interesting paddling through a big group, seeing all the mud puffs as they spooked. I cast my chatterbait at them but got no interest, other than one that I foul hooked.

[Redfish12]

Gosh you just sparked memories of having carp try to spawn with my kayak in little hunting creek and how it scared the s out of me the first time it happened. I can also vouch, it’s the worst time for snakehead fishing and generally happens in May. Next time take some carp bait and enjoy it, they are a blast to catch.