Snake Heads in Garner's Creek

[Mike-JacksonCreek]

My neighbor who is on Garner's Creek, about 2 miles below Ragged Pt, caught about 8 possible baby snake heads (2-3 in long) in his minnow traps, plus some were in his oyster bag hung from the dock. He saved a few in the fridge and called VIMS yesterday. I looked at them and they sure look like the pic's of snake heads I have seen from way up the Potomac. Even though they are 2-3 in long, they have teeth.

Wonder what this means? Anyone have any addl info, I didn't think these fish were in salt water.

Mike

[ictalurus]

If it's salty there at all, I would guess that they're probably inshore lizardfish instead of snakeheads. They look pretty similar. Check out this post for a good pic of a lizardfish: http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/kayak-fishing-anglers/273072-st-jeromes-creek-oct-03-typical-day.html

[Mushy]

My brother just caught a snakehead in one of his crabpots off of Dahlgren. Fish was confirmed by the Va. Marine Police. I've caught those small snakehead looking fish in my minnow pots on the lower Rappahannock. Not sure what they are.

Mushy

[striper1]

Do we really thinbk the Va marine police know a baby snakehead from a baby lizard fish.....Cmon.

Striper1

[Crabbermanjl]

How bout a killfish minnow?

[Salmo trutta]

I saw a big one in Rock Creek in DC. Spent a good part of the summer going after him on lunch breaks and what not. Couldn't get him to hit then he just disapeared. Probably moved upstream with a high water event. He was huge too. 30 inch size.

[Crabbermanjl]

Did you use-try live bait?

[Salmo trutta]

Sure did. First attempt, fly rod and spinning rod with poppers, streamers, stick baits, jigs, grubs.. second attempt, bucket full of bluegill, bite size to palm size. Caught a lot of bass, no snakehead. Third -6th attempt spinning rod with top water, tubes and whatever else.

He surfaced right in front of me too. Didn't want anything to do with me. There's a lot of fish in this one pool all year. We catch good size smallmouth in the creek even and seen schools of largemouth pushing 5 pounds on some occasions.

[jrocket567]

Sure did. First attempt, fly rod and spinning rod with poppers, streamers, stick baits, jigs, grubs.. second attempt, bucket full of bluegill, bite size to palm size. Caught a lot of bass, no snakehead. Third -6th attempt spinning rod with top water, tubes and whatever else.


ever try a 12 ga.? :2guns:

[Salmo trutta]

HAHAHAH.......Thought about it. In DC though probably not a good idea.

[rwferr]

They are pretty incredible fish. My friend had one as a pet in a large aquarium years ago and it could eat 20 goldfish in less than a minute. It was something to watch. He later drained the aquarium and left the fish for dead. Well that thing lived in the bottom of the aquarium buried in gravel for about six months with no food and almost no water and no heat. I am not surprised that they are doing so well now.

[rocksandblues]

I had two snake heads when i was single. Also had other crazy fish: alligator gar, pacu, red and black piranhas, arrowanas

The snakeheads were badass. they got almost 18" long before I got tired of buying 40 goldfish a week. lots of times i would come home and they would have jumped out of tank and were on the carpet for hours. I would just pick them up and put them back in. Ended up putting bricks on the lids.

People were amazed by them. Wicked teeth. I would put my finger in tank to show people how quick they were and about 1/2 the time they would tag my finger before i could yank it out.

[striper1]

Where in rock creek ? I've been up there many ta time trying to get herring when there in. I haven't seen that many deep pools. By deep are you talking depper than 4 feet?

Striper1

[propgash]

I caught one (sort of) kayak fishing in little Hunting creek just north of Mount Vernon. He hit a white spinerbait. When I caught him some guys putting in a dock hooted and hollered. I wanted to show him to them so instead of puting him in the cooler I just left him in the net with the spinnerbait still in his mouth. weelll about five paddle strokes into my show off, he woke up and jumped out of the net and the spinner bait became unstuck. Back to Davey Jones he went. It was a pretty cool looking fish all cammo and toothy. Probably six pounds or so.

[Salmo trutta]

Where in rock creek ? I've been up there many ta time trying to get herring when there in. I haven't seen that many deep pools. By deep are you talking depper than 4 feet?

Striper1

It's illegal to harvest herring in Rock Creek.

Yes, it's deeper than 4 feet, keep heading up river. I'm not about to give away a honey hole on the net.

[Salmo trutta]

I had a southern red snake head as a pet about 17 years ago. It grew amazingly fast. We had two piranhas in the tank for short while and he ate them, even when he wasn't a whole lot bigger than them. Bit one in half, ate the other after he got his fins chewed on pretty bad.

Well, after about a year and a half he was over 17 inches long or so. He was now in a 55 gallon long tank. One morning we were getting the kitchen red done and there was a lot of noise from hammers and what not. He was in the basement and jumped out the tank onto the concrete floor, probably a 3 foot drop. We saw him maybe two hours before in the tank doing fine but when we found him he was dead. Didn't slither up the stairs or anything either.

The southern kind couldn't survive our winters but as a uniformed young teenager we were about to let him go in the neighborhood pond. He would have died come winter but I imagine the whole Crofton pond scare could have happened a little sooner closer to home.


I find it hard to believe one survived in the gravel of the tank for 6 months but if so, that's amazing.


The chain bridge regulars were catching snakehead every day this spring while fishing for stripers and catfish. one guy said it's almost a garuantee but I couldn't buy a bite to save my life. The schoolie stripers weren't around either.

[striper1]

Even if I catch them by hook and line