Fly fishing for snakeheads has become a science of sorts for Rob Snowhite.
The Washington D.C. area fly fishing guide, who has a background in the biological sciences, is one of only a handful of anglers who has caught a snakefish on a fly.
It took him almost two years, but Snowhite finally caught his first snakehead earlier this year, a 34-inch monster that demolished a rubber-legged beadhead nymph in the Tidal Basin.
Because the catch was so rare, and because of all the attention snakeheads are getting after being discovered in a popular Delaware fishing pond, we hooked up with Snowhite for a Q&A on fishing for snakefish and to glean some insight on this controversial invasive species.
ABOUT: Take us through the catch. What was it like to hook up with, not to mention land a snakehead?
SNOWHITE: Hooking into the snakehead was quite an adrenaline rush. It took the fly very subtly and didn’t start to fight until I set the hook and put some graphite to it. I couldn’t believe I had finally hooked into a snakehead. The fish was thrashing around in the shallows and pulling the line off the reel. My rod was bent and I started to slowly back up so it couldn’t get away. It has been several years since I was into a fish anywhere near that size. I wasn’t sure what type of fish it was until it splashed its tail out of the water and I saw the distinctive copper and black markings. I knew it ate the fly and wasn’t foul hooked when it started to run and I turned it with the rod and the head moved toward me. Being able to wave down a tourist and give him my camcorder to record the event was icing on the cake. I was torqued up for several hours from the sheer excitement of it.
Sounds like you had spent a good two years trying to catch a snakehead, did you know what it was right when you hooked up with it?
I was fishing for carp so I thought I had hooked into a big carp. I had on a size 10 curved caddis hook with a bead head and rubber legged fly. It caught me off guard. I know how a carp fights on a rod. As this was a first for me I had no idea how the fish would react. Would it head for deep water? Jump? Head straight across the water and peel line off my reel? Of course the time that I’m not trying to catch a snakehead is when I end up with one on the end of my line.
Is that the biggest freshwater fish you've caught?
That is by far the biggest freshwater fish I have ever landed. I caught two alligator gar in the 4 foot range the next day but lost them when trying to land them. The fish measured 34” and had the girth of my thigh. I caught a monster channel cat on a friend’s farm pond a few summers ago. The thing broke off my 20lb tippet. I’ll never forget that, my friend wanted me to grab the fish’s mouth to pull it out of the water. I hesitated and it broke me off.
How does the fight of a snakehead compare to other species?
The fight was pretty intense. The fish is a small head with all muscle. I knew snakeheads were strong but its different when you are tied into one. It was pulling me and I applied my salmon and steelhead fighting experience to this beast.
How does one go about catching a snakehead? What did you catch it on (rod/reel/pattern if possible)?
Snakeheads are an ambush predator. They lie in wait in and along the submerged aquatic vegetation and wait for something to pass by. They are known to favor killifish and frogs. I figure my flies should match something similar. However this fish was out in the open and sunning itself in the shallows.
When targeting snakeheads I usually go out with a 9’ or 11’ 8wt rod, large arbor reel with 10wt line, a homemade leader of 30lb butt, 20lb mid section, and 12lb tippet. The flies are baitfish or top water patterns. The last pattern I thought I would catch a snakehead on was this thing. I had a 9’ 6wt Orvis Hydros rod with a Battenkill Mid Arbor II reel and 8wt line.
Is it a bittersweet moment, catching a snakehead and then realizing the invasive species shouldn't be here in the states, and that you're going to have to kill it?
On the invasive species aspect, my background is in the biological sciences. When I look around I see a lot of things that should not be here, whether terrestrial or aquatic. The snakehead is just one of many fish species introduced to the Potomac. That snakehead was hanging out amongst goldfish or koi, giant orange and white fish (http://www.potomacriver.org/cms/masterfishlist.pdf). The largemouth and smallmouth in this section of the river are also non-native. I recently read that salmon were also introduced into the watershed in the 1800’s but that didn’t take. The snakehead is considered an aquatic nuisance species. Until people realize they are a beast on the end of a fly rod and that they taste delicious (on a side note, I have not eaten one and don’t plan to).
I have been offered $50 on Craigslist for one. Take into the fact that people will give you cash on the spot for them and they are an awesome fighting fish, and I’m glad they are here. Make lemons out of lemonade. By the way, did you know it is illegal to use a cast net, dip net, spear, or pitchfork to take these invasive species out of the water in D.C? I have seen people doing all the above to land one of these fish.
Having to kill the fish was a little upsetting to me. I don’t eat the fish I catch. I don’t hunt. I have not killed a vertebrate animal since zoology lab in college and even that was hard for me. All of the tourist kids around me were shouting ‘kill it, kill it, kill it’ as I took out my Leatherman. I had recently lost my aluminum fish killing bat (it takes seven serious whacks to kill a snakehead with the bat). I apologized to the fish and then cut its head off. That was not easy with a pocketknife. I left the body and took the head home for a souvenir. I wanted insects to clean it so I could see the skull structure to find out why it is so difficult to kill them.
On their invasive bad rap, if you take into account that one female can reproduce several times a year and produce several thousand young, killing one isn’t going to effect the population. That’s like pulling up one dandelion (introduced from Russia) from the yard and thinking you are going to help stop their spread. I followed the District’s law and made the day of several Midwestern tourist kids.
I’d suggest everyone read this book, "Out of Eden, On Odyssey on Ecological Invasion."
We had a recent poll asking what invasive species pose the biggest threat to recreational fishing in the U.S.? Asian carp, snakehead or non-fish species like the Quagga mussel. What are your thoughts about those threats, and are you concerned about any of those above species taking over your fisheries?
I’m not too concerned about the snakehead taking over. It has found its own niche. It likes the cover of submerged aquatic vegetation and appears to be selective in its feeding. As long as people don’t dump the fish in additional bodies of water they should stay contained in the tidal section. In a few years they will be seen as a common organism in the river. I have a friend who fishes with conventional tackle and he has gotten tired of catching them when fishing for bass. I don’t get that at all! People will one day commercially harvest them. They have commercial value to certain populations around here and others are catching on to that.
I think the Asian carp poses a huge threat. Due to its depletion of the zooplankton in its waters it is slowly taking away the bottom of the food chain for all the organisms in the water it inhabits. It will be the only organism left and when they die out maybe things can be restored. Let’s just hope they don’t get into the great lakes.
What other species do you go after in the Washington D.C., northern Virginia area? There are a lot so I hope I don’t leave any out: Bluegill, sunfish, common and grass carp, crappie, channel catfish, gar, muskie, largemouth, smallmouth, striped bass, white, yellow perch, american, hickory, gizzard shad (they are more of a by catch, they are terribly smelly), brook, rainbow, brown trout, walleye. We get needlefish too, though I’d prefer not to get them as they stink and they bite.
Where are your favorite waters to fish, for all species?
The one spot that has everything (except trout) is the Tidal Basin. It’s easy to get to, handicap accessible, has water fountains, restrooms, and concessions. If/when I have time off I’ll go down there. I got a great shot of the Jefferson Memorial last week with a double rainbow over it at dusk. It’s a very unique fishery.
Anything else you'd like to add about fishing in the D.C. and north Virginia area?
People are always surprised when I tell them the variety of fishing opportunities available in this area. There is so much around here to fish for. We have the mountains an hour west, the bay an hour east. Warm water is all around us and there are several options for local warm water discharge fishing in the winter. The most I have driven to guide in the past year is 22 miles. A 9’ 5wt rod will cover just about everything around here. And a few patterns will cover every species on the above mentioned list.
The one drawback is the amount of litter and pollution. There are a lot of people who do not respect the fishery they are taking their dinner out of and leave piles of trash when they walk out. Lots of trash (plastic bottles) end up in the river as it is such a massive drainage.
Thanks again for your time. Have fun on the water this fall!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my story.
