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Thread: World Record Snakehead in Virginia - NOT FLY RELATED

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    Default World Record Snakehead in Virginia - NOT FLY RELATED

    Full Article A Virginia man has caught the largest northern snakehead on record with a rod and reel, landing a 17-pound, 6-ounce specimen of the fish often called "Frankenfish" for their monster-like appearance and tenacious survival skills.
    Caleb Newton, a plumber who lives in Spotsylvania County, Va., caught the fish in June during a tournament on Aquia Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River that's near the Quantico Marine Corps Base, according to the Fredericksburg, Va., Free Lance-Star.
    Newton tells the newspaper that it took about a minute to get the fish in his boat. And measuring three feet, it was a tight fit to get the record catch into his cooler, he says.
    But, he adds, it didn't give him a whale of a fight. "I caught one 13 pounds on Saturday, and that one fought harder," he tells the Free Lance-Star.
    Newton's fish bests the previous record catch of a 17-pound, 4-ounce northern snakehead in 2004 in Japan, according to the International Game Fish Association.
    According to the IGFA website, the group awards world records for seven varieties of the snakehead, with only the giant snakehead being larger. The record-setter for that fish was hauled in earlier this year in Thailand ? and weighed in at 26 pounds.
    Other than Newton's catch, one other IGFA record was set in America ? a great snakehead that weighed 14 pounds was caught in Florida earlier this year. All the other snakehead records were set in Asia, where the fish is native.
    Northern snakeheads are known for having sharp teeth, slimy skin, a voracious appetite and the ability to survive on land for days at a time. A spawning population as found in a pond in Maryland near the Potomac River in 2002.
    The predator's move into U.S. ecosystems has spurred efforts to control its growth, including holding tournaments ? and spreading the word that it's a tasty fish worth the trouble of catching.
    "It tastes very good. I like them deep fried or grilled with onions and butter," fisherman Brett Miron told Agence France-Presse last month at a tournament in Maryland.
    All men are equal before fish.

    -Herbert Hoover

    Spare Time for Fish

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Yes I read this. It seems they like that trib of the Potomac. An interesting story about exotic species. The fish was supposedly introduced by someone who bought a couple Snakeheads for food, decided not to eat them, and dumped it in a small pond near his residence. From there they made their way to the Potomac. It was originally feared they would decimate the largemouth population, but so far that has not been shown to be the case. They are theoretically limited in their range by the brackish/salt water to the south near the Chesapeake Bay, and to the north by the fall line. What is most interesting to me is 1. What a great eating fish they are, 2. What a great game fish they are, 3. How fast they grow, and 4. How they like topwater lures. They have developed quite a following in some circles, and I fear some well intentioned "sportsman" will introduce them into other bodies of water, esp lakes in the area. There is no reason this could not become fly related - take an 8wt and a popper. I understand the Aquia Creek is accessible and navigable by canoe or kayak. I have toyed with the idea of taking the 3 to 4 hour drive and give them a shot, but I haven't yet. This forum has a lot of info on them and other topics http://va-outdoors.com/forum.php, you may have to join to access the site, I am not sure.
    Last edited by pillcaster; 08-12-2013 at 09:24 PM.
    "Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it"
    Ed Zern

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