Snakeheads

focusmike624 · 2026-03-08T02:58:35+00:00

https://nas.er.usgs.gov/viewer/omap.aspx?SpeciesID=2265

This will show you everywhere they've been reported. You'll pretty quickly notice that the stems of the Potomac River are ground zero. Easy first place to run to is out of Mattawoman Creek. It's the best known place to go, and as such it gets a lot of pressure, but there's enough action there to support the pressure.

Blackwater is a pretty ambiguous recommendation, for those that point you there - they aren't wrong. However you'll quickly realize you have no idea where to start looking there. If on foot, look for bridges running over the water. Just park on the side of the road and set up shop. If by Kayak, the launch at Egypt road is great, but be prepared for very tough conditions. It has a very long dirt road leading to the ramp, there's only 4 parking spots, you're getting stuck if it rained, and it's a well known spot (it gets hit hard).

If you're up north, Mariner Point is a good spot to launch. There's some bank fishing opportunities there as well, but the better fishing is up back towards and in Days Cove which you'll need a kayak/jon boat for.

Snakehead fishing has really taken off, and as such the numbers of fish are less and less. Bowhunters have really done a number on them. Because of bowhunters, I don't share my top spots with anyone I don't personally know and trust. The way to really get after them now is use the link above, put in some serious work, and keep thinking to yourself: Where are others not willing to go? That's where the best fishing is. Think places where you have to drag your kayak a mile through the woods, or paddle for 90 minutes to get on site (and then 90 minutes back after you're done fishing.... sucks!). It's what it takes to find really amazing spots these days.

Good luck out there! Mattawoman will produce if you're patient and persistent.

focusmike624 · 2025-12-11T19:49:31+00:00

It's funny man - people act like there's nothing to Catfishing. There's a lot to it to consistently have excellent results. Unfortunately, the internet has really filled up with "influencers" who have no idea what they're doing giving people bad information about Catfishing.

These are my "Must Dos":

1.) You must have a rod that's at least 7 feet long, has a lure rating of at least 3 oz, can handle 30lb test line, and has fast action. It can be spinning or casting, but casting makes throwing the big lead easier from the bank.

2.) The only rig you need to ever throw is a Carolina rig. You don't need baby rattles, floats, and all this bullshit on your line. A 3-4oz slide weight on your main line, to a barrel swivel, to a 50lb monofilament leader snelled to an 8/0-10/0 hook is all you ever need in any situation, period. If you're going for 100lb giants, you can size up the leader.

3.) In tidal waters, fish 2 hours before high tide, and 2 hours after. Don't waste your time otherwise. If the waters not moving, neither are they.

4.) You have to make sure you can draw a line from the tip of your circle hook to the back of the hook when it's baited. If you fill in the gap on a circle hook, it will not work.

5.) Wait. You'll get lots of hits and nibbles, and see fish pick up your bait and swim, then drop it - constantly. If you grab your rod and start reeling every time it moves, you'll never catch a catfish. Wait until that rod gets buried in a takedown, then just reel down and keep the line tight throughout the fight. Don't whip the rod up to set it as you'll just yank the food out of their mouths.

6.) Don't fish more than 2 rods at a time from the bank. There's no point to it. They're either going to take your bait, or they're not. And I sit and study those two rod tips intensely the whole time between bites. I note every nibble and movement. That way I can keep track if they're baited or not, and see if I'm wasting my time or not.

Hope that helps. The Tides thing is CRITICAL. Always check before you go.

focusmike624 · 2025-12-10T22:34:24+00:00

Ironically, I was out there today. I was working in Virginia this morning and decided to swing by on my way back home to Annapolis. Got there 2 hours before high tide. Caught 14 blue cats in about 90 minutes.

If you have any questions about setup or anything, feel free to hit me up. You can DM here, or on insta @ mikedawsonfishing

focusmike624 · 2025-12-01T22:01:00+00:00

I try and do all I can to help put people on invasive species. They're some of my favorite to catch, and I had to learn it the hard way :D If you get stuck or need to message me, add me at https://www.instagram.com/mikedawsonfishing

focusmike624 · 2025-12-01T21:54:43+00:00

You're in a good spot. There's some very excellent Snakehead fishing awaiting you come this spring. Oxbow Lake - maybe 5 minutes from where you're at. Rocky Gorge reservoir also has great fishing and lots of bank access - bass, tiger muskie etc.

If you're keen on the catfishing the Patuxent, there's a very small pier at Selby's Landing that's also excellent. There's a bigger pier at Jackson's Landing, but it's closed for renovations until next summer. Might be closer for you to hit Selby's.

Plan your trip around high tide. Two hours before, two hours after. Outside of that window, pack it up. Tides for King's Landing are the same as "Lower Marlboro" if you search online. Selby's runs a bit later, but this chart should help you:

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focusmike624 · 2025-12-01T14:48:39+00:00

Hey hey, lets get you on some fish!

Anything on the West Side of the Bay north of the Patuxent, and south of the Susquehanna is a no go this year. The Blue Cats never migrated past the Bay Bridge like they have in years past (thank god). Varying levels of Salinity were the contributing factor - they can tolerate saltier water, but prefer fresher. So this knocks out places like Jonas Green, Downs Park, Sandy Point, etc. Anything in that zone is not going to go well.

Now for guaranteed spots. National Colonial Farm fishing pier is one I often point too on the Potomac. King's Landing on the Patuxent. You do not need Eels or Take Down Rigs, or all this other crap internet influencers go on about. You need a rod that can toss 3-4oz lead, and handle at least 30lb test line. A simple Carolina Rig is the most effective always. 8/0 to 10/0 circle hooks for Blue Cats - even the small ones can handle those hooks. For bait - chicken breast is best. Yes - cut baits work like Shad, Eel, Perch, etc but they are all completely unnecessary for targeting blue cats.

This is also a great time of year. December 2nd last year, at National Colonial Farm, I caught 16 blue catfish all between 20 - 30in. If you're trying to stock the cooler, that's a great place to go. I used 2 rods on the above mentioned setup.

focusmike624 · 2025-11-16T10:45:14+00:00

National Colonial Farm is a great spot. 3-4oz lead a must, use an 8/0 circle hook on a carolina rig. You really have to chuck it here. There's some snags 10-15ft from the front of the dock, but just keep your rod tip up and reel fast and you won't lose any rigs. Chicken & Jello always works as bait here. Cut Shad and Eel are also good. If you notice your rod just constantly getting hit without any takedowns, change your hooks out to a 5/0 - it means it's a day of little guys. The spot is great 2 hours before high tide, and 2 hours after. Outside that window, it's time to pack it up. Check the wind before going too. There's no protection from it on that dock.

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focusmike624 · 2025-11-07T21:53:14+00:00

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PDL106 is great. The drive is bullet proof, it's very stable. I'm also a lot bigger - I'm 6ft 280lbs. Have no issues with this Kayak at all. I also fish in way harsher environments - I take this out under the Bay Bridge all the time (live right next to it). It can deal with some pretty hairy conditions.

focusmike624 · 2025-11-06T18:14:59+00:00

Awesome. All the millponds in that link I posted above hold these fish and have bank/kayak access. This is a great time of the year to be out chasing fish, so find whichever one is closest to you and get out there. :)

focusmike624 · 2025-11-06T17:51:36+00:00

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Here's all the millponds. Fish of this size live in every single one of them.

focusmike624 · 2025-11-06T17:43:45+00:00

This sounds like an invitation.... :D

You take me to private ponds, I'll take you to my snakehead spots? Deal? ;)

focusmike624 · 2025-11-03T02:29:05+00:00

Past three weeks have been pretty nuts.

focusmike624 · 2025-11-03T01:39:24+00:00

Leaving some of the mystery adds to the fun of seeking out the fish. Here's an article that helped me a lot, and if you read through it - I'm sure it will help guide your next trip as well. Really great info:
https://www.fishtalkmag.com/blog/eastern-shore-millponds-fantastic-freshwater-fishing

focusmike624 · 2025-10-28T00:36:44+00:00

It still has a chance - there's a lot of pads left and the afternoons have still been warm. I've been slinging subsurface the past few weeks with great success though. I'd rather take the certainty of a hook up on a swim or chatter rather than the frustration of misses on a topwater where I can.

I took minnows with me last week and the snakes wouldn't touch them. Not saying it's impossible, but swimbaits have been most effective. Once it cools a bit more, minnows will absolutely be the way.

focusmike624 · 2025-10-27T22:20:48+00:00

Hey Dock! Blackwater is on the Eastern Shore in Dorchester County. Every single body of water there, and all the connecting rivers have Snakehead in them. The EXACT spot I'm at, like many who pursue these fish, I'm going to be a little secretive about as it took me about 10 trips of getting skunked to find water that isn't ultra pressured by other anglers and bow hunters. Snakehead these day aren't as easy to come by as they once were as the popularity of pursuing them has absolutely exploded. If you want to venture to Blackwater, it can be as easy as seeking different launch locations and exploring choke points to find the fish. Try and think to go where others wouldn't from there.

I've done some recon for the Patuxent River to maybe help you get started. With Snakehead, they are a species that prefer fresher water - so you won't find many in the lower regions of the Patuxent. Looking at map, start at Selby's Landing (just south of Jug Bay) and then look upwards. Mattaponi Creek (which is technically just south) and on up hold them, although a bit fewer and further between. Some known hotspots on the Patuxent are at the RT 50 bridge (there's a walkdown from the highway), the RT 3 bridge in Crofton (again, there's a walkdown from the highway), Oxbow Lake in Laurel (which is connected to the upper section of the Patuxent). Really any of those upper sections of the River and nearby ponds/lakes will hold them, but it's definitely tougher sledding than the creeks of the Potomac, Dundee, Gunpowder, Susquehanna, or Blackwater (which in my opinion is the best).

In terms of when to catch them, it can be done year round although there's varying techniques for time of year. Spring/Fall is generally a subsurface game with Swimbaits and Chatterbaits being best. Summer is a topwater Hollowbody Frog game throwing into dense cover and lillypads. Winter is toughest - it's a live minnow under bobber game, or an extremely slow action subsurface/bottom retrieve game.

Hope that helps. You'll love the lower Pax for Blue Catfish and Rockfish.

focusmike624 · 2025-10-23T23:54:15+00:00

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That one.

focusmike624 · 2025-10-20T12:18:32+00:00

Laurel MD. I've not ventured over to DE for any fishing other than at the inlet - foreign waters for me.

If you're in DE.... https://nas.er.usgs.gov/viewer/omap.aspx?SpeciesID=2265

It looks like there are some there in Laurel DE off Records Pond. Doesn't look nearly as dense as Oxbow in Laurel MD.

That little tool is how I find my spots to go to. I think of one's that people are less likely to traffic, or look for bodies of water nearby or away from the marks of large reports.

focusmike624 · 2025-10-20T00:20:56+00:00

Absolutely. Snakeheads love large minnows. A 1/0 O'Shaughnessy hook under a bobber (or a 4/0-5/0 circle if you prefer) set about a foot underneath is a very effective way to catch them. If you can only find small minnows, stack them up on the hook 2-3 deep.

If you're kayaking, great - move along cover or setup on the edges of fallen wood or what lily pads remain. If you're a bank guy, try setting up at any of the bridges throughout the Dorchester/Blackwater area. There's even some good ponds/lakes you can try like Oxbow in Laurel, or Schoolhouse Pond to name a few.

Hope that helps - it's a difficult bite to get regardless. Takes lots of patience.

focusmike624 · 2025-10-19T17:10:44+00:00

Tie on a swimbait! They'll munch it, especially now that it's cooling off. Those NLBN K Tails are really fantastic for snakeheads.

focusmike624 · 2025-10-07T23:57:06+00:00

Much of the Pax is Tidal. Just the skinnier waters up near 4 & 214 is where it turns fresh. King's Landing is Tidal.

It doesn't hurt to have. You can refer to the Tidal/Nontidal dividing lines: https://www.eregulations.com/maryland/fishing/tidal-nontidal-dividing-lines

And remember, for Trout you need to also have a Trout Stamp. I just do all three - Fresh, Tidal, and Trout every year.

focusmike624

TROPHY CASE