Delicious, fun-to-catch snakeheads may be here to stay

It's a poorly kept secret that we have an incredible new fishery on Delmarva, one with fish that are tasty, easy to catch, plentiful and accessible to almost everyone. Yes, we're talking snakeheads this week, the monster fish from Asia that seems to be taking over many of the brackish and upper tidal waterways of the Shore. 

Officially, the Maryland DNR lists these fish as invasive and wants us to catch, kill and keep as many as we can to help get rid of them, but at the rate they've spread and multiplied it seems they are with us for the long term.

Just a few short years ago it was a novelty to catch one of these fish, and when one would show up in a new river system it was big news. Now? The only news now is how many of them there are, how fast they reproduce and how much fun anglers are having with them.

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Last week I spent some time in the kayak chasing these invaders and it was certainly a fun day on the water. A medium weight spinning rod, casting buzzbaits to the edges of lily pads and spatterdock beds, made it seem almost like bass fishing. The explosive hit of a big snakehead, bending the rod in half, was like top water action on shallow water stripers. There were plenty of the fish to catch, too, and with my biggest for the day measuring 28 inches it didn't seem like the typical freshwater trip of my youth.

The fish are fairly easy to catch, either with lures or with live bait. They love thick cover like lily pads and grass, but you'll catch plenty in open water near that thick cover. A canoe, kayak or small boat can put you into fish, but lots of them are caught from the bank, off small bridges and even out of road culverts. Snakehead fishing is truly a game anyone can play.

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Yet while they are fun to catch, perhaps the best part comes when you get them home and on the table. They definitely need a new publicist as the teeth, appearance and name turn off plenty of people, but the fillets are some of the finest meat you could ever imagine. When cooked those fillets are bright white, mild flavored and tender as can be.

I tried some sliced into small strips and fried, then baked the remainder. Both were delicious, although the meat is so mild that most of the flavor was from the spices in the breading for the fried fish and the seasonings used when baking. Comparing snakehead fillets to other favored local fish, I'd rank it a close second to white perch fillets when fried and equal to any fish when baked, several notches above rockfish. 

It's certainly understandable for the fisheries biologists to want them all gone, as they are after all invasive and not supposed to be here. But that has to be the only reason to dislike them. Fun to catch, prolific and incredible on the plate? It's hard for an angler not to like a fish like that. Get out there and catch a few and see what the excitement is all about.

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Outdoor Calendar

May 27-28: Eighth annual Ocean City Marlin Club Blue Fish Tournament, OC Marlin Club, Ocean City, 410-213-1613

Through May 31: Chesapeake striped bass season, main bay, Tangier and Pocomoke sounds, mouth of Chester, Patuxant and Choptank rivers, two fish daily, 20-inch minimum, only one over 28 inches

June 1-Dec. 20: Chesapeake striped bass season, main Bay and all tributaries, two fish daily, 20-inch minimum, only one over 28 inches

June 2-4: 21st annual Mid-Atlantic Mako Mania, Bahia Marina, Ocean City, 410-289-7473

June 3: Maryland free fishing day, no license required

June 10: Maryland free fishing day, no license required

Through June 15: Maryland tidal water largemouth bass size limit increases to 15 inch minimum

Through June 15: Maryland nontidal water largemouth bass season closed, catch and release fishing is permitted.

June 16-18: 28th annual MSSA Tuna-Ment, weigh in at Atlantic Tackle, Ocean City, 410-255-5535

June 17-18: 38th annual Marlin Club Small Boat Tournament, Ocean City Marlin Club, Ocean City, 410-213-1613

June 17: Junior Hunter Field Day, Somerset County Fairgrounds, limited to 100 kids age 8-16, must preregister by June 6 at www.dnr.maryland.gov 

July 4: Maryland free fishing day, no license required