Tidal Basin and Snakeheads

[tsta...@gmail.com]

I took a page out of N Elgas' book last night and fished the Tidal Basin last night for the first time with relative success. I was able to catch two small stripers on a white and chartreuse clouser minnow and one snakehead on a topwater frog pattern. Unfortunately, as I was fumbling for my phone for a photo op with the snakehead (and even the other fish) the fish kicked and slipped out of my hands, spit the hook, and fell back into the water. Had I not lost the fish my intent was to kill it but I faced a few problems: 

1) I had no knife with which to offer a swift demise. 

2) I was in a public area so I felt a little self conscious about putting this fish out of its misery in front of innocent bystanders.

3) Unsure of how to properly dispose of the would be dead fish.

If anyone could provide solutions to the above problems I would be eternally grateful.

All-in-all I had a great time. I think the tidal basin may be my new favorite fishing spot in the DC area as it offers a wide variety of fish species to catch and is easily accessible. 

Don't lose 'em,

-Tommy Stackhouse

[namfos]

I haven't caught a snakehead, but I've eaten snakehead and it's very good eating. As for transporting the fish home to cook it, I can't help you there. ;-)

Mark

[Sean Beck]

In short, just make sure you have a knife with you even when you aren't fishing specifically for snakehead.

I forgot my knife before when I went looking for snakehead. Thankfully I was at Savage Mill and there was a large pipe along the banks I could beat it with (those things have thick skulls!). I doubt there are random pipes laying around the Basin, but if you could find a decent rock that might work. Tourists will think you're a barbarian as you repeatedly beat it until it's mostly dead, but it will be a good arm workout. If a knife isn't a standard part of your pack, you can also carry a stringer with you and keep it on the stringer. Those things are tasty! Another option is to take a gallon ziploc and a fillet knife with you and fillet it there. If none of these options are viable, then just put it back.

[Thomas Stackhouse]

Thanks, Sean!

On Thu, Aug 9, 2018 at 9:33 AM Sean Beck <seanmc...@gmail.com> wrote:

In short, just make sure you have a knife with you even when you aren't fishing specifically for snakehead.

I forgot my knife before when I went looking for snakehead. Thankfully I was at Savage Mill and there was a large pipe along the banks I could beat it with (those things have thick skulls!). I doubt there are random pipes laying around the Basin, but if you could find a decent rock that might work. Tourists will think you're a barbarian as you repeatedly beat it until it's mostly dead, but it will be a good arm workout. If a knife isn't a standard part of your pack, you can also carry a stringer with you and keep it on the stringer. Those things are tasty! Another option is to take a gallon ziploc and a fillet knife with you and fillet it there. If none of these options are viable, then just put it back.

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Thomas Stackhouse

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tsta...@gmail.com

[Sean Steele]

Oh man... don’t put it back... do whatever you have to do to dispatch that invasive monster!

-Sean

On Aug 9, 2018, at 9:33 AM, Sean Beck <seanmc...@gmail.com> wrote:

In short, just make sure you have a knife with you even when you aren't fishing specifically for snakehead.

I forgot my knife before when I went looking for snakehead. Thankfully I was at Savage Mill and there was a large pipe along the banks I could beat it with (those things have thick skulls!). I doubt there are random pipes laying around the Basin, but if you could find a decent rock that might work. Tourists will think you're a barbarian as you repeatedly beat it until it's mostly dead, but it will be a good arm workout. If a knife isn't a standard part of your pack, you can also carry a stringer with you and keep it on the stringer. Those things are tasty! Another option is to take a gallon ziploc and a fillet knife with you and fillet it there. If none of these options are viable, then just put it back.

--

[westbrid...@gmail.com]

My answer may be unpopular, but i normally just let them go.   Hear me out! First I have only caught 4 or 5 all year so we are talking about a huge impact either way.  Second,  i fish before work most day,  cant really smell like i killed a snake head.  third, I have seen dead snake head left on the sidewalks and trash cans.  It stinks and attracts rats.  

I know that in DC it is illegal still.  DC does not employee wild life biologist.  VA and MD do,  must kill reg has been lifted in the rest of the river.  I'm not a tree hugger,  I would give one away if i caught one and someone else wanted it,  and i would eat it myself if i had the time and ability to clean it.  Just not going to kill it just cause.  

DC just hasn't caught up with the science.   That's not a good enough reason for me to smell like fish.

[Jeff Cook]

I don’t believe you’ve ever -had- to kill a fish. You just can’t take it away from the river if it’s alive. 

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[Richard Farino]

Tommy,

 

Couple of pointers from someone who lived in SW and fished there A LOT

·         DC law prohibits releasing snakehead back into the water (click for link) – “The northern snakehead (channa argus) is a predatory species of freshwater fish native to China. First documented in U.S. waters in 2002, the snakehead is considered highly invasive and poses significant threats to native fish populations. Unfortunately, the snakehead has become established in several DC, Maryland, and Virginia waterways, including the Potomac River and its tributaries. If you catch a northern snakehead DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE WATER. Snakeheads should be immediately killed by removing the head, removing all vital organs, or removing both gill arches. Please help stop the spread of this species and reduce its population numbers.”  That said, I don’t keep every one that I catch.  This is for both selfish (I like catching them) and also practical reasons (I don’t always feel like gutting, removing the head, and fileting a fish in front of 3 school busses full of kids visiting from the burbs).

·         Boga Grips not only tell you how much the fish weighs, but the spring mechanism is in the handle and that’s where all the weight is.  Turn the Boga Grip over and you have an instant priest.  Additionally, IGFA will certify your Boga if you send it to them and they make the Boga’s so well that the weight certification is good for 15+ years before they want to send it back again.

·         If you don’t want to carry a filet knife, bring a pair of long handle pliers.  Reach up into the gill arch and rip them out and let the fish bleed out on the grass.  It won’t freak out the tourists as much as if you took out the filet knife and hacked it’s head off.

·         Bring several garbage bags with you each time you go.  When snakehead die, the slime never stops being secreted from its body.  Trust me - you’ll thank me later.

·         Snakehead taste a little like monkfish.  I use a Scottish stout like Old Chub to make a beer batter and deep fry them.  The traditional way is to steam them with a little soy sauce and sesame oil.

Have fun.

R

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[Thomas Stackhouse]

Great advice Richard, Thanks!

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[Jack Klemmer]

Technically you are not legally obligated to kill the snakehead, you just cannot transport it live from the body of water where you found it, that carries a pretty hefty fine from what I understand.

Great advice Richard, Thanks!

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Thomas Stackhouse

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tsta...@gmail.com

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[Sean Beck]

DC's regulations read like you are required to kill it. Maryland DNR encourages you to kill them but does not require it by law any longer.

[Dalton Terrell]

The DC website reads as if there is a requirement to kill the Snakehead, but I can't find an actual regulation that requires this practice.

See the DC fishing regs here, under Title 19, Chapter 15: https://www.dcregs.dc.gov/Common/DCMR/RuleList.aspx?ChapterNum=19-15&ChapterId=149

The regulations related to fishing predate the discovery of the Snakehead in the Potomac drainage, with the most recent regulations becoming effective in 2000.

I just shot DC DOEE an e-mail to see if they view it as a requirement or a recommendation. I'll let you know when or if they get back to me.

[Jeff Cook]

It reads like the life jacket references for boats, “Wear your PFD”. It’s a good idea and a great recommendation, but if an officer is in front of you and you take it off (or drop a snakehead back in), I believe he’s not able to write you up. 

I’d be happy to be proven wrong, but all jurisdictions should be much clearer about the actual laws, also so we know whether they need changing either way.

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[Richard Farino]

You’d be wrong if you think the Park Service or DC Police won’t write you a ticket for not wearing your PFD on the Potomac.  It might be all about discretion, but they can and do write them.

 

As for the snakehead, I think the regulations are cut and dry.  If you’re not allowed to release a snakehead back into the waterway, that means it will be in your possession.  If it’s in your possession, it cannot be alive.

 

Additionally – regulated fishing activities are listed as follows in 19 1503.1 (click for link):

“It Is Unlawful
It shall be unlawful to do any of the following:

1. Introduce any species of fish, or other aquatic organism not indigenous to the waters of the District of Columbia;
2. Possess a fish with a total length less than the minimum (see Species Descriptions);
3. Possess a number of fish of a particular species greater than the possession limit listed in the DC Fish Field Guide;
4. Possess aboard any boat, while fishing, or while in the possession of fishing equipment, any fish that has had the head or tail removed for which size or a weight limit is prescribed;
5. Capture, harass, harm, or fail to return to the water immediately any organism which is listed by the US Department of Interior as endangered, or threatened, except for specific or designated scientific collection;
6. Take, kill, or injure fish or other aquatic organism by using explosives, chemicals, firearms, or electricity, except for scientific collection;
7. Take, catch, or possess any species of sturgeon; or
8. Take fish except as specified in these rules.

 

The word “Introduce” in a legal sense can be argued to mean putting anything non-native into the water, be it a snakehead, pacific salmon, or even Manbearpig.

 

What I wrote in a previous post was my professional advice as the owner of a flyshop based on statements made by professionals of each lawmaking jurisdiction regarding the enforcement of the regulations in said jurisdictions:

• DOEE at the time of my calls (Brian King office, pre Tommy Wells) mandated the killing of any snakehead caught within the boundaries of the District of Columbia.
• Maryland DNR biologist (Joseph Love) & Virginia Dept of Game & Inland Fisheries biologist (John Odenkirk) both explained to me that they could not compel any person to kill anything, but that the deciding factor of the fish’s fate came down to possession – you cannot possess a live snakehead, and possession was determined to be if the fish managed to touch whatever you were stationary on at the time.

Again, the last 2 are biologists and not lawyers, but speaking on behalf of the jurisdiction.

 

 

R

 

From: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Reply-To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Monday, August 20, 2018 at 10:46 PM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Tidal Basin and Snakeheads

 

It reads like the life jacket references for boats, “Wear your PFD”. It’s a good idea and a great recommendation, but if an officer is in front of you and you take it off (or drop a snakehead back in), I believe he’s not able to write you up. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/DB346498-5107-4D90-B5FB-6568EF38E0D9%40icloud.com.

[Sean Beck]

My policy is to kill them and based on what Richard says I think it's the safest call. A related question is I noticed the "Fishing in the District" page says they do not recommend eating stripers caught from D.C. waters, but they go on to provide a daily limit for stripers. Why is this? Do any of you eat anything you catch out of the waters in D.C.?

[Sean Steele]

Me personally, I wouldn’t eat anything caught south of the confluence in Harper’s Ferry, anything out of Rock Creek, anything out of the Anacostia (maybe Paint Branch north of 495 would be OK?)

I’m not as afraid of heavy metals as PCBs:

Affected Boundaries	Potomac River Basin - the following tributaries between the VA/MD state line near Rt. 340 bridge (Loudoun County) to the I-395 bridge in Arlington County (above the Woodrow Wilson Bridge): Goose Creek up to the Dulles Greenway Road Bridge, Broad Run up to Rt. 625 bridge, Difficult Run up to Rt. 7 bridge, and Pimmit Run up to Rt. 309 bridge. These tributaries comprise ~24 miles. (12/13/04)
Contaminant	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

https://virginiahealth.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9ac625009b224f818268c3fdd4e5cb9d

-Sean

On Aug 21, 2018, at 7:04 AM, Sean Beck <seanmc...@gmail.com> wrote:

My policy is to kill them and based on what Richard says I think it's the safest call. A related question is I noticed the "Fishing in the District" page says they do not recommend eating stripers caught from D.C. waters, but they go on to provide a daily limit for stripers. Why is this? Do any of you eat anything you catch out of the waters in D.C.?

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[Andrew Sarcinello]

I ate a couple fillets from small <5 lb Potomac blue catfish earlier this summer.  Very tasty and will do it again. I wouldn't eat anything of size of any species in there though. The longer they are in there the more contaminated they'll be.

[Dalton Terrell]

I just had a nice conversation with Bryan King of DC Department of Energy and Environment, and I will try to summarize here. His brief answer to the question about the legality of releasing Snakes was "Well... it's complicated."

The biggest point he made was that Blue Catfish should not be released when caught--based on all of the studies that have been done, Blue Catfish are having a major impact on our native fish (Perch, Alewife, Herring, Shad, etc.). He highly recommends that Blue Catfish not be released. The studies on the Snakehead have not yet shown the major impact that we've seen from Blue Catfish.

A few points he made:

• There is a law passed by DC Council that more clearly prohibits the release of Snakeheads and other invasive species--I think it's this law: http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/34525/B21-0386-SignedAct.pdf
  
• This law has not been promulgated through a regulation, which requires DC Register publishing, comment periods, etc.
• Because this law is not yet a regulation, it cannot really be enforced.

Bryan suggested that if someone caught a Snakehead and did not have a knife or a way to dispatch, then he did not think they would get in trouble for releasing the fish. However, it is the District's intent to prohibit this release--and this is certainly the recommended action.

Dalton

[Gregg DiSalvo]

I know it's va's department, not DC, but John Odenkirk is always very well spoken on the matter.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R23-ThVeZ8o&t=6s

Blue cats didn't show their huge impact until well down the line.  Snakeheads are well-established, but the current data isn't showing any negative impacts.  Although I want to think this won't change, we need a longer period before we can conclusively say they aren't negatively impacting anything.  I am for both keeping some and releasing others.  I have been trying to catch one on the fly this year and have found them hard to come by.  Of course, if more were released my chances would go up.  Until DC, VA, MD law prohibits release, I think its up to the angler.  I would support limits on keepers though as bow fishing is really doing a number on these fish...

Just the stream of consciousness from one person...

On Thursday, August 9, 2018 at 8:34:38 AM UTC-4, tsta...@gmail.com wrote: