Maryland State Record Northern Snakehead

posted in: Recreational Fishing | 0

A new Maryland state record has been set with the take of an 18.42-pound specimen by bow from the Potomac River.

On May 20, Emory (Dutch) Baldwin III from Indian Head, Md., and his regular bow-hunting partner Franklin Shotwell were about to end a night of stalking northern snakehead from Baldwin’s boat along the Maryland side of the Potomac River, when they decided to fish the flats near Marshall Hall.

While scouring the flats, the anglers spotted a large fish. The massive snakehead was taken with a specially-equipped compound bow.

The following day, Baldwin brought the fish to Gray Brothers Market in Marbury, Md., where it was weighed on a certified meat scale.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Southern Region Manager Mary Groves later confirmed the species, and the new record was made official.

While state fishing records are normally awarded only for fish caught by rod and reel, Maryland makes an exception for three invasive fish species: northern snakehead, blue catfish and flathead catfish.

These species may be caught by any legal recreational harvest method and considered for state record recognition, but only if the fish is dispatched and kept.

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

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