Cut the Snake Off at the Head
Posted by Pete Robbins on Jul 27th 2021
I went snakehead fishing last Saturday on a new body of water. It did not go well.
I went snakehead fishing for half of the day the previous Saturday on a familiar body of water. It did not go well.
I ran a camera boat for a snakehead production a few weeks before that. It went only marginally better.
These fish are fricking evil. I hate them. Yes, it’s fun to have one annihilate your frog. No, I don’t think they’ve done any harm to the bass population. What they have harmed is my psyche. Every time I think I have them figured out a bit, they surprise me. Every time I pin them down, I get multiple bites but no hookups (the three of us in the boat last Saturday had 20-plus follows or strikes, but caught a whopping zero snakeys).
They suck. And I suck at catching them.
So don’t call me looking for a fun day on the Potomac chasing these invaders. Don’t tell me that you have a can’t miss, magic place where they jump in the boat. Don’t tell me that if I just capture one you’ll cook it up in a way that’ll put the Popeye’s chicken sandwich to shame. I’m not interested. And I won’t return your call.
The only thing that’s saved this month is that after Saturday’s debacle I went out with those same two friends and caught a boatload of smallmouths on spinnerbaits. As moody as those brown suckers can be, by comparison they’re as reliable as death and taxes.
[Picture for attention only: If I catch another one I assure you it’ll be by accident].
