So what to do. Back from the Shore and work starting mid-morning. Dead low on the beach was around 3 am and I was hesitant going not knowing how much water would be along the shore. Yes, by 6 am it would have been mid-tide, but I didn't want to take the ride of shame and throw my day off, so I stayed local.
Its the summer and either you stay the course with the fluke, blues, and occasional bass or you change it up a bit. So I went looking for Snakeheads, the infamous, and controversial, "invasive species". I have heard they should be killed and eaten, or returned to the water. I haven't caught one so I haven't had the dilemma on what to do. Science and popular opinion, like everything else, disagree depending on who you talk to.
In New Jersey we have Snakeheads and Bowfin. They look and act similar, one is listed as native the other invasive by NJ Fish and Game. While doing some research I came across an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer regarding some local fishing species and they talked about the Snakeheads. In the photo that went the article was local guy and Hook Shots creator Joe Cermele, who cut his teeth on the Delaware River and waters around the Trenton area. Below he is displaying a nice fish from an unknown location caught by photographer Dave Maialaetti.
I basically have no friends out here, no cell phone network of anglers with a list of go-to spots, so I went looking blindly by myself. I started on the Delaware, and worked the bank and wall for about 300 feet without a nothing. I looked up some of the tidal tributaries that feed the Delaware River and decided it was a good time to scout it out.
From what I have learned Snakeheads are ugly and mean, and love hiding in the pads and along there bands looking to jump on anything that swims by or overhead. I walked and fished along the bank
where I could fine fly readable access. With the outgoing tide I spent a lot of time cleaning vegetation from my fly.
I casted to areas that looked fishy and at one pit saw something a little on the large side pushing some water along the bank. I gave chase, for a little bit, but after slogging my way through the muck in Alabama-like humidity I gave up. This beat would definitely be better accessed with a kayak, where you could start on the incoming tide and then float with the ebb all the way down to the main river.
I didn't have a bump, and from what I hear there are no bumps, just swings and misses or heart stopping blow-ups. They say August is prime time so maybe there's some time from me to learn something just enough to find one of these toothy critters. They say they are great eating......we'll see.
