'Biggest Snakehead I Had Ever Seen': State Record Catch

An Upper Marlboro sportsman who caught a state record-size northern snakehead says it should fry up several tasty meals.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that officials confirmed that Michael Meade of Upper Marlboro set a new state sport fish record with the 17.49-pound fish he landed while fishing with bow and arrow along the marshes of Mattawoman Creek.

“It was about 10:30 at night when I brought it onboard, and it was the biggest snakehead I had ever seen,” Meade told the agency. “When I got home, I stepped on a bathroom scale with the fish, and it was over 17 pounds. So, I put it in a bucket of ice water and went looking for a certified scale.”

The next day in Marbury, Gray Brothers Market Store Manager Stacy Long confirmed the weight on a Maryland Department of Agriculture-certified digital scale. Natural Resources Fisheries Biologist Mary Groves subsequently confirmed the species, making the record official.

As for the new state record snakehead, Meade says, “I will bake the fillets with pepper and butter, enough for two or three meals, I expect.”

If you think you’ve landed a potential record catch, call 443-569-1381 or 410-260-8325. Anglers should keep their fish immersed in ice water to preserve its weight until it can be weighed at a seafood retailer, a grocery store, or tackle shop with a certified scale, state officials say.

»Photo of Michael Meade of Upper Marlboro, courtesy of Maryland DNR website