Maryland snakehead record broken by 21.8-pounder

Annapolis, Md. — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently recognized Matt Foreman, of Crownsville, as the new state record holder for Chesapeake channa – also known as northern snakehead (Channa argus) – in the state’s Invasive Division.

Foreman caught the 21.8-pound fish by bowfishing on the evening of June 7 in the Susquehanna River below the Conowingo Dam.

It was a pleasant evening, with a light breeze, when Foreman set out on a charter captained by Nick Mather. Foreman used a crossbow with a generic tip to catch his record-sized fish. The 26-foot aluminum vessel was outfitted with a custom lighting system to search for fish.

Foreman said he targets snakeheads “because they taste good and everybody wins” when removing invasive fish from Maryland waters.

The fish was more than 36 inches long, and it surpassed the previous 21.0-pound record channa caught in 2023 by Damien Cook in a Dorchester County river.

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Cook’s fish also earned him a world record from the International Game Fish Association. (The International Game Fish Association does not recognize fish harvested while spearfishing or bowfishing.)

Foreman’s fish also earned him a Maryland record from the Bowfishing Association of America.

Foreman, an avid bowhunter, took up bowfishing when a friend suggested they give it a try during the warmer months. Though his friend now has an airboat on which they go out on occasion, Matt enjoys the charter experience with Mather.

During this trip the charter stopped at six locations and killed 26 Channa and one blue catfish, all shot from a distance of 10 feet or less. Captain Mather said this is the best snakehead fishing he’s seen in seven years.

Chesapeake channa (renamed by Maryland legislation in 2024) is an invasive species now common throughout Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay tidal waters. Channa have become popular for sportfishing.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources encourages anglers to kill all invasive species they catch, and reminds them that it is illegal to transport a live snakehead.