Many of the anglers in the Snag Proof Open on the Potomac River Saturday will be doing some Samurai fishing in addition to angling for the $10,000 first place prize for the heaviest three-bass limit.

“We have a bonus side pot for for snakehead fish,” said tournament director Dave Kilby. “Snakeheads are quite the predator so by and large you have to kill them when you catch them. You’ll see guys carrying clubs, machetes, everything in their boat for that. It looks like Samurai fishing.”

The Samurai, the military nobility of medieval and early-modern Japan, were often depicted as being armed with multiple swords, clubs, spears and other weapons..

Snakeheads, also called “frankenfish,” have teeth, can breathe and move out of water. Considered a predatory and undesirable exotic species by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the species is blamed for the vanishing populations of Potomac River shad, bass and even frogs. Importation of snakeheads is against the law.

Entry in the optional “Super Snakehead Showdown” pot is $20 per team, Kilby said.

“The three heaviest snakeheads will win the money in the pot with 50 percent to the heaviest, 30 percent to next heaviest and 20 percent to the third heaviest. Hopefully, in addition to catching some bass, we will rid the Potomac of a few snakeheads.”

And, he added, the snakeheads probably will not go to waste. They reportedly are a delicious eating fish and are prized in Asian cultures, the part of the world they are from. Cooks of Asian heritage are expected to be at the weigh-in in anticipation of getting some snakeheads to take home for supper – or to feature in their restaurants.

Entry fee for the Snag Proof Open is $180 per boat, either a one-man or two-man team, and that includes an automatic entry into the Big Fish Pot for $20. The Big Bass payback will also be at 50, 30 and 20 percent, Kilby said.

The only lures allowed are Snag Proof Frogs, along with the Wiggle Wog, Bobby’s Perfect Buzz and Fish’s Poppin’ Phattie, all made by Snag Proof, he said.

“They all incorporate the topwater frog into their design, which is why they are allowed. You can’t alter the frog or weight it to fish under the surface,” Kilby said. The official rules state that Snag Proof Frogs cannot have a weight added for the purpose of using a Texas rig, Carolina Rig, or drop-shot rig. Modifications by adding rattles or by painting, marking, or dipping the Snag Proof Frog are permitted. Trailer hooks are also permitted if attached directly to the Snag Proof Frog, with no leader between the frog hook and the trailer hook

While pre-registrations are going slow, Kilby said that is to be expected since there was no way to schedule an anglers’ meeting the night before the tournament because of the launch venue at Smallwood State Park.

“The park is going to open at 4 o’clock the morning of the tournament and we are going to have our meeting early in the morning. People know they don’t have to come to a meeting on Friday, they can just come to the ramp and sign up there that morning,” Kilby said.

 

Snag Proof Open Potomac River

Sat, Jul 26, 2014

Potomac River

Smallwood State Park

Call Dave Kilby 443-617-1850

www.snagproof.com