A Maryland man just caught a record-breaking 18.42-pound snakehead fish in the Maryland side of the Potomac River.
Emory (Dutch) Baldwin, from Indian Head, Md., caught the fish when he was out with his regular bow-hunting partner, Franklin Shotwell.
Baldwin said that Shotwell saw the fish, but it was on Baldwin’s side of the boat, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Baldwin aimed his compound bow, adjusting for a refracted shadow cast by mounted light, and released his arrow. He was “immediately engaged” with the fish, tugging back and forth on the line, according to the DNR.
Normally, state fishing records are only awarded for fish that are caught by rod and reel. However, Maryland makes an exception for three invasive species, including the northern snakehead.
Baldwin’s record was made official when Maryland DNR Southern Region Manager Mary Groves confirmed the species the day after the catch. The snakehead was weighed on a certified fish scale at Gray Brothers Market in Marbury, Md.
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