Elena Cruz - Producer

What was this ferocious fish with a ravenous appetite?

FISHZILLA:

The Invasive Snakehead! Just when you think it’s safe…snakehead frenzy grabs you by the gills! Media reports first dubbed this incredible invasive species, ‘Frankenfish.’ I came to know this tenacious predator as Fishzilla.

I remembered hearing about this strange, scary story from East Coast friends. But it wasn’t until I actually talked to people on the snakehead frontlines that I realized this was really big news. But what was this ferocious fish with a ravenous appetite that destroys food chains – breeding, feeding and spreading non-stop? News reports described a creature from a nightmare. ‘It breathes air…has teeth like a shark… a taste for blood… and can even ‘walk’ on land.’

My epic hunt for the phenomenal Fishzilla took me to remote corners of the globe. A village reservoir in Thailand. A smugglers’ supermarket in LA. An ‘electrofishing’ expedition near the Pentagon. And a small-town Maryland pond where the snakehead first made headlines. The truth turned out to be even more amazing than I imagined.

U.S. SNAKEHEAD-SIGHTING GROUND ZERO, Maryland, USA:

Baltimore Sun reporter Candy Thomson first broke the local ‘Frankenfish’ story. Candy had a blast reminiscing about her snakehead days. She described the frantic Fishzilla fever that swept America...including her own husband. Totally deadpan, she told me how they’d watched the campy horror movie Snakehead Terror….“And so the movie ends, and of course the snakeheads are the size of Moby Dick and you know they’re chewing up whole boats and crawling on land. My husband looks at me and says, ‘if I had known that’s how dangerous it was, I would never had let you cover this.’ ” She laughed, and said covering the story was one of the most surreal experiences she’s ever had.

Catching a snakehead is very collegiate. It’s a whole lot more involved.

In Crofton, MD, Fishzilla-sighting epi-center, I met up with the fisherman who caught the first snakehead here, angler-turned-celebrity Joe Gillespie. He claims people today still approach him and ask if he’s “that guy who caught the snakehead.” Forget fifteen minutes of fishing fame, Joe became a true Fishzilla legacy!

I also attempted to reel in some live snakehead myself…along with ambitious snakehead ‘star,’ Derek Radoski. He wants to be America’s #1 Snakehead Angler. He swears Fishzilla will become the next big sport-fish. In anticipation, Derek’s designing special snakehead lures, and offers tips on how to catch these wily invaders on his website. According to Derek, “Catching a bass is like being in elementary school. Catching a snakehead is very collegiate. It’s a whole lot more involved.” My personal experience proved him right!

At the end of my Maryland trip, I met Jerry Trice, the quirky, sarcastic chef at Yin Yankee Café. Jerry encourages people to “eat the snakehead. Don’t ban it. Eat it. Barbecue it. I give this fish mad props.” But Jerry also told me a jaw-dropping story of how his tank of snakeheads actually tried to escape…by walking across his back patio.

NATIVE SNAKEHEAD HOME TURF Thailand:

Thousands of miles away from home…I’m waist deep in Snakehead Country, Thailand. I’d come to track down Fishzilla in its native lair… guided by a world-renowned snakehead hunter, the unforgettable Jean-Francois Helias.

The snakehead…he’s a king. He’s a warrior. He’s a samurai.

When it comes to snakeheads, Jean-Francois is the most passionate person I think I’ll ever meet. Or perhaps I was deceived by his fiery French accent? Greeting him at his Bangkok apartment, I was overwhelmed by his collection of photos: hero-shots of him posing with massive snakeheads, IGFA world record plaques, snakehead toys, and piles and piles of fishing magazines (more than a few with Jean Francois on the cover). He’s a staunch advocate of this remarkable species. “The snakehead…he’s a king. He’s a warrior. He’s a samurai. He’s whatever you want him to be. This is what makes him so great.”

And that was just the beginning. Imagine five days on a snakehead-hunting houseboat! Jean Francois and I camped out on the beautiful, remote Srinikarin Reservoir. Every morning we’d diligently wake up at 5:00AM, pack up the boat, and set out on a snakehead-fishing and tracking expedition. I got to witness a record-breaking Cobra snakehead catch…and meet local anglers who told me gruesome stories – and showed me scars – of their bloody snakehead attacks.

US SNAKEHEAD SCOURGE CONTINUES:

But no matter where this astounding story took me, it was always important to remember: this invasive species is no joke. The struggle to stop the dangerous U.S. snakehead spread is ongoing. I took my most probing questions to Florida icthyologist Walt Courtenay, aka ‘Doctor Snakehead.’ He and scientists like Maryland Fisheries’ biologist Steve Early are trying to assess – and stop - the threat to U.S waters. They also showed me the fish’s unusual anatomy, how these creatures spawn in record numbers, grow super fast and yes…can even move across land.

Overall, I was able to get various perspectives on this alien fish: breaking news story, exciting sport fish, man’s best friend, and deadly threat. Were they all really talking about the same thing? Turns out, yes.

One thing’s certain: you have to see these phenomenal fish to believe them…on Fishzilla!