![Todd Murphy shot a Northern Snakehead with a bow and arrow early Saturday in Mattawoman Creek in Charles County, which is a tributary of the Potomac River. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/fish.jpg)
![The fish officially weighed in at 17.47 pounds and is almost 36 inches long. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/fish2.jpg)
![Todd Murphy shot a Northern Snakehead with a bow and arrow early Saturday in Mattawoman Creek in Charles County, which is a tributary of the Potomac River. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/fish-260x174.jpg)
![The fish officially weighed in at 17.47 pounds and is almost 36 inches long. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/fish2-260x174.jpg)
WASHINGTON — A fish caught in a Potomac River tributary over the weekend has set a new state record.
Todd Murphy shot a Northern Snakehead with a bow and arrow early Saturday in Mattawoman Creek in Charles County.
The fish officially weighed in at 17.47 pounds and is almost 36 inches long.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Biologist Branson Williams certified the catch.
Williams calls it an “impressive fish.”
Snakehead fish are an invasive species to our waters and officials are trying to encourage more people to hunt them.
WTOP’s Michelle Basch contributed to this report.