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Fish With Fangs Caught In New England Reservoir

A New England man has a real tale to tell after hooking a strange fish with a mouth full of fangs.

A Northern Snakehead fish.

A Northern Snakehead fish.

Photo Credit: US Department of Interior

Mike Powell of Canton, Massachusetts, told WCVB News 5 ABC that he did just that while fishing in Norfolk County in Canton.

The fish, called a Northern Snakehead, doesn't just have fangs, it also has beady black eyes and a body covered in slippery slime.

Powell was fishing when he landed the nearly 6-pound, 30-inch creature in the Canton Reservoir. 

“Me and my buddy, we didn’t even know what it was at first,” he told News 5. 

The fish, from Asia, is considered a non-native species of Canton and North America and is illegal to have in the country. 

“There are very few species you can confuse with snakeheads,” said Todd Richards from MassWildlife.

He suspects it was likely released into the reservoir after it became too large for someone’s fish tank.

Prior to Powell’s catch, only three other snakeheads have been documented in Massachusetts since 2002. 

Wildlife officials want to keep it that way.

If you catch a snakehead, officials said to bring it ashore, kill it and contact either MassWildlife or the Environmental Police.

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