From West Point to the York Spit Light, there is a creature that frightens every other predator in the River. His name is Terry. He’s not a shark, stingray, or even rockfish (striped bass, for those of you not born and raised in this area). Terry is an oyster toadfish.

He only weighs a few pounds. But, he has a very large head and three rows of teeth with jaws strong enough to crack open an oyster shell. He doesn’t seem any different than others of his species and every bit as ugly. Except this “toad” swims with something that should have killed him. Because he is still alive with such a ghastly wound, no other fish in the entire York River or Chesapeake Bay will bother him. Terry swims with A KNIFE STUCK IN HIS HEAD!

Yes, this fish is that ugly

One day, Terry was swimming near buoy #20 when he saw a piece of squid lying near a pile of oyster shells. Thinking it to be a treat to have with his oysters and crabs, the toadfish snapped it up only to find a hook buried deep in it’s jaw. Terry tried to fight his way back to the bottom. But, a fisherman was reeling him into the boat.

The fisherman was angry that he caught such an ugly fish. He put a hook extractor in the fish’s mouth and stabbed it in the head with a 6 inch Rapala Filet Knife. Most oyster toadfish treated like this die within minutes.

The blade going through his skull made Terry angry. He shook his head and bit the fisherman. The angler cursed in pain and dropped the extractor and knife. Terry swam off spitting out the piece of plastic. But the 6 inch Rapala Filet Knife was STILL STUCK IN HIS HEAD!!

Other oyster toads, some bigger and meaner than Terry, swam away from him because they were afraid of a fish that swam with a KNIFE STUCK IN HIS HEAD!

A school of bluefish swam near the Coleman Bridge terrorizing croaker and spot. But, when they saw Terry, the “blues” hurried back to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. As fierce and sharp as their teeth were, they were terrified of a fish that swam with a KNIFE STUCK IN HIS HEAD!

Large blue catfish were chasing herring and shad to steal their eggs. But, when Terry swam up river to Terrapin Point, the ‘cats’ swam up all the way to the Route 360 bridges. As big and bad as these invaders were, they were cowardly kittens to a fish that swam with a KNIFE STUCK IN HIS HEAD!

Terry swam down all the way to Guinea where sharks were attacking cobia and speckled trout. Even a great white was no match for lowly oyster toad with a KNIFE STUCK IN HIS HEAD!

Stingrays would leave the oyster beds alone if he were around. Oh, they may have a long and sharp spine near their tail for protection. But, there is no defense from a fish with a big mouth, many teeth, strong jaws, and a KNIFE STUCK IN HIS HEAD. 

Never use a knife to get rid of an oyster toadfish

Many years since the fisherman stabbed Terry have come and gone. The truth is that Terry may not have lived that long.

But, if you visit York River State Park’s Fossil and seining beaches, Croaker Landing, or hike all the way to Riverview; you just might find a rusty and worn out 6 inch Rapala Filet Knife near an old fish skull. If you do, you’ll know I didn’t lie. What happened to Terry the Oyster Toadfish was TRUE!

(Based on a true story.  My father was some kind of mad that he lost his best knife to a ‘toad.’)