Snakehead – a fish with a recognizable appearance. Lives in well-heated reservoirs. It is characterized by its ability to easily tolerate oxygen deficiency in water. In case of drying out of the reservoir can move on land with the help of fins, for a long time and over fairly large distances.

Here is an overview of the content of this tutorial, feel free to jump to any section you care about:

For more fishing instructions, take a look at these popular Trizily links: Asp Fishing, Red Snapper Fishing.

• The 7 best spinning rods 2022
• The 9 best fishing lines 2022
• The 9 best lures for bass fishing 2022
• The 7 best baitcasting reels 2022

Snakehead Fishing

Overview of snakehead

A very aggressive fish, during the period of spawning and maturation of the larvae, the males build and guard the nest, while they can attack everyone who approaches, regardless of the size of the “enemy”. It is an active predator, but can also eat dead fish. The main way of hunting: an ambush attack, in the case of living in reservoirs with open spaces, “patrols” small places and the coastline. The presence of a predator is easily detected by bubbles on the surface of the water and noisy attacks in shallow water. There are several subspecies and slight color variation. The size of the fish can reach almost 1 meter in length and weight over 8 kg.

Reproduction habit of snakehead

It becomes sexually mature in the 3-4th year of life. Sometimes, under favorable conditions of existence, it also matures on the second, with a length of more than 30 cm. Spawning of fish is stretched from early May to mid-summer, portioned. Fish build nests in the grass and guard them for about a month. At this time, fish are especially aggressive. Juveniles become a full-fledged predator already with a length of 5 cm.

Snakehead fishing guide: Techniques, bait and gear

Snakehead fishing techniques

The most popular way to catch a snakehead is spinning. In the natural environment, it prefers areas of reservoirs with shallow water, snags and overgrown with aquatic vegetation. From the point of view of the bite, the fish is quite “capricious” and cautious. The snakehead can be caught on float tackle, using bait fish or dead fish as bait.

Spinning for snakehead

Spinning has several features. This is due to the living conditions of the snakehead and some habits. It is worth noting that in the choice of gear you need to approach very impulsive fish from the point of view of fishing. The main criteria for choosing a fishing rod, in modern spinning fishing, is considered the fishing method. In our case, for the most part, this is fishing on surface baits.

The length, system and test are selected in relation to the place of fishing, personal preferences and the lures used. In the case of fishing on the overgrown reservoirs, fishing usually takes place from a boat. There is no need to use a long rod, therefore lengths of up to 2.40 m are sufficient. An important factor for catching a snakehead is a sure cut, fishing rods with a “fast formation” are more suitable for this, but do not forget that the rods with a “medium” or “medium – fast” “,” Forgive “much more mistakes when fighting. Reels and line are desirable to acquire, respectively, the selected fishing rod.

If you choose a short, “quick” fishing rod, take the reel more seriously, in particular from the point of view of the friction clutch operation. It should not only be reliable in the fight against very impulsive fish, but would allow to regulate the descent of the fishing line, in case of prolonged survival in the thickets of aquatic vegetation. With the help of spinning, in open areas of the reservoir, the snakehead can be caught on tackles with dead fish.

Snakehead fishing in artificial ponds

The fish was introduced into various reservoirs. In the case of fishing in places where snakeheads are bred on artificial ponds where there are no natural ambushes or few of them, you can try fishing with floats. For this, it is more convenient to use rods with “running equipment”. Using a long rod and reel is much easier to stop fast-moving fish.

The fishing lines are used thick enough, the floats must be with a large “lifting capacity” in order to hold the “live bait” or dead fish. If possible, casts are made at the points of possible accumulation of a fattening predator: snag, reed thickets, etc. in the absence of all these conditions, near the coastal edge where snakeheads come to eat. When fishing for dead fish, sometimes it is worth doing light “pulls”, but you need to keep in mind that the snakehead fish is very careful and stops hunting in any danger.

Snakehead fishing bait

To catch snakehead on spinning rods, a large number of different surface lures are used. Recently, various voluminous “unhooked” frogs have been especially popular. Depending on the reservoir, fish are caught on wobblers, baits equipped with propellers and spinners.

Where to catch snakehead

Snakehead fish is found in Siberia and Central Asia. Considering the thermophilic nature of the species, regions with a warm climate or reservoirs with artificially heated water used to heat or cool process water are suitable for life and breeding. Snakehead can be caught on paid farms, for example in the suburbs. The main habitats are areas covered by vegetation and underwater shelters. It is believed that in regions of natural residence, with cold winters, snakeheads winter in burrows made in the clay bottom of a lake or river.