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I wanted to capitalize on the recent nice weather (finally!) and decided to fish hard for snakeheads this past week. I fished 3 out of the last 4 days, something I rarely get the opportunity to do.
Day 1
It was a little chilly overnight and overcast in the morning so I started out with a downsized lure - 3.5" paddle tail - and worked it slowly. Usually the snakeheads will give themselves away by either splashing around or gulping for air, but I saw no surface activity at all, so I wasn't sure where they were holding. I tried deeper water, I tried shallow water, I even tried uber shallow water right up against the bank. Eventually I got a bite off the shore a little bit, but didn't hook up. I kept working this pattern and got a fish in the boat - nice 24.5" snake.
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I then fished for 6 more hours, trying a variety of lures and tactics, before I got another snakehead in the boat. This one was smaller and holding in some lily pads. I also picked up a random pickerel in the lily pads. Today was a grind and it was getting late so it was time to call it a day. I talked to a guy at the launch as we were packing up and he said he and his friend caught nearly 20 snakeheads between the two of them, mostly on frogs. It was funny, I barely fished a frog all day because I thought they weren't active enough yet due to lack of visible surface activity.
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Day 2
I visited a different, nearby river this day and started with a frog given the intel from the day prior. It didn't take long before I had a blowup but the fish missed the frog. I diligently did not react and just let my frog stay right where it was and the fish blew up on it a second time just a few seconds later. I was sure the fish had it this time so I set the hook and fought the fish to the boat. Once in the net I realized the fish wasn't actually hooked at all, it was just holding onto my frog in it's mouth and the line was wrapped around the upper jaw on outside of the fish's mouth. Talk about a lucky catch! This fish tipped the scales at 8 lb 0 oz and was a quarter inch over 30". What a fish to start the day with!
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Half an hour later I had another blowup on the frog and set the hook. When I got this fish in the net I couldn't believe I caught another dragon. This fish was 8 lb 10 oz and 31.5". This fish absolutely choked the frog, there was no way it was coming unhooked. I could have ended my trip right then and there and gone home happy, I've never caught two big fish in a single trip let alone back to back first thing in the morning.
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I kept throwing the frog all day and kept getting blowups all day. I ended up landing 8 fish and I missed just as many, if not more. Other notable fish besides the pair of 8+ pounders were a 5lb 10oz fish:
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And the last fish of the day was particularly fun. I made a long cast deep in the cover (behind the emergent green vegetation you can see in the background). I couldn't even see my frog but I heard a fish blow up on it as soon as it hit the water. I set the hook and winched the fish through the vegetation. Because of the long cast, my line was draped over a small tree. I winched the fish out of the water and expected the line to slip off the branch but instead the tree held strong and I had a 4 pound snakehead just dangling in the air. I ended up bobbing the fish up and down in the air until it got enough momentum to snap the branch and I was able to get the fish to the boat. This is why we use 50lb braid and heavy rods for snakehead fishing!
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Day 3
This day was tough. I went to the same spot as Day 2 and tried the same techniques but they weren't working for me. There was a cold snap overnight that I think messed with the snakeheads. I wasn't getting much attention on the frog so I went back to the swimbait. I caught 1 small one and had a couple other bites that I hooked up with and lost in open water. Later in the day as the sun warmed things up I went back to the frog and got a few strikes that I hooked up with and lost. I watched as other anglers caught snakehead after snakehead all around me, and listened as they called their buddies on the phone to tell them about what a great day they were having, but I was in a funk today for some reason. I went home very frustrated... by the end of the day I hooked 8 fish and only landed 2, the largest was a decent 25 incher. I think I'd have rather not caught any fish than lose 75% of the fish I hooked but that's just the way it goes sometimes. I'll do better next time.
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On the whole it was a fun week, 12 snakeheads in 3 days isn't too shabby. I think the snakehead are officially turned on for the season and I'm looking forward to getting back out there a few mores times in the coming weeks until they and the carp start spawning, at which point the bite completely shuts down.
Day 1
It was a little chilly overnight and overcast in the morning so I started out with a downsized lure - 3.5" paddle tail - and worked it slowly. Usually the snakeheads will give themselves away by either splashing around or gulping for air, but I saw no surface activity at all, so I wasn't sure where they were holding. I tried deeper water, I tried shallow water, I even tried uber shallow water right up against the bank. Eventually I got a bite off the shore a little bit, but didn't hook up. I kept working this pattern and got a fish in the boat - nice 24.5" snake.
20220412_103504.jpg
I then fished for 6 more hours, trying a variety of lures and tactics, before I got another snakehead in the boat. This one was smaller and holding in some lily pads. I also picked up a random pickerel in the lily pads. Today was a grind and it was getting late so it was time to call it a day. I talked to a guy at the launch as we were packing up and he said he and his friend caught nearly 20 snakeheads between the two of them, mostly on frogs. It was funny, I barely fished a frog all day because I thought they weren't active enough yet due to lack of visible surface activity.
20220412_162920.jpg
Day 2
I visited a different, nearby river this day and started with a frog given the intel from the day prior. It didn't take long before I had a blowup but the fish missed the frog. I diligently did not react and just let my frog stay right where it was and the fish blew up on it a second time just a few seconds later. I was sure the fish had it this time so I set the hook and fought the fish to the boat. Once in the net I realized the fish wasn't actually hooked at all, it was just holding onto my frog in it's mouth and the line was wrapped around the upper jaw on outside of the fish's mouth. Talk about a lucky catch! This fish tipped the scales at 8 lb 0 oz and was a quarter inch over 30". What a fish to start the day with!
20220413_103125.jpg
Half an hour later I had another blowup on the frog and set the hook. When I got this fish in the net I couldn't believe I caught another dragon. This fish was 8 lb 10 oz and 31.5". This fish absolutely choked the frog, there was no way it was coming unhooked. I could have ended my trip right then and there and gone home happy, I've never caught two big fish in a single trip let alone back to back first thing in the morning.
20220413_110842.jpg
20220413_110540.jpg
I kept throwing the frog all day and kept getting blowups all day. I ended up landing 8 fish and I missed just as many, if not more. Other notable fish besides the pair of 8+ pounders were a 5lb 10oz fish:
20220413_162211.jpg
And the last fish of the day was particularly fun. I made a long cast deep in the cover (behind the emergent green vegetation you can see in the background). I couldn't even see my frog but I heard a fish blow up on it as soon as it hit the water. I set the hook and winched the fish through the vegetation. Because of the long cast, my line was draped over a small tree. I winched the fish out of the water and expected the line to slip off the branch but instead the tree held strong and I had a 4 pound snakehead just dangling in the air. I ended up bobbing the fish up and down in the air until it got enough momentum to snap the branch and I was able to get the fish to the boat. This is why we use 50lb braid and heavy rods for snakehead fishing!
20220413_164210crop2.jpg
Day 3
This day was tough. I went to the same spot as Day 2 and tried the same techniques but they weren't working for me. There was a cold snap overnight that I think messed with the snakeheads. I wasn't getting much attention on the frog so I went back to the swimbait. I caught 1 small one and had a couple other bites that I hooked up with and lost in open water. Later in the day as the sun warmed things up I went back to the frog and got a few strikes that I hooked up with and lost. I watched as other anglers caught snakehead after snakehead all around me, and listened as they called their buddies on the phone to tell them about what a great day they were having, but I was in a funk today for some reason. I went home very frustrated... by the end of the day I hooked 8 fish and only landed 2, the largest was a decent 25 incher. I think I'd have rather not caught any fish than lose 75% of the fish I hooked but that's just the way it goes sometimes. I'll do better next time.
20220415_125316.jpg
On the whole it was a fun week, 12 snakeheads in 3 days isn't too shabby. I think the snakehead are officially turned on for the season and I'm looking forward to getting back out there a few mores times in the coming weeks until they and the carp start spawning, at which point the bite completely shuts down.
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