Winter/Spring fishing for snakeheads

[ronaultmtd]

OK- it is a fact that we have a breeding population of northern snakeheads in our river system and they quickly grow to be a pretty big fish- it is reported that each female snakehead reproduces many times a year and lays tens of thousands of eggs each time- I get that- what I don't get is they don't seem to bite much in the winter time or early spring or we don't hear about catches- if we have an expanding population as we are being told, why aren't we catching them in greater numbers as a by-catch like we do catfish? So far I have had lousy luck catching my first snakehead- had a few hooked up but no cigar- what do they eat in winter? Do they hibernate? What do we know about them in cold weather? Mattawoman Creek is supposed to be a Maryland hot spot for snakeheads- I have caught just about every species but a snakehead in the creek- and I have fished it hard. It is a great bass stream- lots of really nice sized black bass- and they hit in every month of the year...lots of catfish- some really nice size, too..schoolie stripers, white perch, yellow perch, crappie, bream, eels....even a baby channel bass...but no snakeheads-

So what do snakeheads feed on in the colder waters? In the summer I use mainly frog baits in the thick weeds and lilly pads- impressive blowups- spring I used spinner and buzz baits and shallow running crankbaits...so far using cut bunker only gets me catfish and striped bass...minnows are yielding bass and crappie- Guess I'll just have to wait on warmer weather to get my first snakehead-

I know you ask, why bitch, you are catching fish? True, but not the targeted species...if the snakehead is the vicious, deadly, top-predator the experts warn us about why are they so hard to catch when you go out of your way to fish specifically for them?

[ictalurus]

I've only found one paper discussing seasonal movements, and that was from a shallower creek on the Virginia side. Apparently, they move to slightly deeper water, 8-12 feet IIRC. I think they slow down tremendously in the winter, but I don't think they can go fully dormant since they're obligate air-breathers. I'll dig up the paper and take another look, but it was kind of preliminary, and the tags they used didn't provide information about location in the water column.

I also read somewhere that they eat mostly killifish and feed most frequently in the morning on an outgoing tide. I met a guy on the Occoquan that slayed a bunch of big snakeheads jigging a 4" paddle tail Bass Assassin along the bottom in April. What's even weirder is where he caught them, which made no sense in light of everything I've read. I don't want to give away his spot, but I hope I can check it out this spring. Anyway, I read somewhere else that they hit the frog lures mostly to protect their young or the nest. Frogs were rarely found in their guts.

I think the Mattawoman fish might be extra savvy from all the lures they see from bass fisherman. I might give the Piscataway a shot this summer. It looks shallower and might not see as much boat traffic.

[DanMarino]

I have no idea...

I want to catch snakeheads this year as one of my goals. My 14 year old son is amped up about it too. On the Maryland Angler's Log, the snakehead reports stopped once it got cold. So who knows what they do. I guess they go deeper. But it sure sounds like you've tried everything for them.

13

[ictalurus]

I found the paper, and I was way off in the winter depth use--it was more like 4.5ft. Also, the locations active snakeheads were found in the winter (March) were warmer than other areas chosen randomly (46* vs. 44*). Inactive fish, which didn't move for more than 8hrs but were later confirmed alive, were found in colder water than the active fish (46* vs. 42*). Soft bottom was important in winter, too, and they also seemed to avoid structure in winter.

Here's the paper:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/r2a3rt...ntetal2010.pdf

So it seems like fishing for snakeheads when the water temp is less than 46* might be futile. However, the systems studied in the paper are way shallower than the Mattawoman.

[Meadeo]

I have had great success with snakeheads in the spring from april thru mid june at the occuqaun. There is some tricks to it but once your dailed in it is very easy.

I would wait until mid april and then give me a shout.

Meadeo

[ronaultmtd]

See that is the problem- April-May is spring flounder season- and I only have four or five opportunities to fish during those weekends, so do I go to Eastern Shore and flounder fish for doormats or go snakehead hunting? Maybe I go flounder fishing one weekend and then go snakehead hunting the next...and then comes cobia season on Latimer shoals...

[tufnik]

I feel your pain too, Ron. Nada for me.

I think we need a new strategy. Next time we target LM, SM, perch, etc. Anything, but snakeheads. We say to ourselves, "I hope I don't catch those pesky snakeheads," "Please, please, no snakeheads today," "I can't stand those things," and "Come on, bass, hit my lure."

Say these things over and over. Then, you'll get bad luck and catch the biggest darn snakehead.

[Redfish12]

In late March they start to pile up at chain bridge. I'd love to know why! The shad, herring, perch, rock, catfish and I'm sure other species all congregate there as well. The snakeheads are not interested in lures but they are snagged, netted, speared, or otherwise slain by the locals there. It's a rough place but when you've got the itch to do some fishing after work in the spring, it's the only game in town.

[HJS]

RedFish - I've been fishing Chain Bridge for years targeting hickories, stripers... and catfish if the first two won't come out to play. I frequently see snakeheads bobbing on the surface but have never had one hit lures. The area of Chain Bridge is certainly NOT to their liking as a place to spawn, so they must be there to eat. All kinds of smallish fish are there by the millions during April and May so maybe they only need to feed 10 minutes a day to get a full stomach.

[Memory Maker]

sounds like a place for bow fishing

[Redfish12]

Guess we'll have to catch one and check the stomach.

I thought maybe they were there to eat the eggs? Where do killies spawn?

[camelbird]

In late March they start to pile up at chain bridge. I'd love to know why! The shad, herring, perch, rock, catfish and I'm sure other species all congregate there as well. The snakeheads are not interested in lures but they are snagged, netted, speared, or otherwise slain by the locals there. It's a rough place but when you've got the itch to do some fishing after work in the spring, it's the only game in town.

I cannot wait till that gets going! Hopefully this year we won't have the apocalyptic floods.

[ictalurus]

Killifishes spawn from spring to fall in shallow water, so they probably overlap a lot with the snakeheads.

[Meadeo]

Here is some insight from my experiences with snakeheads last year on the Occuqaun.

They are active starting in April.. They tend to concregate at locations with a strong current with an adjacent eddie that holds baitfish.

They actively feed during this time period but are not aggressively feeding like they do in june/july/augus/september.

Two tricks i used to successfully land fish on hook and line.

Live baitfish I.E. Large shiners 4-5" long under a float fished on the edge of the current. If you cannot locate shiners, goldfish work from any pet store, keep in mind that it is illigal to use goldfish as fishing bait as they are an invasive species. (I have been told live 3-4" Bluegills or Green Sunfish work great also fished this fashion)

Soft Plastics - I.E. Flukes, or any soft plastic that resembles a baitfish will work. The technique that worked for us was to cast into the edge of the current and let the bait fall weightless or small weight to the bottom. Let the bait sit motionless for a bit then slowly work the bait back to you, this will result in snags you will loose baits, but the snakeheads this time of year will gulp down the bait as it passes in front of them.. Just be sure to work it slow and be ready to set the hook. (Slow working the bait like this also resulted in many fairly caught LM bass, Rockfish, Channel catfish, Blue Catfish, Brown Bullheads and even a 15" crappie)

My brother and i used this stratigy to catch over 30 snakeheads in april and may last year.

I can tell you first hand they are my favorate freshwater species, they fight great, look cool, grow huge and taste like walleye.

I hope this helps you guys catch more snakeheads.

Meadeo

[surfdog]

talked with capt mike from indian head charters and he told me the best time to catch snakes is june through sept. the warmer months on the potomac for best results