Everyone loves the wake generated by a snakehead attacking a topwater bait, but weather can shut off the topwater bite like flipping a light switch. That’s when many anglers might turn to suspending a bobber under a minnow. But as well as this tactic works when you know where the snakes are located, it’s not very good for an angler exploring new waters because it makes it tough to keep on the move while probing and searching. So, what will you reach for? Now’s the time when a chatterbait becomes the ideal offering for channa argus.
C – Cast at structure (fallen trees, docks, etc) and along the edges of weeds and lily pads.
H – Hit the fish with a hard, solid hook-set the moment you feel a bite (don’t hesitate as you would on a topwater strike).
A – Alter the chatterbait by switching to a shorter trailer if you’re getting short-strikes.
N – Never reel so slowly that you can’t feel the chatterbait’s lip banging back and forth — that action and vibration is what generates strikes.
N – Narrow down your color choice by looking at the water and matching it; in green water chartreuse and lime are good choices, in brown water brown and root-beer are good colors, etc.
A – Alter retrieval speed and try both steady and erratic retrieves until you figure out what the fish want.