Spring Snakehead Fishing Tips

Snakeheads may like it hot, but if you choose the right spot and make the right moves April can be a great month for targeting them. These three spring snakehead fishing tips will help light a fire under ‘em.

1. Forget about fishing the weedy shallows that were so productive last summer—there’s little to no cover there this early in the season, so the fish probably won’t be there. Instead, look for hard structure like deadfall and docks, and focus your efforts there. See the arrow pointing to the tree lying partially in the water? That’s where this came from and on the same day several others were spotted sitting right next to a tree or branch.

   

2. When the sky is bright you might see snakeheads at the surface sunning themselves. However, they’ll often be sitting within inches of cover (see Tip #1) where it’s very difficult to deliver a lure without spooking them. In this situation reach for a light lure that doesn’t make much splash, can be given action without pulling it right out of the strike zone, and is weedless so it won’t get hung up if you hit a tree branch instead of the fish. Then try to drop it right in front of the fish’s nose. Four-inch soft plastic flukes are an excellent choice; rig them on a 3/0 or 4/0 worm hook with the point just barely coming through the lure’s back. This will land gently, sink slowly, and can be micro-twitched without moving it more than an inch or two.

   

3. Look at that sky – bright blue and cloud-free is exactly what you want for April snakeheads. However, it will often take a while for them to “wake up,” even on warm days. When the forecast is for clear sunny skies and a multi-day warmup, clear your schedule for the afternoon of the second or third day of increasing temperatures. Instead of going early wait until lunchtime to head out, and fish until the sun gets low in the sky to enjoy peak action. The farther into a warming trend you get the better the bite is likely to be.