In the ever-evolving fisheries of Chesapeake country we see the good (more redfish!), the bad (booo blue catfish!), and the ugly (cutlassfish?!?). In the case of the snakehead, we get all three at once. These fish are awesome because they treat us to epic topwater explosions and fantastic dinners. But they’re also bad because like any invasive species they can throw the ecological balance out of whack in some waterways. And as for ugly, well just take one look. But whichever angle you consider it from, snakeheads are an appealing target for we anglers.
Full disclosure: I’m not even close to being a snakehead sharpie. Most of what I know about catching these fish would be properly credited to those who have spent a lot more time pursuing snakeheads than I have (I’m talking about you, Packard, Ditmars, and ReelinWithRudow). That said, the limited timeframe when I’ve come to specifically target snakes is usually in the spring in late April and early May. The Middle Bay hasn’t quite fully woken up from its chilly slumber just yet, and the spawn hasn’t begun to mess with the snakehead’s feeding habits just yet. The timing is perfect to go on a snake hunt, and these three tactics can lead to stacking the cooler.
Snakehead Fishing in the Funnels
Try this on a falling tide when you’re in the vicinity of early-growth weed areas or shallows which become exposed on a low tide but are close to a drop-off. Snakeheads like to move uber-shallow on high water and the trick here is to identify the “game trails” that funnel them through a relatively small area when the water becomes so low that they head for deeper zones. Like game trails in the woods these are paths that are generally created by natural geography, which then get used regularly by animals. In this case, the very good, very bad, very ugly animals that we’re after.
The most reliable way to ID these areas is by fishing at dead low tide and seeing a rivulette (mini-stream) draining through a mud flat or weedbed, sometimes cutting a path through weeds. Make a mental note, then return to that spot on falling water to find out if the snakeheads think it looks as appealing as you did.
You can also locate these funnels by pure dumb luck (which is generally how I’ve found ‘em). When you start getting bites where a flat or weedbed meets a drop-off and stick with the area for a while, as the water drains off you might notice one or more of those rivulettes. Count your lucky blessings—and remember the spot for the next time the tide is falling.
Sight-Fishing for Snakeheads
The top three biggest snakeheads I’ve ever hooked into came after the fish were visually spotted and targeted during the spring season. At this time of year large snakes seem to like to sit up near the surface very close to structure like deadfall. It’s easy to mistake one for just another log so you have to look closely, but among the branches and tangles you’ll spot them lazing within inches of the cover, soaking in the sun’s warmth. This generally takes place in the afternoon, only, and on bright, sunny days.
Getting these fish to bite is no easy task. Float a minnow right past their noses and they’ll often ignore it. Drag a spinner through the branches and they may act as if they never saw it. But if you drop a four-inch fluke right on top of their head they will usually react with a fight-or-flight response. About half the time the fish will make a vicious attack; the other half of the time it’ll turn tail and disappear in an instant.
Search and Destroy Fishing
In many areas at this time of year, particularly in larger waterways on a high or dead tide, the snakeheads will be completely scattered and/or moving around a lot with little apparent rhyme or reason. Sometimes, even in open water. The best tactic in this scenario is often to tie on a search-bait, and cast, move, cast, move, ad infinitum. And remember, these fish can be really scattered—try a few casts in the same zone after a strike, sure, but don’t spend an hour in the same spot just because you caught one fish.
Spinners, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits are good choices for a search-and-destroy mission. Paddletails and similar soft plastics can work quite well as can subsurface jerkbaits, but in many areas there will be too many weeds or branches to fish these sorts of lures effectively.
Wait a sec—how dare we delve into the snakehead world without even mentioning the vaunted topwater frog? Well, we did just mention it… and yes, you can catch snakeheads on topwater at this time of year. But truth be told, if you want to maximize your catch save that action for later in the season. The topwater bite tends to heat up with the weather and at this stage of the game, these other approaches are more likely to produce better results. And that’s true whether you’re hoping to catch some good fish, some bad fish, some ugly fish, or all of the above at once.