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The Secret about Snakeheads


fishless

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There's a secret to catching snakeheads and I need to know what it is.  I decided to focus my energies on crossing snakes off the bucket list.  For my efforts I dropped one and have about 4 blowups and that's it.  I'm tossing a jawbone frog across a body of water with heavy growth.  After a few days of trying a local took pity and advised I should pickup my retrieve speed.  That got me a couple of blowups.  I figure they missed cuz my speed was too fast.  So I slow it down just a tick and they wont bother.  I recast and pickup the speed and they swing and miss again.  Sometimes I'll let it sit after they miss to see if they comeback and they do not.  There seems to be no perfect middle ground on the retrieve speed that gives em the time needed to hit the offering.  Too slow no interest, too fast and they miss.  Locals arrive daily tossing the same frog and are connecting in minutes.  It's maddening.  So whats the secret I'm missing here?

Edited by fishless

"I was a waste of time dumbasses"  Sevenxseventy1

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My find most of my snakehead in the scummiest of waters. I really like using the Ribit raging toads and rig them with a two prong frog hook that i weight with a splitshot or two to get it to run under the scum than above. 

 

My strategy is to test the water first to make sure im in the right place by ripping frogs fasts across the surface. Theyll blow up and show themselves. Take mental note of where the blow ups are bc the snakes will go right back. Once you've located a few, take a coffee break for 5 min or so and come back with the raging toad and get just enough speed to see the frog kicking.

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21 hours ago, DragonsLax48 said:

My find most of my snakehead in the scummiest of waters. I really like using the Ribit raging toads and rig them with a two prong frog hook that i weight with a splitshot or two to get it to run under the scum than above. 

 

My strategy is to test the water first to make sure im in the right place by ripping frogs fasts across the surface. Theyll blow up and show themselves. Take mental note of where the blow ups are bc the snakes will go right back. Once you've located a few, take a coffee break for 5 min or so and come back with the raging toad and get just enough speed to see the frog kicking.

I like what your saying here.  Can you share of pic of how you rig up your raging toad?

"I was a waste of time dumbasses"  Sevenxseventy1

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22 hours ago, Heron25 said:

maybe a better frog with better hooks?

 

I assumed that was part of my problem till a local sharpie know as the Asian KVD arrives and can put 3 in a cooler within 45 mins.  He's using the same frog I am.  But he's not a dummy.  He will stop fishing and take a smoke break when I approach.  I can see what he uses but not how he uses it because after his smoke break he gets in his car and moves on further away again lol.

"I was a waste of time dumbasses"  Sevenxseventy1

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18 mins ago, fishless said:

I like what your saying here.  Can you share of pic of how you rig up your raging toad?

I left my frog box in florida so I wont have a picture for you anytime soon, but I rig the raging toad style frog with the single or double hook, hide the hook point, and clamp on 1 or 2 split shots to the shaft of the hooks under the frog. the weighting also acts as a keel to keep the frog kicking. 

 

I believe i came up with this after running out of weighted swimbait hooks and the split shot worked better in the scum. Same idea though. 

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20 mins ago, fishless said:

I assumed that was part of my problem till a local sharpie know as the Asian KVD arrives and can put 3 in a cooler within 45 mins.  He's using the same frog I am.  But he's not a dummy.  He will stop fishing and take a smoke break when I approach.  I can see what he uses but not how he uses it because after his smoke break he gets in his car and moves on further away again lol.

Asian KVD is letting you search for all the snakehead blowups while he sits back and enjoys a smoke. Then he comes in and cleans up after you once you leave. Its funny because the same thing happened to me

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11 mins ago, DragonsLax48 said:

Asian KVD is letting you search for all the snakehead blowups while he sits back and enjoys a smoke. Then he comes in and cleans up after you once you leave. Its funny because the same thing happened to me

LOL I did wonder that but he has a method.  He pulls up gets out hops up on a high perch and scouts. He waits to see a swirl or fin then grabs his rod out of the car and starts working the spot.  Me on the other hand Im casting for hours on end hoping for anything like a dummy,  

Edited by fishless

"I was a waste of time dumbasses"  Sevenxseventy1

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Ditch that frog and go for a chatterbait. That's all I catch mine on, and I use a 4" zman minnow trailer. I know frogs work really well but like you said there's a learning curve, my friend's very good at it, but I've yet to get a handle on using the frogs. I know he lets them eat the frog for a second or 2 after they hit it, points the rod down low at the fish and then rips back with a massive hookset after that second or 2 of waiting. He usually connects with 40-50% I would say. Their mouths are very bony so it's tough to get a good hookset. I'm not too much of an expert, truthfully I only target them once or twice a year, they're too inconsistent for me and I get bored easily.

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You really need to drop the rod tip and let them get the frog in their mouth. Snakeheads have smaller mouths unlike a LMB (like a striper) which can flare its gills and inhale your frog. As soon as you get the blowup, drop the tip, give it a sec, then give it the bassmaster. You'll get lucky every now and then and the hook will catch a lip otherwise, but your hookup will go way up if you teach yourself to give them an extra second. I've been fishing for them since 2009 and I think this summer is the first time I've hooked more than I missed. So, the above is easier said than done... 

 

Other good lures beyond frogs are small swimbaits (reaction innovations little dipper or zmans are my favorite), the chatterbaits that yakscientist mentioned above, and spinnerbaits. I have been doing well with spinnerbaits around fallen timber for them this year.

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On 7/30/2020 at 9:01 AM, fishless said:

There's a secret to catching snakeheads and I need to know what it is.  I decided to focus my energies on crossing snakes off the bucket list.  For my efforts I dropped one and have about 4 blowups and that's it.  I'm tossing a jawbone frog across a body of water with heavy growth.  After a few days of trying a local took pity and advised I should pickup my retrieve speed.  That got me a couple of blowups.  I figure they missed cuz my speed was too fast.  So I slow it down just a tick and they wont bother.  I recast and pickup the speed and they swing and miss again.  Sometimes I'll let it sit after they miss to see if they comeback and they do not.  There seems to be no perfect middle ground on the retrieve speed that gives em the time needed to hit the offering.  Too slow no interest, too fast and they miss.  Locals arrive daily tossing the same frog and are connecting in minutes.  It's maddening.  So whats the secret I'm missing here?

Change your screen name? :witty:

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