Lots of Snakehead babies around

Lots of Snakehead babies around

Paul Arden | Tuesday, 21 January 2025

I had a guest last week from the UK. It was only a short trip; two days! It’s very difficult to catch a snakehead on a two-day trip, particularly if it’s your first trip. In fact I rarely do two-day trips and usually book a week! Anyway, right towards the end, Simon landed a nice snakehead pushing 4kg.

There are many babies around at the moment. With Simon we found 11 sets, with the first afternoon session (and next morning) being very slow. Fortunately there was plenty of action on the second afternoon and on the final morning we had success!

Interestingly, near the end of the second evening, we noticed a large gourami inspecting the popper (4-5KG). About once every three or four years one actually eats it, and in the over ten years that I have been here, I actually have landed one — that ate it static.

Now I know this is a method for catching them elsewhere, but here it is not a very effective one!! However this Gourami certainly lives where we found him and because I’m currently moored close to this location, I will go looking for it again one evening with a suitable fly, tonight probably!

There are still fresh sets of snakehead babies appearing, so if you are considering a trip here then now is absolutely the time. I have a guest for a week mid Feb and another mid March.

I’m unsure as to why the fishing has recovered this year. My theory is that three years ago we had high Wet Season water levels, which in turn gave the snakehead juveniles a better chance to survive, and it is these fish that we are seeing now as adults.  But it’s a guess/theory/who knows what?

Drop me an email if you are interested in visiting me here. It’s 650USD/day which includes “gourmet” food and Battleship accommodation, fully guided of course. You can also take out the Ronan yourself, but if it’s your first trip you won’t catch anything this way. This then costs 250USD/day full board, self-guided. A mix of days is certainly possible.

Closest international airport is Penang. I can do pickups/dropoffs for 100USD/journey, alternatively taxis do the same trip for the same rate. It’s about a 2.5hr drive each way. If you are coming you need to have ingrained the slipped lift Snakehead shot (video above). Without this you won’t catch fish, but we can have a zoom session to go through it before you come.

I envisage March also being a good month this year, so you have some time to ingrain the cast if you haven’t.

 

Apart from that I’m flat out coaching flycasting via Zoom and working on some new Sexyloops rod designs. Simon caught his Snakehead on the HT9 prototype, as did David. But I’m not ready to release this rod yet and want to make another prototype.

Have a great and fishy week!

Cheers, Paul