The end of the rainy season creates ideal conditions for ‘heavy cover’ fishing, and Oz has the giant snakehead in his sights.
I love lure fishing for the giant snakehead. They are beautiful, ferocious and so fun to catch. Why? Because there is always a different way to catch them, and it’s all according to the season. One of my favourite ways to go fishing for the giant snakehead in Thailand is via the heavy cover fishing method at the end of the rainy season. With the rising water levels finally stabilising, water vegetation reaches a level where predator fish like our giant snakeheads can finally have a stable ambush spot. What that means for us lure fishermen is that there’s plenty of big fish waiting to pounce on a well-retrieved weedless lure. A tough braided line of at least 30-lb strength, paired with a stiff rod and a strong reel are needed for success with this kind of fishing.
Lately I’ve been going to Bang Prah quite a bit. It’s only a little over an hour from Bangkok, and here the fish can get quite aggressive when the time is right and you work your gear correctly. I recently caught this 2.5kg (5.5lb) giant snakehead on my last trip there. It was the kind of fight that had to happen really quickly. The fish bites the frog, takes it down. I wait two seconds, set the hook and force the fish in towards me as quickly as possible and then land the fish on the boat. All this pretty much happened in less than a minute. Seriously exciting stuff.
What I love most about heavy cover fishing is that you will have to cast continuously into every likely ambush location with accuracy. Within a minute there is usually at least 20 retrieves. It gets tiring doing this all day, but the best part is that any cast can be the one. It’s sort of like a metaphor for life: people who find success are the ones that keep trying regardless of the countless failed attempts they face. The only difference is that you can try a few hundred times a day with heavy cover fishing.
For more from Oz and his adventures in angling, or if you’re interested in doing some heavy cover fishing, check out www.bagkok-hookerfishing.com or cast an email to bangokhooker@gmail.com.
15/11/2012 - 14:44