Aquia Creek - Snakehead Report

[Hannock]

Hey all,

Thought I'd start a little thread to share my experiences on my favorite hole to fish for snakehead (and bass)! I've been trying to get out as often as I can which is about 1-2 times a week. I'm taking note of the time when I go out, tides, solunar cycle and when I see the most activity on the water. Snakeheads intrigue me and with such little information out there about them, I'm hoping my studies can help others catch them.

I switch between two rods: Abu Garcia Silver Max on a 6'6" medium vigilante rod and an Abu Garcia Revo3 SX on a 6'6" medium vengeance rod.

I use only a handful of baits which consist of top water frogs, chatterbaits and flukes. White and chartreuse seem to work the best, but I've gotten hits on watermelon, baby bass and natural shad colors.

Thursday May 14th

I went out around 2pm and fished until ~6:30pm. The weather was mild, mid 70 degrees with a some cloud coverage. The water was a little cloudy with about 6-10" visibility. High tide was at 4:10pm. When I first got down there I spotted two snakeheads patrolling a clearing between the lilies and started popping a frog slightly in front of where they were heading. They paid no attention to it and cruised right under it. It was too early in the day for the frog. I switched to a chatterbait with a paddle tail fluke trailer and couldn't get a reaction bite or anything on them. Over the course of the next few hours, there were maybe one or two more SH passing through but they paid no attention to my bait. At around 5:30pm (1.5 hours after high going out) I started to see a lot of activity. I saw 4-5 snakeheads every other minute within 20 yards cruising around. I switched to a fluke and was then I learned something. The fast, erratic jerking action of the fluke excited the snakeheads. Before I was fishing my bait slow but as soon as I sped up my retrieve I started getting bites. Right before sunset I nailed my first one. A young juvenile. About 5 mins later I hooked into quite possibly the biggest SH I ever (would've) caught. As I was reeling him in, my line caught caught on a small branch of a bush along the water. As I was pulling him to my right, he thrashed and broke my 20lb braided line.. It was around 21"-23" and 8-9lbs. I'm spooling 30lb power pro braided tonight. After that I took a break and tied on a white spinner bait with a black and red worm trailer. As soon as it hit the water I hooked into a nice 3lb bass. Literally as soon as it hit the water, it hit. I thought I was snagged on something.. Around 6:30 I was starting to get tired and for my "last cast" I put my frog back on as the sun was just setting. I did a 3 pop-pause retrieve and got a strike. I could see my frog on the corner of his mouth so I knew he kind of missed it. After a slight hesitation a tried to set the hook which sent my frog flying through the air.

I'm not an expert by any means at catching snakehead but I'm starting to learn their tendencies and thought I'd share. Hope this becomes helpful to any aspiring snakehead anglers.

One thing to note... Be very quiet when your moving around on the shore/boat. I was walking down to my spot and saw two close to the bank. I was about 6 feet away when I stepped on a twig and some dried leaves. *Snap!**Crunch!* Poof!! gone..

[Sam]

Thanks for sharing.

 

Looking forward to follow up reports.

[Hannock]

Gathering some GoPro footage to share my experiences.

[DJ 6_6]

Great detailed report! I've yet to catch a snake head, but haven't really fished for them.  I need to give it a try soon!  Stealth is always important in any type of fishing situation.  You might catch a fish here or there but you'll catch more and bigger ones when you limit the sound and noise you make!

[Hanover_Yakker]

Nice!  I'm going to be targeting them here soon!  Love the torpedo wake they cause when they are chasing their prey!

[Hannock]

2am here now on Friday May 22. Decided late that I'm gonna go out. Hoping to get out around 5 am and fish until about 9 before I have to be at work at 11. A little windy now.. I hope that doesn't get in my way. Had steady rain throughout the day so I'm hoping that might've stirred up some activity.

I went out Monday before the storm and I'm kicking myself for not turning the gopro on.. I figur d I was only going to get a couple casts in before the rain and don't want to bother with it. I ended up having the best afternoon this year.. I only landed one but should've had at least 5... But I'm optimistic because I found a new secret weapon. Some variation of a Zara Spook, I'll post a pic of it. Side-to-side bobbing action on the retrieve with 2 beads rattling was driving the SH insane. I was getting strikes on everyone I spotted.

I landed my only one of the day on my 2nd cast. Then second strike I set the hook too soon which sent my bait flying into a tree. The third I didn't set the hook hard enough (in fear of breaking my line), it tossed my bait halfway through retrieve. The fourth one I landed, brought it up to the bank but when I jumped down there was a snake between my legs.. My lure popped out of the SH's mouth and it started flipping to get back in the water. I scrambled to try and grab it but they have a slimy coating and it slipped back into the water.. Was so mad. I learned my lesson that I always need to have my camera rolling. But I'm optimistic about the new lure I'm using.

Here's hoping to another good day.

[Hannock]

I got strikes on every snakehead i saw cruising through the water with this lure.

 

Some variation of the Heddon Zara Spook. Theres no brand name anywhere on it.

[Hanover_Yakker]

Looks like a Rapala Skitterwalk almost.....

[flyfisher]

yeah i would say it is a skitterwalk too....I am hoping to try and target them at some point this summer as well as they look like they are a blast to catch.

[Snakehead Chef]

I fish the canals of Aquia Creek/Harbour and have caught 3 this year (after having spent 2 years catching none!), one off my dock on a black frog, one with a chatterbait (yellow and white no trailer) in the back canals, and one with a shad crankbait (back canals).  I haven't tried any of the spatterdock areas.  I went out yesterday from noon to 2:30 on paddleboard and saw quite a few carp and gar, but only one SH and no bites on any of my lures in the back canals.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Nice report. I've been meaning to get down there to Aquia.

 

Don't overlook buzzbaits and soft plastic frogs rigged weedless.

[Hannock]

Nice report. I've been meaning to get down there to Aquia.

 

Don't overlook buzzbaits and soft plastic frogs rigged weedless.

 

Let me know if you do. Would love to learn from the master.

 

 

I fish the canals of Aquia Creek/Harbour and have caught 3 this year (after having spent 2 years catching none!), one off my dock on a black frog, one with a chatterbait (yellow and white no trailer) in the back canals, and one with a shad crankbait (back canals).  I haven't tried any of the spatterdock areas.  I went out yesterday from noon to 2:30 on paddleboard and saw quite a few carp and gar, but only one SH and no bites on any of my lures in the back canals.

 

Are you on the docks across from the island? Theres a bend and a "no wake" sign there as well. When I roll through on my kayak I see one, sometimes two, people fishing on the docks. 

[Snakehead Chef]

Once you pass the marina, then the wake sign, you can make a left into the "back canal", there's a no-wake sign a little ways in and houses on the right.  That's the canal I run through on PB and kayak and pontoon for Bream, Crappie, and the elusive Snakehead; I start fishing after passing the last house on the right (there's also a little run-through to the right that only a PB or kayak can navigate, but haven't tried fishing back there yet).  I've heard of some really good catches from the dock at the marina, but I have never fished from there.

[Hanover_Yakker]

Do either of you ever fish up near Pohick?  I've seen some beastly SH up that way.  One over 40" that looked like a musky when it charged my bait a couple years ago - scared the #@$! out of me.  I was in 2' feet of gin clear water in a back creek sight casting to a couple LMB and never even knew the SH was lurking in the shadows out of my periphery.

[Snakehead Chef]

I haven't done Pohick, but sounds like a target-rich environment - is there a parking area you'd recommend?

[Hanover_Yakker]

You can park at Ft. Belvoir on the north side and park/launch your kayak/SUP down near the Archery Range or you can launch directly out of Pohick on the southern side but I think that launch is a bit small.  You only need your driver's license to enter Ft. Belvoir, and there is less traffic at the launch.  Loads of creek channels and spatterdock to prowl.

[Snakehead Chef]

Snakehead update - shot my first SH with compound bow this afternoon in the back canals of Aquia Harbour off my paddleboard.

 

Lessons:

 

Bungee everything down, it will fall off and sink (goodbye favorite fishing knife)

A milk crate is nice to sit on, but don't use it as your primary holding for your snakehead, they can breathe out of water, but prefer (violently) not to do it from a milk crate.

Make sure you have a paddle leash, your paddle floats, but doggy-paddling to get it isn't fun or fast

Make sure your shoes float

 

Fishing tips on paddleboard with bow:

 

Go against the tide and current to start (I started out downwind against an incoming tide); trying to stop the paddleboard and put down the paddle, and pick up your bow takes too long.  When you see one, keep going (quietly).  Turn around about 10 yards past, hold bow with arrow nocked in your non-dominant hand, and paddle back to where you saw him one-handed, quietly and slowly, so slow you're hardly moving, let the tide and the wind push you along.  When you're at the spot you saw him, put down the paddle and coast with the tide, with bow and arrow ready for aiming.

 

When you see him, aim lower than you see him, in this case I was about 8-10 feet away and he was close to the surface, so I aimed right below his belly, center mass, and ended up hitting him center mass vertically and horizontally.  Before pulling him in, sit down on your board with your feet in the water, legs hanging over the sides - he won't start to fight you hard until you pull him on the board, and then it's ON!  Pin him to the board for a minute or two, the longer they are out of water, the less fight they present.  

 

Take more than one arrow, and take a close sided cooler (even one from Costco (cold bag)) will work with ice in it, just bungee it down.

 

It is not as hard as it looks, I have never used a bow before, and this was only my fourth time shooting a fishing bow, I missed three shots yesterday, on my first time out.  Just aim low and release!

 

Total adrenaline rush!

[Hannock]

Do either of you ever fish up near Pohick?  I've seen some beastly SH up that way.  One over 40" that looked like a musky when it charged my bait a couple years ago - scared the #@$! out of me.  I was in 2' feet of gin clear water in a back creek sight casting to a couple LMB and never even knew the SH was lurking in the shadows out of my periphery.

 

Never been to the Pohick, but maybe now I'll check it out! 

 

Stafford County put in a sweet new kayak ramp on the Accokeek Creek down Brooke Road. Was scheduled to be open this spring IIRC but the gate was still closed when I checked it out a month ago. Maybe I'll drive over there tomorrow to see if anythings changed.  

[Freak78]

Grew up minutes from this place, but haven't been there for fishing or anything else in at least 15 years. Are there any productive spots to shore fish around there? Heading up there soon to visit family and would like to try it out.

[Hannock]

Grew up minutes from this place, but haven't been there for fishing or anything else in at least 15 years. Are there any productive spots to shore fish around there? Heading up there soon to visit family and would like to try it out.

This time of year.. Not really from shore. The hydrilla is super thick so you need a boat/kayak to get away from it.

[CFS]

Want do you use to nail the small snakeheads? 

[no39]

Thanks for the writing.  My father was born in Laos and tells me stories about these fish, so I'm intrigued.  I may have to make a trip down south sometime. 

[Freak78]

This time of year.. Not really from shore. The hydrilla is super thick so you need a boat/kayak to get away from it.

Ahhh, I figured as much. Thanks for the heads up tho!

[Hannock]

Thanks for the writing. My father was born in Laos and tells me stories about these fish, so I'm intrigued. I may have to make a trip down south sometime.

I want to take a trip to Thailand and catch the Giants. Unfortunately I haven't been keeping up on my end with updating my findings. I haven't been able to capture my catches on my gopro..

[Hannock]

Want do you use to nail the small snakeheads?

I'm targeting smaller ones in particular but a rapala will do the trick. I pulled a smaller one up to the boat before he jumped off with a KVD sexy frog. During the hot part of the day, they're chillin on the bottom of the creeks where it's cooler. Jigs, chatterbaits, spinner baits work. I unintentionally caught one on one of those Gary Yamamoto senkos.