Snakehead report
July 09, 2023 Woodbridge 1 photo

Trip Summary

The Fishing Detective Guide Agency LLC Snakehead week in review : The good news first - this week 3 clients caught their first snakehead. All of them on topwater - which is the only way that matters for snakeheads. The rest of the ways is catfishing !! The total snakeheads for client trips since June 11 is 61 snakeheads. The rest of the news - the fishing for snakeheads has been tough for me for the majority of 2023. It requires great and repeated casts. A lot of great and repeated casts !! I’ve watched sone very good fishing not result in very good fish catching. I’ve watched sone poor fishing result in fish. The lesson is that poor fishing can result in fish on the terms of the fish but great fishing will always be great fishing by my terms. This means great fishing is a result of understanding habitat and proper presentation. It also means persistence, patience, concentration, and observation. Snakehead fishing is very much like playing third base. You play 9 innings and all your skill and ability is decided on 2 balls hit in your direction. I would advise potential clients if the reality as of now is that this isn’t fishing from the bank with a bobber and a worm. It isn’t senko fishing in Piscataway in the spring. It isn’t fishing a tube on the Susquehanna. It’s a downsized version of musky fishing. I enjoy the challenge but again it’s not watching the so called experts who made a utube video. (On the police department tge expert was always the one who made a PowerPoint and now I see this narrative followed in my beloved fishing). You must know I also enjoy and only validate those who go into the public hunting of the big woods and chase bucks. That’s how I’m wired. I recognize great fishing like I recognize a great hunter. I recognize effort combined with skill - not fish stories. It’s really about you and how you are wired. If your a pond fisherman or hunt private land or high fence - hey you do you. Snakeheads this year certainly wouldn’t be your cup of tea. The hydrilla is now filing up the shallows of creeks. The hydrilla has grown to the edge of arrow heads and marsh edges. The problem isn’t necessarily access to these arrows - the problem is the lack of edges. If you can find a bare edge between the marsh and the hydrilla - then your in business. If not and they buried in hydrilla - then good luck. The other options are holes created by pads, etc in the hydrilla or low tide moving out to the edges and throwing a swim bait. The last thing is very early morning or evening when they cruise the top of hydrilla. The snakeheads on average have been much smaller this year and past consistent spots have become very inconsistent. What does that tell me ? It tells me the same thing that I saw on the Susquehanna. Do you think that smallmouth or snakeheads just abandon spots that they have used for years ? Prime spots are just abandoned ? No … that’s not how it happens. All this said .. I still love it. I enjoy people being exposed to the thrill of a topwater snakehead bite. I love power fishing and I love frog fishing. IM built to work and the challenge. I frankly will tell u that easy snakehead fishing appears to be in the Blackwater region. There will be a lot of “experts” made by Blackwater like a lot is smallmouth “experts” were created by the Susquehanna. I may go down there on a trip and I’ll crush them just like I did the Susquehanna smallmouth. However, the difference is that I understand the difference between great fishing and a great fishery. The potomac has been quite challenging this year but on one day we had 32 strikes so I remain optimistic. I haven’t even been to my secret spot this year !! So I got that going for me ?. In sum, it doesn’t matter what creek u enter. It’s the same thing. Throw to inside edges of marsh edges. Do not throw on matted grass but look for holes or clear spots. Throw into hydrilla holes created by pads or Arrow heads. Go to outside edges of hydrilla hole n low tides and throw swimbaits, etc. On low light - throw a buzzbsit over grass. Embrace it .. embrace snakehead fishing … embrace challenge.. embrace each cast because each cast makes you a better fisherman. Every single cast, every single second on the water creates a fisherman. It’s not your lure or your parroting back a fishing video .. it’s every second of good and bad experiences that result in learning. I love it so don’t invalidate the guys working so hard out there to become better by sharing your “knowledge”. Go out and do it … show me… dint be like every guy that wants me to share their delusion because I’m too smart for that game. Embrace and love your passion - good or bad .. you get better by doing not by knowing. Good fishing … your friend - the hardest working guide on the river - Thee Fishing Detective. Go tell the car washer what I say ?.
Kenneth Penrod III
Woodbridge, Virginia, United States
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The Fishing Detective Guide Agency is located in Marbury and offers to show you a memorable time in these waters. Capt. Kenneth will do his best to make sure you have a fun day full of fishing. This involves 4-hour trips, mainly fishing for Snakehead and ...

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Snakehead mistakes
Snakehead mistakes
January 18, 2025
The top ten northern snakehead fishing mistakes I’ve observed of clients : 1. Wrong rod - you don’t need a special snakehead rod but you do need a 7’ medium heavy rod (or longer) with a bit of a soft tip. 2. Wrong line - I like 30 lb braid and I’ll go up but never down. No mono, floro.. 3. Bad knot - braid will slip so I use a double Palomar knot. 4. Bad casting - the further away I can keep the boat from intended targets - the better. Casts must be relatively long and very accurate especially to sighted fish in shallow water. 5. No polarized sunglasses - essential to spot snakeheads. 6. Not observant - many snakeheads give away their position by a movement in water or vegetation. 7. Lazy - this is a game of how many good casts can I make to keep my bait for the longest period of time in snakehead habitat and strike zones. You cast - work in strike zone - reel in as fast as you can through non productive water and cast again. 8. Bad hook sets - I’ll tell u a secret. There’s three different snake head strikes that dictate how I set the hook. However I don’t care when you set the hook but I do need u to set the hook hard. 9. Missing opportunities - you may only get 1 to 3 great opportunities in a day. If you don’t observe a wake following ur bait as u reel in or you take a long time to cast at an observed fish or if you miss a strike and don’t immediately and repeatably throw to same spot- then a lot of hard work is lost. 10. Not controlling what is controllable. No leaders. Don’t use a med rod and make a mile cast that overextends your equipments ability to hook and land a snakehead. I’ll break the rules every now and then. Yes I’ll use heavy floro if I’m casting a chatterbait. Yes I’ll throw a long way and take my chances. It’s heartbreaking to see a missed fish that was catchable because I know that these opportunities are limited in a day. Control the controllable and cast a lot. I’ll worry about the rest. Book a June trip. Do it - do it now. ?. You won’t regret it.
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Top 3 snakehead baits for 2024
Top 3 snakehead baits for 2024
December 7, 2024
Part 3 - Three top Snakehead Lures of 2024 The 2024 Fishing Detective Guide Agency LLC Snakehead Summary brought to you by thee Fishing Detective and #simmsfishing, #fishdetective729, #seaguar, #dobynsrods, #seewhatsoutthere, #powerpole, #kuiu, #ardentreels, #wackyworm. The fishing detective provides the most excellent Christmas gift for the fisherman in your life - a gift certificate for full and half day fishing trips. The 2025 snakehead trips will be 500 for 7 hours and 325 for morning/evening half days. Part 1 provided the stats for 2024. Part 2 will summarize my impression on fishing and the conditions that existed on the most productive days. Part 3 is the top lures of 2024. Part 3 - Three Top Lures of 2024 My guide agency specifically targets snakeheads on snakehead trips. Consequently I don’t consider randomly casting a grass flat with a chatterbait as targeting snakeheads. I have specific areas and cast specific baits at specific times where the odds are in my favor that snakeheads will be the dominant fish. Yes - I do catch bass in these areas but the bass are by product catches. Also I’ve caught snakeheads on every single bass bait catsgory and technique you can name - creature baits punching, dropshots on docks, shakey heads on gravel banks, Zara spooks, whopper plopper, buzzbaits, senkos etc etc. However, 2024 proved that there are only 3 baits necessary to target a snakehead. These three baits were the most productive because they can be thrown into heavy shallow water. They can be worked fast or slow. They work the water columns that snakeheads exist. 1. Hollow Body Frog - the hollow body frog is still my #1 choice for targeting snakehead. I only need two colors but I have a variety of sizes. I don’t much care if it’s a popper or standard frog except that it comes through the cover without hanging up especially on pads. I don’t care if you can walk it or not. These things to me are selling points for frogs that are basically all the same so you have to sell your frog by making it appear different. The body size, the texture of the frog body and the hooks are my considerations. Consequently I primarily use 2 brands - Booyah and Spro. Both come in standard and smaller body sizes. Both have good durability and great hooks. My Booyah frig has caught more snakeheads than any other bait but I did start throwing the spro a lot because it’s a little harder plastic and comes throw pads much better. 2. Chatterbait - it’s very difficult for me to say this because unless I’m fishing way south I feel the Chatterbait isn’t necessarily “targeting” a snakehead. It’s also not a bait I like clients throwing on my rods. However it’s a great snakehead bait and the bait I use to catch the biggest snakeheads on grass edges and the mouth of guts especially on lower tides when they are away from the banks. The biggest snakeheads always have come on a Chatterbait because big snakeheads act like big bass in that they are in slightly deeper water and are efficient predators. I don’t use a lot of custom blades jigs but again I use 2 sizes - full size and a mini max. I like gold and black blades. I like gold, white, black/blue or green pumpkin shirts. The trailer - I use a variety but really like the hog farmer spunk shad. 3. Bubble gum Fluke - a fluke is a good snakehead bait. It can be fished fast to locate snakeheads that are away from the banks. A lot of times I throw a fluke so they reveal themselves by a wake or a chase. The other great thing about a fluke is that I can use it like a senko and let it sink near a snakehead that is reluctant to hit something on top. It’s a great sight fishing bait. I always have a bubble gum fluke on to throw to fish that I can see but ignore a frog. I can also throw it far, fish it fast, throw to bank or grass edges, fish it on top or bottom. A lot of times I’ll have the boat positioned so clients can throw the frog to the marsh edges while I throw out away from the bank to help locate snakeheads. That’s my top 3 baits. These baits are no different than most throw. I may do things differently with a hollow body frog or work a chatterbait a variety of different ways than some but essentially all 3 baits can be worked as a version of any soft plastic or crank bait or wake bait that you have in the box. I did learn a frog modification year that made a real difference but I’m not going to share just yet. My opinion is that there are no specific “snakehead” lures. A frog doesn’t need a spinner on the back to be a snakehead frog. A bait doesn’t have to be bigger or louder to be a “snakehead” bait. The areas you throw a bait are what differentiate the bait from fishing for snakeheads or another fish. The niche is being filled with “snakehead” baits but that’s only you being suckered or sold. It’s ok - I do it too but in the end the biggest world record snakeheads have all been caught on a regular old bladed jig. If you are interested. Book now. My advice is to look at
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