Species › Asia › Snakehead

Freshwater

Snakehead

Channa micropeltes · giant snakehead, toman, striped snakehead (Channa striata)

Water temp
75–86°F
Peak season
Nov–Apr
Best light
Dawn · Dusk
IGFA record
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Snakehead (Channa micropeltes 2012 G1.jpg)

Photo: George Chernilevsky · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Snakeheads are long, cylindrical fish with a flattened snake-like head, a big toothy mouth and a suprabranchial organ that lets them breathe air and survive in stagnant water. The giant snakehead or toman (Channa micropeltes) of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia reaches over 40 lb (18 kg) and guards its bright-red fry in a boiling ball at the surface, while the smaller striped snakehead (Channa striata) is the everyday fish of paddies, canals and swamps across the region. Both strike lures savagely in weedy, warm water, and the toman's explosive topwater attacks have made it a bucket-list species for traveling anglers.

Typical sizeToman 4–12 lb (2–5.5 kg); striped snakehead 1–3 lb (0.5–1.4 kg)
TrophyToman 20 lb+ (9 kg); 30 lb+ is exceptional
Table fareExcellent — firm, white flesh; striped snakehead is a regional staple

Where & when

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Tropical fishing is year-round; the dry season (roughly November–April in Thailand and peninsular Malaysia) concentrates fish and clears reservoirs, while fry-guarding parents in the wet season offer the most dramatic topwater action.

Temenggor Lake, MalaysiaVast rainforest reservoir in Perak; giant tomanKhao Laem Reservoir, ThailandFlooded forest lake in Kanchanaburi with big snakeheadTonlé Sap, CambodiaEnormous floodplain lake; striped and giant snakehead

How to catch

Topwater frogs and poppersCast hollow-body frogs, buzzbaits and poppers over weed beds, lily pads and flooded timber and work them with a steady, noisy retrieve. When a toman boils, keep the lure moving until you feel weight, then strike hard and horse the fish out of the weed.
Casting at fry ballsLook for a shimmering red cloud of toman fry at the surface and cast a sinking minnow, spoon or jerkbait just beyond it, drawing the lure through the school. The guarding parents attack anything near their young; be ready for an instant, violent strike.

Gear

Rod6½–7' medium-heavy to heavy baitcast rod, fast action
ReelBaitcaster 7:1 with strong drag
Line40–65 lb braid; 40–60 lb fluorocarbon leader

Lures

hollow-body frogsbuzzbaits and popperssinking minnows and jerkbaits

Baits

live frogslive small fishearthworms (for striped snakehead)

Regulations

Snakeheads are a food fish across Southeast Asia and sport-fishing rules are few, but reservoirs and national parks in Malaysia and Thailand require permits and may enforce catch-and-release or closed zones. In the United States, snakeheads are an invasive species and most states require anglers to kill any they catch.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: not listed. State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between a toman and the snakeheads in the United States?

The toman (Channa micropeltes) is the giant snakehead of Southeast Asia, a 20–40 lb reservoir predator with red-and-black fry; the snakehead established in the Potomac and Florida is mostly the northern snakehead (Channa argus) or bullseye snakehead (Channa marulius), which run smaller. All are air-breathers that ambush prey in weedy shallows and smash topwater lures, and the same frog-and-popper tactics work for each.

Bite forecast — Snakehead

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Snakehead.

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