Snakehead Fishing Malaysia
Fishing Temenggor Dam
The Malaysian jungle is home to
the biggest & fiercest giant snakehead in the world, there are few
unpressured destinations remaining whereby the snakehead thrive &
grow to 20kg (44lb). With difficult and limited access to these
waters, Temenggor Dam remains one of the few. Snakehead fishing in
Malaysia is nothing short of heaven for passionate, obsessive &
addicted snakehead anglers all in search of prolific monster snakehead
fishing.
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Temenggor Dam - Perak - Malaysia - Home to vast numbers of snakehead
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TEMENGGOR DAM - FACTS, LOCATION & SIZE
Temenggor Dam is Malaysia’s
third largest dam located in Perak State of North Malaysia, 180KM from
Penang International Airport. Temenggor Dams’ intricate network of long
branching bays covering approximately 60km from the north to south of
the dam is comparable to west Thailand’s Khao Laem Dam. Deceivingly the
water surface area covers just 152 square km holding however a maximum
water volume of 6050 million cubic meters due to the reservoirs
massive depths. The forty year old body of water holds not only present
hydro-electric importance but a historic military role in cutting off
communist terrorist invasion from Betong. The heavy military presence
guarding the National Park area of the reservoir is strictly limited
access and a secluded no-fishing zone; Fish Thailand however obtain
special visas for anglers to enter and fish in this zone, hence the
incredible snakehead fishing |
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Snakehead fishing in Malaysia - 8kg - 10kg specimens are common
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SNAKEHEAD FISHING EXPLAINED
Understanding the snakehead leads
to understanding the techniques used to catch the snakehead. Learning
the snakehead’s behavior, spawning cycles & biology leads to
learning the preferred habitats in varying water levels, conditions
& months leading to the angler executing the best techniques
accordingly.
Snakehead Spawning Cycles, Behavior & Biology
Snakehead rotate their lives
through a simple & constant life cycle, therefore the explanation
can start at any point – for the purpose of this explanation let’s
start at spawning. Wilderness snakehead populations of Asia be it
Thailand or Malaysia all have one thing in common – their spawning
times are subjected to the monsoon rains at specific times of year
every year. This monsoon season dramatically changes the water levels
of jungle waters; the water rises and begins to submerge the marginal
grasses and vegetation. The time it takes for the water level to reach
this point can be a week to several weeks after the first rains
depending on water level prior to the rain, volume of rain fall &
consistency of rain fall; however the constant and only dependant factor
for when snakehead spawn is always the point which the water begins to
flood the marginal vegetation. At this point the large adult snakehead
of about 3kg and upwards move into the shallow margins from the deeper
open water in order to find a mate. Similar to some mating mammals a
display of vigor & territorial aggression selects their partner;
from now on they are a pair – not to be parted for several months.
After the water level creeps further up the marginal vegetation they
will begin to build a nest into which the female will eject her eggs
for the male to fertilise and to where the fry will hatch. The nest is
built by the snakehead swirling around in circles amongst the tall
grasses covered only by very shallow water, as the water levels rise
further with the constant rainfall of the monsoon it is time for the
pair of snakehead to spawn. The parental attentiveness and care to
their young such as that of the snakehead is incredibly rare in fish,
even after the act of spawning the snakehead guard their nest of
snakehead spawn until the fry hatch out and even at this point the
parenting is far from over. Five to ten thousand tiny dark red fry
shoal together in a ball and desert their nest guided by their parents
following marginal shores & open waters alike – but always remaining
in a tight ball – hence the term ‘fry ball.’ The male parent snakehead
usually the smaller of the two adults remains within a few meters of
the ball at all times, his job is to guide the fry up to the water’s
surface at regular intervals to breathe from the air as snakehead
cannot live solely from the water’s oxygen. The adult snakehead is able
to surface and take a breath of air very discretely and quickly but so
many fry all taking air together takes several seconds before
disappearing back into the depths – usually around ten seconds for each
rise. Meanwhile the female parent snakehead, the larger of the pair is
the protector, her job is to circle a much wider radius from the fry
ball and male parent to protect them against invading predators be it
other predatory fish species or man with spears and nets. As the
snakehead fry develop and grow bigger their colour changes to bright
red, then orange until they reach about four inches at which point they
lose their brightness and begin to develop immature snakehead colours.
From then onwards both parent snakeheads leave their fry to fend for
themselves, they would have already been introduced to the taste of
fish & meat throughout their infancy from feeding on chewed up fish
that is discharged from the mother’s gills after she hunts prey fish.
Now having also taken on small prey fish and aquatic invertebrates
throughout their development, these immature snakehead disperse to the
safety of marginal weedy shorelines where they will inhabit and easily
predate on smaller prey fish. Out of the initial five to ten thousand
snakehead fry ball a high percentage of thousands will have survived to
become immature snakehead thanks to the attentiveness, protection
& guidance of their parents, as they disperse to find their own
habitats they split up but still claiming territory together in groups
of a dozen to twenty per territory. As the juveniles develop further
their group sizes diminish, slowly becoming more solitary fish and
predating on other smaller snakehead too. The parent snakeheads would
have disappeared into the deeper open water and also parted company –
now the rainy season has long gone and the water levels are dropping
slowly, their young from the last monsoon still remain in marginal
areas and previous years snakehead of two to three years old begin to
also drift away into deeper water until the next monsoon when they will
move into the margins to spawn for the first time themselves. Through
the dry season and the lowest water levels the larger adult snakehead
spend most of their time in the deeper open water, only to show
themselves when they rise to breathe air. Large adult snakehead too
become vulnerable to predators as they surface from the deeps for air
therefore almost always follow the structure of tall dead trees up to
the surface – usually the trees are single large trunks of dead wood
reaching 40ft tall. The monsoon rains come again and the cycle repeats
with adult snakehead heading towards the shore lined margins to find a
spawning partner.
Summary of Snakehead Cycle to Calendar Months
In order to add the explained
snakehead cycle above into a calendar here is a short summary, however
exact monsoon cycles change slightly each year. Typically in Thailand
the monsoon’s first rain is in June, from July the ‘fry balls’ are
abundant though to September. From October the water levels are at their
highest and the fry balls are developing fast and harder to track
down, with the high water levels of November and December and the
monsoon season over the adults slip away into deeper water and leave
their juveniles to inhabit the margins which with the high water levels
reaches far back into the flooded jungle vegetation. Into January
through to May the water levels drop away to the lowest levels until
the monsoon comes again in June. In Malaysia the rains begin later
around October and come more frequently making it possible for the
spawning to take place two to three times a year, their growth rate is
also faster.
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Applying Knowledge of Snakehead Cycle to Fishing Techniques
The above snakehead cycle facts
are fascinating to fish enthusiasts, biologists & nature lovers.
However they are arguably of even more interest to snakehead anglers as
by understanding each moment of a snakeheads’ existence can be applied
to selecting the best snakehead fishing technique for each stage of
their cycle. These snakehead fishing techniques can be simplified into
three categories:
- Random marginal snakehead casting (lure only)
- Open water rising snakehead casting (lure or live bait)
- Fry ball casting (lure or live bait)
Random Marginal Snakehead Casting
The definition of random marginal
snakehead casting is to cast lures from a boat moving at a constant
‘walking pace’ speed following shore lines of the main land, islands
& weedy bays from a distance of the anglers’ maximum cast. Being
shallow marginal areas usually heavy with aquatic vegetation and surface
weed the lure selection is narrowed down to predominantly surface
lures of which there are three categories: frogs, buzz baits &
poppers. For areas of the thickest surface weed frog lures are the most
effective and only real choice as they are virtually weed-free thanks
to their up-turned double hook situated at the back of the buoyant frog
imitation. Frogs are naturally a regular diet of the snakehead and
inhabit shallow weedy margins of the lake, making them ideal to imitate
in the form of a lure. In areas where there is a light to medium
covering of surface weed frogs can still be used effectively but
another lure option comes into play and that is the buzz bait. Naturally
a buzz bait will sink when not retrieved so is vital to begin the
retrieve from the moment it impacts the water – the spinning and
clacking of the propeller draws interest of snakehead as it sounds like
a wounded fish. The single up-turned hook rides just below the surface
and behind from the propeller, this lure is imitating a small
predatory fish (the dressed hook) chasing a wounded prey fish (the
propeller). Being able to be retrieved through most light to medium
weedy areas the buzz bait plays a big part in the snakehead anglers’
armory, although casting these accurately and at distance in windy
conditions is very challenging due to their brutish shape. Finally
perhaps the most effective of all snakehead surface lures is the
popper, only to be used in low weed areas or areas where there are
lanes between surface weeds from the shore line out. A popper worked to
really ‘pop’ is a beautiful sight and sound and with two sets of
hanging treble hooks from beneath the body it is responsible for big
numbers of snakehead catches. Accurate and long range casting is aided
by the stream-lined weight of a popper, enabling the snakehead angler to
cast it well up from the boat to the shore line offering more ‘water
time’ per cast. ‘Random Casting’ with this snakehead fishing technique
means exactly that, casts are simply targeting the likely looking fish
holding areas at random along the shore line. The most likely area
will be within feet sometimes just inches from the bank, a lure cast
short most of the time was not worth casting at all; in a snakehead
fishing session using this technique it is vital to throw out as many
casts as possible, be relentless and aggressive with the casting. As
the boat constantly moves covering vast areas of water along the shore
lines, avoid attempting to cover every inch – better to continually
cast to ‘new’ water slightly ahead of the boat all the time; this way
the most water will be covered. Large areas may not hold snakehead but
fishing on the move randomly and continuously there will be areas come
upon with many snakehead present – all of a sudden several snakehead
can be caught in a short space of time. This form of fishing can catch
snakehead all year round, however it generally will only catch big
snakehead during the cycle of the snakehead moving into the margins to
look for a mate and begin the nest building and spawning process, at
any other time this technique will mostly only catch juvenile
snakehead.
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Popper caught (left) & buzz bait caught (right) snakehead
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A perfect area for random marginal lure casting using buzz baits or poppers
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Open Water Rising Snakehead Casting
The definition of open water
rising snakehead casting is to cast lures from a static boat positioned
amongst one or more single snakehead which have been spotted rising
from deep water to breathe air, usually close to structure such as tall
dead trees but rarely weed. Without doubt this is the most difficult
& challenging form snakehead fishing, requiring the most patience,
composure, experience & skill out of all forms of snakehead fishing.
The margin for error in lure casting to single rising fish is zero,
the first thing an angler has to calculate immediately after the rise
is which direction and plane the snakehead is swimming on back down to
the depths, and they all will immediately swim back down deep as the
only reason they ever rose in the first place was to take oxygen. If
for example the snakehead rises and swims back down to the left on a 45
degree angle, the angler must cast their diving lure ahead of the fish
to the left and beyond to ensure that the retrieve brings the lure
perfectly in front of the snakehead’s mouth at the given depth. Any lure
placement other than in front of the fish’s head will be totally
ignored and there is no second cast, no second chance – now the angler
has to wait again for another rise. At times it can take twenty minutes
or even more than an hour to locate an open water snakehead rising in
regular intervals and then another five to twenty minutes to position
the boat slowly within casting range of the fish without spooking it.
Once in position and the rise is spotted again within casting range the
angler has literally a few seconds to judge the direction and plane of
the swimming fish, release the perfect cast and retrieve the lure to
pass in front of the snakehead; if no strike then the angler is
subjected to wait again for the snakehead to rise. Lure selection is
narrowed down to just diving lures for the best results, a surface
popper can be used but reduces the hit rate as most of the time the
fish is too far back down to tempt a strike. Deep fast diving tight
action lures are best as they cast well and can get down to meet a
diving snakehead in time, shallow diving lures in very deep water
generally will not reach deep enough to where the snakehead has reached
in time. If for example in a days’ snakehead fishing only targeting the
single rising fish an angler gets to cast at ten snakehead within
range it means he will only cast ten times in the entire day, if he is
anything short of an experienced & skilled snakehead angler he will
catch no fish at all. The rewards however are great, any snakehead
rising in deep open water is guaranteed to be the biggest fish, and the
angler will not catch any small snakehead with this technique. The
very best snakehead lure anglers will mostly only fish to rising single
snakehead, only fishing at random to the shore line when conditions
are too windy to spot the rises or there are big adults entering the
margins after the first rains. At the time of the snakehead cycle when
the water levels are low and only juvenile snakehead occupy the margins
this technique will still catch the biggest snakehead, meaning that if
an angler masters this technique coupled with the easier technique of
random marginal casting there is no time of year when big snakehead
cannot be caught.
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Deep open water with a haven of structure - fish the single rising technique
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These snakehead were taken fishing to rising single fish using diving lures
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Fry Ball Casting
The definition of fry ball casting
is to track a fry ball from a boat keeping at casting range while
following the fry balls’ direction, each time the ball of bright red or
orange fry surface to breathe air the angler casts their lure at the
fry ball. Remembering that the male adult will be closest to the fry to
guide them and the larger female will be patrolling the outside of the
fry ball for invaders, it is worth casting ahead of the fry ball in the
direction they are swimming to catch the larger female first. The
larger the adult snakehead the more times in their life cycle they have
parented fry and therefore the greater the chance they have been
caught before on lures, in this case the snakehead may take hours of
following and casting at before striking, if they strike at all.
However snakehead that have never been caught or rarely been caught
will immediately strike at the lure within the first few casts, lure
selection is down to preference with a fry ball that have never seen
lures before as they will hit whatever you cast at them be it surface
lures or diving. With the more experienced adults it may be that the
angler has to change lure continuously and relentlessly cast at the fry
ball to drive the parent snakehead crazy with torment until they lash
out at the lure.
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A fry ball rising for air - both adult sakehead will be close by
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MALAYSIAN SNAKEHEAD FISHING VS THAI SNAKEHEAD FISHING
Snakehead fishing in Thailand
offers some incredible sport all year round for highly experienced
snakehead anglers who are well practiced in fishing at single rising
snakehead in open water as well as the easier technique of random
marginal snakehead fishing. However for less experienced anglers fishing
for rising single snakehead is not an option and therefore must begin
by fishing the random marginal technique or casting to fry balls of
which is very seasonal in Thailand. Only a few months usually from July
to September in Thailand would offer the less experienced angler a
good chance at catching any snakehead over 2-3kg, the rest of the year
fishing the random marginal casting technique would catch only juvenile
snakehead. Snakehead fishing in Malaysia on the other hand offers
anglers of all skill levels much greater chances of monster snakehead
all year round simply because there are so many more fish leading to so
many more opportunities and fish to cast too. The so few rising
snakehead pockets in Thailand mean that there are only ever a few
chances in a day to cast at fish, this is no problem only if the angler
is exceptionally skilled but in Malaysia it seems there are rising
snakehead all over the place – everywhere there is structure in open
water there are sometimes upwards of a dozen very big snakehead rising
every few seconds to cast too. Also due to the snakehead in Malaysia
spawning two to three times a year there is often several sightings of
fry balls to cast to – which are quite often the easiest way to catch a
really enormous snakehead. Snakehead fishing in Malaysia is not this
good all over the country but at Temenggor Dam Fish Thailand have
access to the military controlled national park where by the snakehead
receive much less angling pressure than other parts of Malaysia and
Thailand. On a snakehead fishing trip to Malaysia at the best time of
year around September or October snakehead between 2kg – 3kg are
considered small, snakehead of 4kg – 6kg are very common, snakehead of
7kg – 8kg are big fish and anything over that up to 14kg are a
frightening possibility. It is important not to misinterpret Malaysian
snakehead being easier to catch than a Thai snakehead, all it means is
that there are far more snakehead showing meaning there are more
opportunities and fish to cast to each day; each opportunity still
requires the same accurate cast and same well practiced technique as a
Thai snakehead.
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Temenggor Dam offers snakehead anglers big numbers of big fish
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LURE FISHING VS LIVE BAIT FISHING FOR SNAKEHEAD
Even with the vast numbers of
snakehead in Temenggor Dam, single rising snakehead lure fishing
remains an incredibly difficult technique with no room at all for error
– anything less than exceptionally skilled lure fisherman would catch
very few fish in a week, even blank completely. By fishing live bait
however anglers of all abilities will catch far more fish than even the
greatest of lure fishermen – it is a strong fact that live bait
catches more snakehead in Temenggor Dam than lures. Where as a lure
must be cast to dive and run in front of the snakehead, a live bait
just cast close to the rising snakehead offers a good chance of a
strike. A live bait sinking slowly through the water column will be
followed down by a snakehead, sometimes watched and stalked long after
the rise, this could only happen with a real live fish as bait – not an
imitation lure. To have the opportunity to fish in one of the world’s
top snakehead waters and land bigger snakehead than anywhere else in
Asia with live baits, is far better than wasting that opportunity by
lure fishing for rising snakehead without the necessary experience.
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A variety of lures will catch snakehead - but there is no margin for error
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NOTE ABOUT ‘PURISTS’ – written by Eddie Mounce
There is
much debate amongst anglers as to the use of live baits for snakehead
fishing, ‘purists’ will claim that only lure fishing is a ‘pure’ and
‘proper’ form of snakehead fishing and that live bait fishing is too
easy and an ‘impure cheating’ form of snakehead fishing. I say that
they misunderstand the meaning of ‘pure’ and by their very demeaning
attitude towards how other anglers gain enjoyment from their fishing if
anything makes themselves ‘impure.’ Surely a purist fisherman is an
angler who fishes exactly how he enjoys, where he loves for what
excites him with no judgment cast onto how other anglers enjoy their
fishing and what other anglers use as bait! I personally only lure fish
for snakehead, not because I believe for a second that it is the
‘superior’ way to fish but because I have a borderline unhealthy
obsession for casting lures at snakehead; I catch a few less fish than
live bait anglers but that is my choice to do so. If a live bait angler
is catching no end of glorious snakehead and loving every minute that
is pure. Equally if a lure angler is catching less fish but loving
every minute of the challenge then that is pure. On the flip side if a
lure angler is cursing at struggling to catch fish and becoming unhappy
then perhaps the pure thing to do would be to fish live baits and enjoy
catching fish. My point is don’t fish how you think others think you
should fish, fish how you genuinely enjoy the most. In the case of
snakehead fishing in Malaysia at Temenggor Dam and if you have not much
experience with lure casting to rising single snakehead then take my
advice, fish live baits, catch lots of big fish and enjoy every minute!
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SNAKEHEAD LURE FISHING TACKLE
Rods: 6ft – 7ft
rods for lure fishing is the best range – however 7ft will offer more
accurate casting and greater distance, longer than this for boat
fishing is a disadvantage and difficult to play fish diving under and
around the boat. Rod grade medium to heavy action of casting weight
1/4oz – 1oz or 10lb – 20lb line class is required.
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Sudden powerful lunges from snakehead require the correct rods for the job
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Reels: Baitcasters
are a much better reel for lure fishing than spinning reels but
require a good amount of practice; the Shimano MG 7 is a good top range
baitcasting reel offering the ability to cast a lure incredible
distance accurately. The quality of spinning reels should of course be
good but it is not as important as the quality of baitcasting reels
which unless are of high value is more of a hindrance than a help. The
Shimano Nasci 5000 is a great mid-range spinning reel along with the
Shimano SR4000RG, any spinning reel of good quality matching the sizes
of these two tested reels is ideal.
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Shimano MG7 (left) & Shimano SR4000RG (right) - tested & proven
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Lines: Braid is
essential as a main line for lure fishing for snakehead and in Thailand a
40lb braid is acceptable but in Malaysia a 50lb Varivas braid is
advised. A 40lb braid is typically the same diameter as a 10lb
monofilament line and a 50lb braid is the same diameter as a 12lb
monofilament line so is perfectly acceptable to use these breaking
strains in braid. The added bonus is that a snagged diving lure can be
quite often pulled out of the snag by a powerful braid whereas a
monofilament line would break through very quickly. With no stretch in
braid casting is more accurate, the feel of the retrieve and lure
action is direct and the playing of the fish is more controlled. Wire
traces are unnecessary for lure fishing for snakehead, instead a 2ft
Varivas fluro carbon leader is flexible enough to not impede the action
of the lure but stiff enough to reduce tangles; being almost the same
refractive index as water it is much less visible than wire or braid in
clear water. Very rarely will a snakehead take a lure down to the
line, so rare it is not worth using wire for such an unlikely event – it
is better to entice more strikes from fish by not using wire at all.
Hooks: Original
hooks that come with lures are useless for snakehead; they need to be
changed with Owner ST66 stinger trebles in sizes 2 or 4, and will need
to be changed every few fish. The spilt rings to attach the hooks also
need to be changed with heavy duty ones in sizes 4 or 5 along with a
good strong Rosco or Berkley swivel in size 7 to attach the lure (with
split ring) to the fluro carbon leader. Snap link swivels are quicker
to change but have the problem of occasionally opening during a hectic
snakehead battle.
Lures: A good
selection of lures from each category: surface frogs, buzz baits &
poppers. Diving plugs in varying depths, patterns and colours. Two of
every category, pattern and colour is a good idea in case there is a
particularly effective lure that is then lost; 4 – 6 inch lures are
generally a good size range for snakehead.
SNAKEHEAD LIVE BAIT FISHING TACKLE
Rods: The same
length rod of 6ft – 7t as lure fishing is best but a stiffer, heavier
action of 1/2 oz – 1 ½ oz or 18lb-26lb class is required to cast
livebaits and setting the hooks. Fixed spool spinning reels are best
for live bait fishing, the same size & models as for lure fishing
is fine.
Lines: Braid of
at least 50lb is required, as high as 65lb is acceptable - with many
strikes coming after a snakehead follows the live bait down to the lake
bed the fight will be amongst more snags than that of a lure hooked
snakehead. Fluro carbon will not suffice as a leader for live bait
fishing, a heavy wire trace of 60lb is essential to prevent bite offs
as most snakehead caught on live baits will take the hook down into
their mouths. Good quality swivels such as Rosco or Berkeley attach the
wire trace to the braid main line.
Hooks: One single hook of good quality such as Owner in sizes 1/0 or 2/0 will be needed to hold the power of a big snakehead.
Bait: A 6”
walking catfish hooked once through the upper back of the bait behind
the dorsal fin is most effective for snakehead fishing. The walking
catfish is a natural predator of snakehead fry and therefore triggers
an immediate strike from the adult snakehead, most of the time
attacking from behind hence the hooking position on the live bait.
ANGLERS WATER SIDE HOTEL
Usually jungle fishing offers
limited or no comfortable accommodation without having a long drive to
and from the banks of the water. Snakehead fishing in Malaysia at
Temenggor Dam however boasts a beautiful & luxurious hotel a short
walk away from its’ private boat jetty, the grounds around the hotel
cut into the surrounding jungle are steeped in nature. Rooms are
complete with comfortable soft beds, satellite TV, fridge, safe, hot
water shower, air-conditioning & WI-FI. Delicious Malaysian and
European cuisine is served as buffet or a la carte every evening from
the choice of inside or outside dining and a generous packed lunch is
prepared by the restaurant each day for anglers to take out fishing
each morning.
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Evening dining back at the hotel
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Packed lunch while out fishing
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SNAKEHEAD FISHING BOATS
Large stable fiber glass fishing
boats powered by 40hp outboard engines makes for spacious and
comfortable fishing platforms with plenty of space for tackle, bait and
lunch. Each boat skippered by a Malay guide will fish two anglers, the
boatman will always know the best snakehead fishing spots and work hard
all day to keep the angler on fish. Come lunch time a quiet shaded
place is found be it a waterfall or clearing on the edge of the jungle
to relax, eat lunch and swim while the Malay boatman being Muslim will
take time to pray. At first light each morning the boats arrive at the
hotels’ pier to pick up the eagerly waiting anglers and take them on
the fishing voyage, each boat heads off to different areas of the lake;
only to return at dusk to the hotel’s pier.http://www.fishthailand.co.uk/fishing_malaysia.html
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