Giant Snakehead fishing: the equipment required for each technique

Fishing for giant snakehead © Fabien Prevost

There are different techniques for fishing the Giant Snakehead, an incredible predator. Let's take a look at the equipment used for each.

Fabien Prevost Published on November 7, 2025

The Blind Cast, powerfishing on the edge

This technique calls for a 6' to 6'6 rod, fast to extra fast action, 20-60g to 20-80 grams power (to animate floating soft lures) equipped with a reel fitted with a progressive drag (5.5 to 6 kg) to extract the fish from the structures and a fast retrieve (Ratio 8.5 minimum) to animate these lures with frenzy on the surface. For my part, I chose a Shimano Curado DC 151 XG, enabling me to reach long casting distances.

The soft lure is far superior in terms of results. It should be a floating lure, 120 to 180 mm in size. Local brands such as OZMY Silencer / Paddle pop, EUPRO K2 and Johncoo offer unbeatable value for money. TPE lures are favoured for their durability and their ability to pass over and over obstacles and tropical vegetation without tiring them out too quickly. They are mounted on Texan hooks size 8/0 to 12/0, reinforced 4X to 5X, such as OPASS Heavy Worm, Ozmy silencer or VMC 7348Bn.

Alternatively, you can fish with simple wooden frogs (jump frogs) or with propeller-augmented models, producing a much less natural sound but very annoying for the predator.

The technique is always the same, whatever the lure used. First cast into the vegetation along the edge, then slowly lower the lure into the water before animating it.

The Sight Cast, surface fishing

For this second technique, which consists of sight-fishing on fish coming up to the surface to breathe, a 6'6 to 7'2 rod with a fast action and a power of 15-50 grams to 20-60 grams is all you need. You'll need to use mainly stickbait-type surface lures. A reel with a progressive drag (5.5 to 6 kg) and fast retrieve (Ratio 8.5) will help you bring your lure in quickly and be ready to cast again the next time a fish comes up. You need to combine speed, precision and distance: my choice is therefore also a Shimano Curado 151 XG or equivalent.

Lures used are mainly 100 to 140 mm stickbaits such as DUO Realis Pencil 110/130, JABBERS Honcho Pencil 95/128, ILLEX Bonnie 128. If the fish go down quickly after coming up for air (depending on light and chill conditions), it's worth using shallow lures such as MEGABASS I-Jack, DUO Realis Crankbait M62 5a/M65 8a or heavyweight spintails weighing 30 to 40 grams.

Fryball Stalking, fishing under high tension

A 6'3 to 7' rod with a regular fast to fast action and 20-80 grams of power is perfect for this very special kind of fishing, which consists in fishing on fry balls. It will allow you to cast crankbaits and longbill minnows weighing 20 to 40 grams. It will be coupled with a reel with progressive drag (5.5 to 6 kg) and fast retrieve (Ratio 7.4). A Curado DC 151 or 201 HG is perfectly suited to the above-mentioned range.

On the lure side, you need to be able to work the water layer at different depths. Crankbaits lend themselves perfectly to this technique.

Depths from 2.5 to 3 metres: DUO Realis Fangbait 120DR, SUB RANGER 120, OPASS DE Crank 300
Depth 4 metres: OPASS DE Crank 400, JABBERS ANTAGON
Depth 6 metres: EVERGREEN Gold digger, OPASS DE Minnow 600

It's also essential to have a few lipless (STRIKE PRO Flapjack 90 or RIPPLE ASH Zero Arise VIB 90S) and spinnerbaits (local brands EPOLCRAFT or RIPPLE ASH) to fish even deeper, especially in areas of obstacles or close to edges, when the use of crankbaits is reduced. Weights required range from 20 to 50 grams, to descend more or less quickly depending on the depth of the area fished. They should be stocky and fitted with a very strong hook.