COMMON SNAKEHEADS (Channa striatus).

The common snakehead or haruan as the Malaysians called it, is found almost everywhere, especially ponds, marshes, padifields, slow flowing rivers and other water ways. As an air-breather it can practically walk on land.
Being the most sought after sport fish in Malaysia, they are being hunted not only for their sport, but as a food and its medicinal value as well. The people believe that when steam with some herbs, the resulting soap is good in the healing of cuts and wounds.
The haraun practices monogamy and both male and female help to construct a nest out of water vegetation during breeding time. The eggs and the resulting fries are guarded by both parents. It is this parental instinct that results in the depletion of this fish. The orange fry ball can be seen coming up for air every few minutes. The unique characteristic of these fries is the archilles heel of the snakeheads as it gives away the location of the parents that are always found circling underneath in protection.
As a canivour, the haruan will attack lures of all kinds. They can be taken by fly fishing too. But the main method used is still the  live frogs. With the ever increasing fishing pressure, the size of the fish has been getting smaller (though they can grow up to a meter in length).

Other flies work too, like this charlie.

They also can be caught by
 flyfishing. This was taken with a gurgler.

Climbing up a tree allows
you to see into those weeds
 for signs of snakeheads.

Sometimes you have to look
for them in snaggy places.

This is considered as
easy place to get them.

Just like the American
large mouth bass,
the snakeheads do go
 for the plastic worms.

Often they can be
 caught in open water too.

Going for these snakeheads,
you normally have to wade
 through flooded undergrowth.

This one grabbed my surface popper.