Striped Snakehead – Freshwater Fish Species in Thailand
Species: Channa striata.
Common name: Striped Snakehead, Snakehead Murrel, Common Snakehead, and Chevron Snakehead. Thai Name: Pla Chon.
Distribution: This Snakehead species is native to South and Southeast Asia, with a widespread range covering southern China, Pakistan, most of India, Southern Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It has more recently been introduced to the outermost parts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Mauritius.
Habitat: Striped Snakehead prefer stagnant and muddy water plains; found mainly in swamps and the lowland rivers in relatively deep (1-2 m), still water. Very common in freshwater plains and in medium to large rivers, brooks, flooded fields including sluggish flowing canals. It migrates from rivers and lakes into flooded fields, returning to the permanent water bodies in the dry season. And it will survive the dry season by burrowing in bottom mud of lakes, canals and swamps. As long as skin and air-breathing apparatus remain moist they can subsist on the stored fat.
The Striped snakehead (Channa striata)
Is a freshwater fish species in the snakehead family (family Channidae). Adults are dark brown in color with faint black bands visible across its entire body. Males and females both help to construct a nest out of water vegetation during breeding time. Eggs are guarded by both parents, and it will attack anything moving when breeding. Fry have a reddish orange color and guarded by both parents until they turn greenish brown at around 5–6 cm. The striped snakehead has a more varied diet than the great snakehead or the giant snakehead. It preys on frogs, water bugs, and smaller fish
Size: This Snakehead Species can grow up to about one meter in length, but due to over fishing; this size is rarely found in the wild. They have a maximum weight of 5kg. The IGFA record is 3.6kgs.
Fishing method: The best fishing areas are usually water with weedy and growing vegetation. They take surface lures, diving lures, popper flies and smaller streamers. Live bait like frogs and fish are also very productive.
Sexing: There are no apparent sexual differences, when they are sexually mature and pair up the female is the largest.