At first glance, a snake lake doesn’t look like much. They're narrow, and can feel like there is little room, but underestimate it at your peril. These canal like venues, often no more than 11 to 16 metres across, initially designed for matches, are seriously productive in summer. Get things right, and you’ll be hauling from the first put-in to the last.
Their narrow shape makes them ideal for pole work, and with the far shelf often alive with fish, it’s not unusual to catch in 12 inches of water, or even less. Despite the limited width, there’s more going on under the surface than you might think and knowing how to target each area of your swim can be the difference between a dry net and a wet one.
THE BEST FISHING POLES ARE PERFECT FOR FISHING SNAKE LAKES.
Far shelf or mudline
This is often your number one target in summer. The water, tight to the far bank might be shallow, but don’t let that put you off. If there’s a bare patch, the classic mudline, that’s the place to present your rig. Fish tight to it with a stable float (0.4g) and you’ll avoid liners and missed bites from fish getting behind your rig.
If you can’t get tight over to the mudline, fish on the slope just beneath the far shelf, banded pellets are the go to, but if it’s shallow, less than 2ft, dead maggots and groundbait can really pay dividends.
GET YOUR RIGS RIGHT WITH THESE 5 MUST HAVE CARP POLE RIGS.
Down the track
This is the deepest water in the peg, and the one you’ll often default to in colder months. But even in summer, it can throw up a mix of F1s, carp, skimmers, and if present, the odd rogue barbel. You don’t always need to be hard on the deck here, shallow fishing 12 inches deep with maggots, pellets or casters can be mega. If you do want to go down on the bottom, stick to hard pellets on a band and feed for a bite at a time.
FEED ACCURATELY WITH THE BEST FISHING CATAPULTS.
Close in
The margins, close in can be particularly productive late on. Look for 12 to 18 inches of water, tight to the near bank and feed little and often with maggots and groundbait. Hookbaits like double corn, worms or a hard pellet will pick out the better stamp of fish that come along later in the day. It’s a great place to snare a bonus lump when the far bank starts to fade.
GET CLOSE IN WITH THE BEST MARGIN POLES.
Three lines, one plan
Every snake lake swim is essentially made up of three areas, the near margin, the central track, and the far shelf. All three have their moment. The trick is knowing when to fish them, and how to feed it. Get your rigs right, feed correctly, and fish with confidence. Snake lakes might be tight on space, but they’re full of fish, and get the timing right and you will have thoroughly wet nets.
SITTING COMFORTABLY ON THE BEST FISHING SEATBOXES IS KEY ON SNAKE LAKES.
