A nice sized Clown Knifefish caught on a shad in Florida
Clown Knifefish (Featherback)
Chitala Ornata
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Clown Knifefish Description
Clown Knifefish, also known as Featherbacks, are an oddball species that are actually an excellent gamefish. They are native to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, but have been transplanted to a couple of places and have taken up residence in a few waterways of South Florida.
The Clown Knifefish has an odd body shape, a long fin that stretches across most of the bottom of its body, and a tiny dorsal fin. This dorsal fin looks a little like a feather, which is how they get the name Featherback. It is one of the few fish that can swim fast backwards, and when hooked will often use this ability to swim back away from a landing net. They also often leap out of landing nets, so don’t let your guard down once you get one in there.
The Clown Knifefish is an exciting gamefish that will attack both lures and live and dead bait and often jumps when hooked. They are fairly hardy and survive handling well, although as with all fish they should be handled with care if you plan to release them.
Clown Knifefish eats small fish, frogs, and crustaceans. They are very active at night, but are also caught during the day. They are popular in aquariums when smaller, and I had one for years. The one I had in my aquarium was not very active during the day unless there was food around, but became much more active at night.
Full disclosure – I have only caught a few of these fish myself, so this page is a little light. The information on this page is derived from a combination of my own experience (both catching them and keeping one in an aquarium for years) and my research on the Internet. I am very far from an expert, but given how little information I have found about them, I thought I would put up what I know as a starting point.
Clown Knifefish Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 7 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale
Clown Knives pull hard and are tricky fighters. They can swim backwards and can be tricky to net as a result. They are also good at popping back out of nets. They sometimes make some big jumps to try to shake the hook. They are a worthy adversary.
Clown Knifefish Tackle
They are a light tackle species. Tackle used for Largemouth Bass should generally be fine. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Clown Knifefish Techniques
Clown Knifefish will take both baits and lures, but are much easier to catch on bait.
Clown Knifefish Lures
I have never caught one on a lure, but I have heard of them being caught on various crankbaits.
Clown Knifefish Baits
Clown Knifefish can be caught on both live and dead bait that mirrors the forage in their area. In South Florida, that is mostly shad.
Where to get the big Clown Knifefish
South Florida is probably the most accessible area to catch them. There are many near Lake Ida. They are frequently stocked in pay lakes in Asia, if you are into that sort of thing. Otherwise, you may need to head into the jungles of Laos or Cambodia.
Other Clown Knifefish Resources
This guy can put you on them in South Florida: www.swamptosea.com
Chitala Ornata
HOME
Other Species
Clown Knifefish Description
Clown Knifefish, also known as Featherbacks, are an oddball species that are actually an excellent gamefish. They are native to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, but have been transplanted to a couple of places and have taken up residence in a few waterways of South Florida.
The Clown Knifefish has an odd body shape, a long fin that stretches across most of the bottom of its body, and a tiny dorsal fin. This dorsal fin looks a little like a feather, which is how they get the name Featherback. It is one of the few fish that can swim fast backwards, and when hooked will often use this ability to swim back away from a landing net. They also often leap out of landing nets, so don’t let your guard down once you get one in there.
The Clown Knifefish is an exciting gamefish that will attack both lures and live and dead bait and often jumps when hooked. They are fairly hardy and survive handling well, although as with all fish they should be handled with care if you plan to release them.
Clown Knifefish eats small fish, frogs, and crustaceans. They are very active at night, but are also caught during the day. They are popular in aquariums when smaller, and I had one for years. The one I had in my aquarium was not very active during the day unless there was food around, but became much more active at night.
Full disclosure – I have only caught a few of these fish myself, so this page is a little light. The information on this page is derived from a combination of my own experience (both catching them and keeping one in an aquarium for years) and my research on the Internet. I am very far from an expert, but given how little information I have found about them, I thought I would put up what I know as a starting point.
Clown Knifefish Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 7 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale
Clown Knives pull hard and are tricky fighters. They can swim backwards and can be tricky to net as a result. They are also good at popping back out of nets. They sometimes make some big jumps to try to shake the hook. They are a worthy adversary.
Clown Knifefish Tackle
They are a light tackle species. Tackle used for Largemouth Bass should generally be fine. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Clown Knifefish Techniques
Clown Knifefish will take both baits and lures, but are much easier to catch on bait.
Clown Knifefish Lures
I have never caught one on a lure, but I have heard of them being caught on various crankbaits.
Clown Knifefish Baits
Clown Knifefish can be caught on both live and dead bait that mirrors the forage in their area. In South Florida, that is mostly shad.
Where to get the big Clown Knifefish
South Florida is probably the most accessible area to catch them. There are many near Lake Ida. They are frequently stocked in pay lakes in Asia, if you are into that sort of thing. Otherwise, you may need to head into the jungles of Laos or Cambodia.
Other Clown Knifefish Resources
This guy can put you on them in South Florida: www.swamptosea.com
My personal best Clown Knifefish caught on Lake Ida in Florida
Big Clown Knifefish caught in Lake Ida on a live Shad