Fishing Thailand

[bluebottle18]

There are no official Tour Guides in Thailand to take you to the inland rivers. You need to be careful if you choose a local around BKK to help you.

Everyone knows the best spot/place and expert. There are a number of rivers you can fish but you face a drive of at least 6 hours to get to the upper reaches

where your chances of catching decent fish. There are also some large dams and lakes that these rivers flow into. Fishing is not all that popular in this country.

Fishing can be hot and cold. Fish are plentiful and extremely hard fighting for their size. A 2/3 kilo fish will stretch your arms. I will simply call them BASS. Fish upto 10kg are plentiful but you need to search for them. There are very little comforts as you stay in fishing villages. Tinnies are a luxury and dug out canoes are your main option.

Village people are very friendly and helpful. No English is spoken. It is odd that the fish don`t always bite considering the amount of fish there is.

# It is extremely hot and unless you are in good health do not go. The heat will drain you.

If you have seen the fishing stories on Thailand by a NZ guy + Robson you will remember them talking about the heat. IT IS HOT.

WHAT TO DO. Hire a car with GPS. Get some good maps and pick a place. And off you go. Take plenty of water. You will need it. Ice is plentiful along the way. Have a very good esky. TACKLE > Leave your spaghetty rods behind. 5kg Rods minimum with 25+ pound braid. IMO any lure will do. Once you get where you are going village people will be happy to help you. It is learn as you go first time. IMO no other way. INSECTS OF ALL KINDS WILL EAT YOU ALIVE SO GO WELL PROTECTED. Night time bad. The tackle I mention is not an over kill. There are some huge fish and that is what you are looking for.

I have just returned from my second visit. I can not recommend any river. IMO they are all as good as each other. I believe you need to go into the upper reaches.

If you do know someone in Thailand it would help a great deal. I have only given you a brief discription/report on the place. I don`t think it is possible to accurately put in words.. As said before it is learn as you go. You will understand what i mean if you go. Put it in a thing to do while on holidays in Thailand.

I stopped at a dumpy looking tackle shop and he was selling Ian Miller Rods for 950 Baht.

I live in Nong Chok a suburb about 45 mins out of BKK when I visit . I have been there 5 times in 18 months. It is along way from the tourist spots. Other members maybe able to help you more.

[rookiemistake]

Dude when I visited we went to this small dam and caught 40 pound catfish and one of them was on the really dodgy rod they provided. It's not hard to find some really good fishing spots this one wasn't far out of the city only like 45 (in good traffic) no where near 6 hours. We used coil feeders compacting heaps of bread on there. I suggest a long rod as lots of times you need to sling shot the puppies a fair way. Further out though you can go to these places and catch giant meekong catfish that get huge like 200 pounds and they supply really good rods but even then these monsters broke ours. I'm pretty sure their are a few guides but your right not many also fishing is pretty big in thailand.

[bluebottle18]

Hi Rookie. It is true you can travel around an hour to some good fishing in these dams catching huge catfish. To me these fish are like catching Sting Rays.

You are not wrong about dodgy fishing gear or the extra huge cat fish. Too me again not fishing as it is the weight of the fish that you are fighting.

I travelled to the PING river. It snakes its way through the country. In some places very wide others narrow. It opened into this huge lake /Dam.

Bhumphon Dam I think they call it. There was also another wide area. There are many places along this river you can stop and cast a line. The area

I am talking has a variety of good fighting fish of all sizes and a good change from the Catfish. It is a bit of an adventure. If you had the time and were living there for a long time

you

I fished the local area around where I live which is about one hour out of BKK and had fun with some 1kg fish that fought very hard. I used those coil feeders. They were plentiful.

Another river is the CHI. Similar story to the Ping. In a different region.