Thailand part 2.... fishing park

[dirvin21]

After our jungle adventure Amy and I had decided to try onr of the Thsi fishing parks, for snyone that doesn't know these are ponds stocked with fish from all over the world that you can pay to fish in.

The park we chose is actually owned by a Frenchman, we even had his driver transfer us to and from our hotel. 

The lake was looking good not overly large with fish of 30 odd species

We could see arapaima everwhere which are one of the spught after fish in these parks having both caught wild arapaima in the amazon Amy and I had more interest in other species 

After a quick briefing and introduction to our guide Bier we were into it

We had 2 rods each  2 predator with chicken hearts for bait and a "carp rod" with some sort of mixed dough bait, both rods are loaded with 100lb braid, the rigs had surprisingly small hooks, it's a matter of casting sitting and waiting.

To put it frankly the morning was slow despite the lake full of fish it was tough. We had a few enquiries mostly alligator gar that wouldn't hook up, it's funny how simply watching arapaima cruise in a lake is therapeutic. The first proper take was Amy's rod the line took off and fell slack Bier suddenly realised the fish had b lined under our pontoon but with his assistance Amy was able to extract the first fish

A solid red tail cat, we also caught these in the Amazon but this one was much bigger, spirits were high

They really take care of the fish lraving them in the net with an aerator to recover and spraying any wounds with anti septic.

After that the action really died off the good thing though we sat on our comfy chairs ordering drinks and top quality Thai food  we just kept staring at the rods

Bier switched one carp rig to a float, I sat aimlessly staring at it

Then unbelievably it suddenly goes at ridiculous speed, I was hooked into a powerful fish, Amy filmed a 12 minute fight which included some soul destroying runs and Bier wiping sweat off my face whilst they both laughed. We finally saw the culprit a big Mekong catfish hooked in the dorsal fin, it started to circle in front but I just couldn't get it too the net before the hook pulled.... gutted!!!

With my arms sore and my mood low, Amy being the incredible person she is told me to take the next bite, it actually didn't take long.

At first the fish came easy then woke up. Thus fish played stubborn just staying out of sight  I'd get to leader and off again when I finally saw the culprit my knees buckled, the fish I wanted most.... it took time and patience and when it hit the net there was plenty of celebrating 

A giant Siamese carp, classified as critically endangered in the wild, these are pretty much the only places to encounter a big one.

I couldn't resist getting in for a water shot

And to personally release the fish, it swam off strong and left me wet, covered in slime and smiling from ear to ear.

 

With the carp seeming to be feeding Amy had the next shot, the float went down almost immediately but much to our surprise another redtail 

A nice fish but Amy was eager for a different species, 

Shortly after my predator rod goes off the fish plowed hard for structure in typical redtail fashion 

Another solid one for the day, I only caught a small one in the amazon so it was nice to hold a bigger specimen.

Amy still hoping for a new species stuck at it, the alligator gar were pestering her with hits but no hook ups but finally Amy hooks up, I recognised the same stubborn fight early on, Amy put in a solid effort and played the fish out into the net, scoring herself a nice Siamese 

the scale patterns on these fish are undeniably beautiful.

With the day pretty much over my predator rod went off one final time  the fish instantly running up into some timber, Bier took the rod presumably to bust if off and suddenly hands it back, 

Ended up with a nice redtail to finish the day.

The fishing park was a really fun experience, the fishing was definetly not easy, they were well educated and challenging to catch but the chance to hold a rare river monster was definetly worth the effort.

I would definitely recommend this for any fishos visiting Thailand 

Cheers for reading 

Dave

 

[Little_Flatty]

Cracker report there Dave. All you needed was a beer while you watched your lines.

[big Neil]

Well worth waiting for guys. For a while I thought you were going to be fishless, but in the end you did very well. Those Siamese Carp are lovely looking until you see their head...YUK.

I suppose you're back into the work routine and fishing the local rivers again.

bn

[zmk1962]

Well don’t be guys. Fresh water fish do look more odd than their salty cousins for sure. 
cheers Z

[Blackfish]

Another great instalment from you two on unusual tropical fish. Geeez these fish make Bream, Flathead and all our Bread and Butter fish look plain.

Thanks for posting.

[bessell1955]

Wow what a great fishing adventure.

[Pickles]

Another great report Dave. You and Amy certainly “living the dream”. Those Siamese Carp are great fish (love your enthusiasm getting in the water).

[Yowie]

Another great effort, the scenery, the unusual fish species, just relaxing waiting for the bite.

I was wondering about the use of heavy line, now I know why looking at the fish. 👍