fishing all geared up, watch this space.

[Bob9863]

My bags are packed, and funny enough 80% of it is fishing gear.

Half my clothes are in my wife's bags. 

I've got a big box of suitable lures all with single circle hooks fitted, I've got a pair of Nitro Bonecrusher 7ft travel rods rods, PE2-4 and PE 2-6 with a Stella 5000 and a Baitrunner LC med for the heavy bait rod and a couple of spare reels for rods over there too.

Hooks, burley feeders, multiple spare 65lb and 20lb shimano grapler braid spools, 20lb, 30lb, 60lb and 100lb fluorocarbon and all the bits and bobs to keep things running.

Why, for a month over in Thailand with around 8-10 days fishing in parks around Bangkok and two weeks in the mountains helping with the harvest and fishing in my very own heavily stocked fishing pond. It's probably got close to 1000 fish in it now so it's going to be called catching, not fishing.

But you can expect even demand some decent Arapima, my main goal this trip is to land a 200lb one, some big Amazon red tail of course, heaps of Mekong catfish and Siamese giant carp and some nuisance alligator gar.

But what I'd really like this trip is a great Tapah or failing that a Piraiba and a Tarpon if possible. But I do plan on exploring more small parks in Bangkok for smaller species that I haven't caught before and hopefully a really big Giant snakehead. Maybe with some street fishing around town thrown in.

So as I finish a days fishing I'm going to put a bit of a report up here in this post about where I went and what got caught.

With the obligatory photos of course.

So finger's crossed its a good one, it's been 3 whole years in the making so the wife is being very generous with my fishing time.

 

[ellicat]

Sounds great!

I look forward to the reports.

All the best for a successful trip.

 

PS: As for the photo issue we're having at the moment, using a photo hosting site and posting the link here, is the best workaround I can think of.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Good luck Bob, hope you clean up. Will be excited to see all of your catches.

[Jono4500]

Sounds like a trip of a life time! Looking forward to seeing bit more of an exotic array of species  than we usually see.

[Bob9863]

Fly out Monday morning, so this time next week hopefully I can have my 1st day out.

I might even make space for the tenkara rod. Just to be a bit different.

[Bob9863]

Well I'm here, arrived last night and I'm off fishing soon.

I don't know if it's in the river or a park just yet, jet-lag and tequila made comprehension a little tricky.

But I'm planning on the 1st fish down today either way.

[Bob9863]

It was the river, only two fish caught.

But it should have been more, we got a heavy downpour and the bait got wet and wouldn't stay on when you can't it.

But we're going to try again and I'm going to get my wife to book me into two arapima fishing parks this week.

Will post some pictures as soon as I figure out what image hosting site I use.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Try Lensdump for the photo website.

[Bob9863]

I already had an account somewhere, I've found it now so I can finally upload some pictures.

It doesn't help that the moment I get home someone gives me a beer that never empties and shots of rice moonshine. The trouble with thailand is the moment your beer is half full, somebody will top it up so you have no idea how much your drinking until you try to stand.

But anyway the photos, it was a stretch of the Chaophraya River north of Bangkok, I also got told by a regular there that you can catch the giant stingray there so I might have a go at that some time.

Getting to the river took hours longer then expected due to some serious traffic delays moving a backhoe 1st but we got there in the end.

Anyway it started good, people were catching as we arrived and I got two in pretty quick succession, unfortunately we got hit by a monsoon downpour. I went and gutsa jumping a drain to get to the car and after it stopped the bait got soaked and wouldn't stay on the feeder so we left early.

I've got the wife booking me into those arapima parks today so at least I know I'm in for some big fish this week.

The river

Popular spot

The BIL getting set up

The bait rig, everyone uses them.

My tiny haul.

If someone can tell my why they didn't work I will fix them, bugger.

 

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Sounds like a decent session despite the rain, but I can't see the pics  

[ellicat]

https://postimg.cc/ftGtbzMn

[ellicat]

https://postimg.cc/TpX5M3kn

[ellicat]

https://postimg.cc/5jzQRCmx

[ellicat]

https://postimg.cc/N992Y9qk

[ellicat]

https://postimg.cc/kVhRkNZ5

 

I don't know why your links don't work, but I just copied the url from the address bar, which allows members to click and look.

[Bob9863]

Going to e doing s lot of that on Friday I'd say, I'm off to a place called Amazon BKK tomorrow that a lure fishing only park.

Lots of Arapima and Red tail catfish, with a heap of other exotic species as well. The biggest Arapima ie caught there was around 150lb, that was 3 years ago so there must be a few 200lb ones by now.

Fingers crossed for a monster.

 

[ellicat]

What sort of lures will you be using for them ?

[Bob9863]

Well today I tried big jackals and some down under boomerangs but what did the trick was soft plastics under a popping float.

I got 5 big red tail catfish and a big alligator gar. I was connected to a dream arapima for almost two minutes before it threw me.

But I'm of to a special park for them this weekend.

[Bob9863]

 

[Neil Stratford]

Some solid and chunky fish there.

Bring on the trophy Arapima!!!

[Bob9863]

I just realised I forgot to say much about the park. But then I did the report while drinking with the neighbours that took me there. Due to my darlin wife who got me to come back an hour early from fishing had gone our for dinner with a friend and locked me out of the house.

Anyway, that park is called Amazon BKK, it has some great fish but it's very hard fishing compared to other parks. It's also changed hands a bit in the last few years. It was originally owned by a thai family, then last time I was there it had been bought by an English guy that wanted to build a resort there (just before covid) and now it's been bought by a Burmese couple. The price has gone up too, it used to be 3000baht now it's 4000baht plus 500 baht for a guide that was always included before.

But despite the difficulties at that park, every fish I get there I know I worked for it. So now to book into an easier park with more water, more fish and some proper arapima.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Great photos! 

[Bob9863]

Bugger, I just lost a 70kg arapima, great video of it.

Never mind, as I was writing that last bit I caught two arapima, so all is good now.

[Bob9863]

Ok so I caught 8 today, had a very slow start but a little change in the weather and its was on for an hore and a half and then picked the odd one up here and there.

But anyway apparently the biggest was 80kg, I also caught a PB Red tail but the photos are on the gopro so I will upload it later.

 

[ellicat]

Wow, Bob. How much longer are your arms ? haha

Nice fish.

[Bob9863]

Oh this park, to fish, for transport, lunch, beer and tips at the end l, it only cost a bit over $200 ,for the day.

Fishing and tips were only $140 for the day.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Wow, that’s insane, great work Bob! 

[ellicat]

Half the price of a local charter where you wouldn't catch anywhere near the weight.

[Jono4500]

What's the monster eeltail catfish looking thing? Snake head?

[Bob9863]

There were 3 Germans there yesterday that caught 9 arapima between them.

I'm going back to that park twice more before I go. The staff are super friendly and helpful and they will sell me some young arapima to put in my pond on the family farm up north.

I'm going to have pet arapima, that's bloody awesome.

[Bob9863]

3 minutes ago, Jono4500 said:

What's the monster eeltail catfish looking thing? Snake head?

If I understand correctly it's a sharp tooth catfish from Africa.

[Neil Stratford]

All great fish , that’s a really good photo of you and the local fellow supporting the big arapima in the water ,

Well done , you can cross that one off the to do list now. 

[Bob9863]

Not even close, my target was about another 20kg heavier, which was probably close to the one I lost.

But next year I've got a shot at some 200kg ones down near krabi. But with two more days at that park I could still hit my 200lb mark there.

Although a funny story about the big one, I've got video of fighting it from across the lake. While I was fighting it a fire ant decided to grab onto my inner thigh and not let go, it hurt like he'll but made for a funny video.

[Bob9863]

Been up in the north for the rice harvest, so I haven't gotten to do much fishing, just a hell of a lot of drinking.

But I got out to a local park yesterday that has these crazy fish called anabas or climbing perch.

They are sort of like redfin, prolific breeders, grow quick but are much fatter, far more aggressive, have the strongest bite but can climb out of the water and stay out for up to 8 hours.

I'm going back there in a few days time to try out the tenkara fly rod, I think they are perfect for it.

We kept a feed and I let a dozen go in my pond.

[ellicat]

Interesting. Part of evolution.

[Bob9863]

I think most of the native fish are like that, the catfish, snakehead and these are great low oxygen survivors.

And I don't know why, it's not like this country is short of water or anything.

[Bretto77]

1 hour ago, Bob9863 said:

And I don't know why, it's not like this country is short of water or anything

Water holds less oxygen with elevated temperature. If you add high numbers of algae and bacteria to the equation then dissolved oxygen levels can get very low, particularly just before dawn.

[Bob9863]

I had an absolute shocker yesterday, I caught 6 fish but had at least 10 get off. Buy I'm back there tomorrow, re geared up and although a new plan to purely target the arapaima along the banks.

I want my 200lb arapaima.

But anyway I got one little one, 4 red tail and fir something a little different I caught my 1st meter barra, that made the day worthwhile.

On a side note, I found out why the parks seem to have so many red tail, apparently they are really good at keeping the ponds clean.

I've got an alternative theory, they do that they are a tough fish. So that means parks can have a lot of big fish that can handle being caught a lot to keep people happy while they try to get through them to the more valuable fish.

[ellicat]

Looks like a top days fishing despite the dropped ones.

Very clean looking barra.

[Bob9863]

It was a real surprise, we thought it might have been an arapaima, but it did feel a little different.

Most of the fish fight deep, but arapaima fight high and so did this, but it wasn't running as much.

I bought some new hooks and leader to tie sine rigs up with, I think I missed the fish that I did as I was using circle hooks with a long bent point, I think that cost me good hook sets. But it's been a great learning experience, so I will see if do better tomorrow when I go back.