BigAl
30-05-2006, 14:08
Hi All,
Despite being arrested on arrival at Bangkok airport for being in possession of too many duty free cigarettes, being taken to the Police station, fined 21,335 baht (£302) and missing the hotel connection cab, we eventually made it to the hotel in Bangkok.
We were only in Bagkok for 3 nights but decided to have a days fishing at Bungsam Lan Lake to try and catch a mekong catfish. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT!!!!!!
The lakes about 400 metres long by 500metres wide, surrounded by a wooden deck walkway with "bungalows" on it and it is absolutely heaving with fish from 10 kg upwards of all sorts of species. The surface is constantly in a state of confusion from so many fish rolling and leaping at the same time.
The only technique that I could see in use was breadcrusts mixed into a stiff paste and moulded round a spiral cage underneath a sliding float set at about 8 feet with the use of a stop knot.
To cut a long story short I ended up catching 10 mekong catfish to about 50lb through virtually no skill of my own, which, even though I would say it was quite good fun, the Thais certainly must be the world experts in over stocked commercial fisheries. It would be impossible not to catch fish. I was bored by 3.30 so went back to hotel.
Down to Phuketand immediately ring Micheal of "M/V Reel Thing" running out of Chalong to see what the possibilities are for the next week. A monsoon running south to north up the Chinese coast is effecting the weather in Phuket and when they were last out on the 17th, they had to contend with 4m swells and reduced fishing grounds due to 29 commercial boats taking shelter in the lee of Racha Yai and Racha Noi. The good news was that they had seen 6 or 7 sailfish free jumping that afternoon and as soon as the weather dropped we should bee in with a shout.
We arrived in Phuket on the 19th of may and our last available day would be the 25th. I kept in touch with Micheal throught the week and on tuesday it seemed like there might be a chance on thursday (25th). A quick call on wednesday evening confirmed blue skies and calm seas for following day and a pick up time of 7.00 am.
Micheal is from Denmark originally and speaks fluent english, better than most Brits, and quizzed me on the way to the as to what I would like to do for the day. Having never caught a billfish, a sailfish had to be the priority.
Micheal also had a suprise for us. Instead of going out on "Reel Thing", a 21 ft speedboat, we had been upgraded to "M/V Gecko" a 40ft boat usually used on liveaboard charters. So with Teo at the helm, Toy as deckie and Micheal as instructor for me we leave Chalong pier at 7.30.
The plan was to troll around and between the islands in the morning to get plenty of small tuna to use as belly strip baits for sails in the afternoon. The lure spread had only been out minutes before the first of more than a dozen small tunas hit the lures and were put on ice. Micheal kept us laughing with stories of past trips on the boat in the 8 years he's lived and worked there and all of a sudden its lunch time and Toy brings out lunch. Well we must be meeting up with another boat surely, theres enough food to feed an army!!!
We eat on deck so that we can keep fishing and refuse the cool of the air-conditioned cabin.
We're running a spread of 6 lures, 4 Kona head type lures and 2 smaller chrome head bubblers for tuna. We pass between the islands for the second time and the right hand tuna lure is away. I take the rod out of the rod holder move the lever to strike and as the line comes tight, I hit it, the fish takes 100 yards of line in the blink of an eye and the line falls slack. "Marlin" says Micheal quietly as I wind in the lure for inspection. The hook has straightened out considerably and I know its my fault for not setting the hook hard enough.
The hot time approaches for sailfish and Micheal shows me how to prepare and mount a Panama belly strip. We put out 4 belly strips and slowed the troll speed. 3 o;clock passes, then four o'clock, a Dorado, about 20lbs, attacks one of the baits leaps 6 or 7 times before letting go. The crew are trying as hard as they can for me, and we troll for another hour and a half with nothing to show for our efforts. But its not to be and we take the lures in at 5.45 and head back to Chalong pier.
Micheal and the other 2 Guys, Teo and Toy tried a hard as any guys I have had the pleasure to fish with and they were as disappointed as I was that I didn't break my billfish duck. Another thing that I really liked about Micheal was that it really was a hands on experience and I was allowed to do everything that I wanted to do, I wasn't there just to wind them in, if you know what I mean.
After all the anecdotes and stories of liveaboards, its time to save up and do a 5 day trip to the Andamans in the future.
If you do go to Phuket look Micheal up and I'm sure he'll do his very best to put you on some fish. A true professional, extremely knowledgable and can talk the hind legs off a donkey.
Their web site is http://www.fishing-khaolak.com
Allan
Despite being arrested on arrival at Bangkok airport for being in possession of too many duty free cigarettes, being taken to the Police station, fined 21,335 baht (£302) and missing the hotel connection cab, we eventually made it to the hotel in Bangkok.
We were only in Bagkok for 3 nights but decided to have a days fishing at Bungsam Lan Lake to try and catch a mekong catfish. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT!!!!!!
The lakes about 400 metres long by 500metres wide, surrounded by a wooden deck walkway with "bungalows" on it and it is absolutely heaving with fish from 10 kg upwards of all sorts of species. The surface is constantly in a state of confusion from so many fish rolling and leaping at the same time.
The only technique that I could see in use was breadcrusts mixed into a stiff paste and moulded round a spiral cage underneath a sliding float set at about 8 feet with the use of a stop knot.
To cut a long story short I ended up catching 10 mekong catfish to about 50lb through virtually no skill of my own, which, even though I would say it was quite good fun, the Thais certainly must be the world experts in over stocked commercial fisheries. It would be impossible not to catch fish. I was bored by 3.30 so went back to hotel.
Down to Phuketand immediately ring Micheal of "M/V Reel Thing" running out of Chalong to see what the possibilities are for the next week. A monsoon running south to north up the Chinese coast is effecting the weather in Phuket and when they were last out on the 17th, they had to contend with 4m swells and reduced fishing grounds due to 29 commercial boats taking shelter in the lee of Racha Yai and Racha Noi. The good news was that they had seen 6 or 7 sailfish free jumping that afternoon and as soon as the weather dropped we should bee in with a shout.
We arrived in Phuket on the 19th of may and our last available day would be the 25th. I kept in touch with Micheal throught the week and on tuesday it seemed like there might be a chance on thursday (25th). A quick call on wednesday evening confirmed blue skies and calm seas for following day and a pick up time of 7.00 am.
Micheal is from Denmark originally and speaks fluent english, better than most Brits, and quizzed me on the way to the as to what I would like to do for the day. Having never caught a billfish, a sailfish had to be the priority.
Micheal also had a suprise for us. Instead of going out on "Reel Thing", a 21 ft speedboat, we had been upgraded to "M/V Gecko" a 40ft boat usually used on liveaboard charters. So with Teo at the helm, Toy as deckie and Micheal as instructor for me we leave Chalong pier at 7.30.
The plan was to troll around and between the islands in the morning to get plenty of small tuna to use as belly strip baits for sails in the afternoon. The lure spread had only been out minutes before the first of more than a dozen small tunas hit the lures and were put on ice. Micheal kept us laughing with stories of past trips on the boat in the 8 years he's lived and worked there and all of a sudden its lunch time and Toy brings out lunch. Well we must be meeting up with another boat surely, theres enough food to feed an army!!!
We eat on deck so that we can keep fishing and refuse the cool of the air-conditioned cabin.
We're running a spread of 6 lures, 4 Kona head type lures and 2 smaller chrome head bubblers for tuna. We pass between the islands for the second time and the right hand tuna lure is away. I take the rod out of the rod holder move the lever to strike and as the line comes tight, I hit it, the fish takes 100 yards of line in the blink of an eye and the line falls slack. "Marlin" says Micheal quietly as I wind in the lure for inspection. The hook has straightened out considerably and I know its my fault for not setting the hook hard enough.
The hot time approaches for sailfish and Micheal shows me how to prepare and mount a Panama belly strip. We put out 4 belly strips and slowed the troll speed. 3 o;clock passes, then four o'clock, a Dorado, about 20lbs, attacks one of the baits leaps 6 or 7 times before letting go. The crew are trying as hard as they can for me, and we troll for another hour and a half with nothing to show for our efforts. But its not to be and we take the lures in at 5.45 and head back to Chalong pier.
Micheal and the other 2 Guys, Teo and Toy tried a hard as any guys I have had the pleasure to fish with and they were as disappointed as I was that I didn't break my billfish duck. Another thing that I really liked about Micheal was that it really was a hands on experience and I was allowed to do everything that I wanted to do, I wasn't there just to wind them in, if you know what I mean.
After all the anecdotes and stories of liveaboards, its time to save up and do a 5 day trip to the Andamans in the future.
If you do go to Phuket look Micheal up and I'm sure he'll do his very best to put you on some fish. A true professional, extremely knowledgable and can talk the hind legs off a donkey.
Their web site is http://www.fishing-khaolak.com
Allan