Guest Posted June 8, 2001 Report Share Posted June 8, 2001 Now that I am more settled in Bangkok I want to go back to my old addiction of carp fishing. I have been surfing the web and have read of two places fairly close to Bangkok namely Lake Kahore and Ban (Bung) Sam Lan both of which contain Giant Siamese Carp over 100kg with cat fish, snakeheads etc. going to the same size or bigger. Anyone know where this places are? Anyone know of other places to fish? Anyone wanna come along? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 9, 2001 Report Share Posted June 9, 2001 Hi, I go canoeing and kayaking on the Mae Nam Kwae Noi (River Kwai of the movie). There are catfish in there that dwarf my canoe, especially in the dams above Sai Yok. I have also seen a sort of Carp, nearly like a Mahseer from the ganges system. These fish run to about 30/40 pounds I'd estimate, the catfish .......... crocs would turn tail and buffalo cross rivers quickly. I read about giant catfish in the Mekong so why not here too. I cannot imagine what they weigh but it must be 500/600 lbs, I get a primeaval shiver in my neck when one passes under the canoe....... really spooky. I can easily imagine being consumed by one so am very careful about not falling out behind the dams, in more swiftly flowing water I relax again. I've never heard of the places you mention, if it's still water I probably haven't been there. Also I have some fishing gear in LOS but nothing that would stand up to even the Mahseer things. I would think 2 pound test curve rods and ABU beachcaster reels with 300yds of 25lb mono as a minimum. For the catfish, ???????? Penn 6/0 sea reels with 130lb mono and a tree!!!!! [ June 08, 2001: Message edited by: coquetislander ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyfarang Posted June 9, 2001 Report Share Posted June 9, 2001 You may be referring to the PLAA BOOK which is found only in the Mae Khong River and is not a catfish or a carp as far as I know, I could be wrong. There are reports of these growing to about 250 kilos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 10, 2001 Report Share Posted June 10, 2001 WA Yes 80lb would do to haul up a barn door from the depths. These fish if they are catfish will have very rough bony mouths, I thought 130 mono or dacron would be more suited. Maybe just a leader of this material and 80 - 100 lb would do. Also WA curious as to what sort of fish you might catch on flies? Species of "catfish" I am aware of the giant catfish in the Mekong, they are a vegetarian species called Pangasianondon gigas. The specimens I have seen are most definetly not vegetarian and look like Heterobranchus species. They certainly eat other fish, cause I've seen them munching on 20-25 pounders. I have also seen a beached Heterobranchus type cat in Spain it's mouth was like very coarse grit paper, also the bony part of the jaw is very close to the skin surface and is iron hard. I would suggest shark gear as being appropriate. For instance big sharp single hook with a "flapper" deadbait. They are bottom feeders so in the current of the main channels 2lbs of lead would be needed to anchor a bait. Having caught cats to 80lbs in Bangladesh (Plectranthus sp.) they are not co-operative and need cranking in very slowly, I have never had one swim towards me and they stick to the bottom like a spoon in treacle. So I don't think the Kwai fish would offer much sport either. The Mahseer like things on the other hand look like big carp/barbel, very sleek and powerful; should make Alaskan Salmon look like wusses. Nothing like a good Scottish Atlantic Salmon of course. [ June 09, 2001: Message edited by: coquetislander ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 10, 2001 Report Share Posted June 10, 2001 I am researching fishing in Thailand right now (I want to fly fish), but it seems to me that with respect to the big cats you could, as previously stated, get away with some sturdy salt water gear.. Here, for 250 kilo hailbut in 90 meters of water they use 80 lb mono I beleive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 10, 2001 Report Share Posted June 10, 2001 The catfish farms near Pattaya have some BIG fish. Over 30 kg are pretty common. They furnish the gear and have beer, food and little tables to sit at. Anything over 2 kg, you have to put back in. I have never caught a keeper. The bait is baseball size bread balls formed around a big hook. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 10, 2001 Report Share Posted June 10, 2001 quote: Originally posted by coquetislander: WA Also WA curious as to what sort of fish you might catch on flies? The Mahseer like things on the other hand look like big carp/barbel, very sleek and powerful; should make Alaskan Salmon look like wusses. Nothing like a good Scottish Atlantic Salmon of course. [ June 09, 2001: Message edited by: coquetislander ] I am thinking that any predator fish could be coaxed into taking an imitation of their prey...as I understand many are bottom feeders, heavy sinking line would od...but I need to find out what they are and what they eat....also the weight and fighting ability I would love to find a fish that could fight like a 25 kilo KIng Salmon in a 25 knot current...try that with a 9 wt..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 11, 2001 Report Share Posted June 11, 2001 Hi Guys, Most of the information that I have found so far has come from the links provided from Thai Fishing Links As you can see from some of them cover fly fishing but as I am a cack handed SOB who cracks off more flies than settle on the water I quickly gave up. As usual I put too much wrist action into it!....LOL I have been in contact with a French guy who organises trips and will be going out with him sometime in July to Ban Sam Lan. I would like to go earlier but he is off in the Malayasian jungles for 2 weeks looking for even bigger Snakeheads. From the few pictures I have seen and one "trip report" they appear to be using 10-11 foot 3-4lb test curve roads with Shimano bait runners but no indication of line strength. Bait is bread strips soaked in coconut milk and some other "secret ingredients" suspended under a large float and fished about 2-3 feet from the bottom. Initially this surprised me as from what I have read of cat fishing in the UK they use dead baits on the bottom but I guess if they weigh in at 100kg+ their mouth is probably 2 feet from the bottom already. They also use small carp as live bait for some Arapia (??)a South American predator fish which also grow to over 100kg so there must be an opportunity to try lure fishing. The cats, snakeheads etc. all sound like fun and I would like to have a crack at them just to compare them to my favorite, Carp. Thanks for the info on Mae Nam Kwae Noi. I have a friend from work who has a farm up that way so I ask him to arrange a scouting trip and hopefully a guide. [ June 11, 2001: Message edited by: Sithammarrat ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 12, 2001 Report Share Posted June 12, 2001 Sit.... Ive been in touch with the same French guy...when he gets back I am gonna get the low down...maybe Ill see you on his lake in November............. I really want to find out what those predator fish eat...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2001 Report Share Posted June 13, 2001 WA I've spoken to the GFs brother re what the predators eat. He thinks they eat their own kind and anything else that swims. He uses a ball of breadpaste with nam pla added to make it sticky and smelly. He claims to have caught them at the tails of rapids to about 20lbs. He is Thai though, so make that 15lbs. (a fisherman too, so make that 10lbs) He thinks they would take a diving plug but he doesn't have any, guess that's solved the birthday present idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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