These pages and links will take you on a tour of Freshwater Fishing in Bangkok Thailand. There are an increasing number of anglers from the USA, UK and Europe who have discovered that Thailand offers some world class Fishing Parks with some holding multiple world records under the IGFA rules and many more Personal Bests
It is not unusual for Fishing Tour companies to offer a money back guarantee if you do not catch a 30lb fish for a visit top Bung Samran - you will be likely to catch a 20-30kg Mekong Catfish on you first visit. On my first visit 3 years ago I caught a 22kg Giant Mekong Catfish (plar buk) and several other 10 to 15kg striped catfish (pla sawai). Recently on a fishing trip I beat my personal best with a 156.5 lb (71kg) Giant Mekong Catfish - see photos below
There are many Fishing Tour Companies operating in Thailand and I have a few that I can recommend having seen how they operate and treat their customers - I can honestly say that the following companies are the real deal and you will not be disappointed with your trip or tour if you choose one of my recommended Thai Fishing Tour Operators
Please check their sites and make your own decision
Siam Fishing Tours - www.siamfishingtours.com - Contact Jules for more info about his excellent fishing Tours - more info about Jules and his company here
Fish Thailand - www.fishthailand.co.uk - Contact Eddie for expert advice - more about Eddie and his qualifications here
Please click on the link above - Bunsamran now has it's own page.
The Bungsamran Fishing Page has information and video clips of bait preparation and techniques along with equipment guides and my personal preferences.
Take away the myths about fishing at this world class fishing park and other venues - this is one of the only sites on the web that gives you true rundown on the fishing venues in Thailand without wanting to take money off you - only bias on this site is my personnel recommendations for tour companies, equipment and venues that I have personal experience of.
Shadow Lake is known as Gnao Nam by the locals - It is not very often that you will see any non-Thais at this venue. This is the longest running big fish venue in and around Bangkok and holds many of the local records. The stock levels are not as high as Bung Samran and it is a less physically exerting day until you hook a monster.
I think that the percentage of large fish in this venue is greater than anywhere else and is well worth a visit
GPS Coords 13.74559 N, 100.37262 E - Google KMZ file is available Here
Costs for 12 hours fishing is cheaper than Bungsamran and is also open 24hrs - Price for members is 100 THB per rod for Day fishing and 120 THB for night fishing
No bungalows are available and the shelters are basic - not too good for non fishing visitors - food and drinks are available
Again because the fish have been in this lake for a long time and have a regular diet, the bait used has little similarity to what could be used in a natural environment - A few visits with a guide or a fishing tour company is needed to have a fair chance of a good days fishing at this venue - I do not recommend trying this venue without help
Bung Kwarng is located on the outskirts of Bangkok in Minburi - It is a friendly fishing lake that is popular with the locals and I have yet to see a non-Thai at this venue
GPS Coords 13.80989N, 100.75700E - Google KMZ file is available Here
Costs 100 THB per day for all anglers
Open from 0930hrs until midnight every day
Food and drinks are available
The owner of this lake (Khun Uee) is very helpful and always has time to answer any questions you may have. This lake has a wide range of fish species and some of the large carp are very hard to catch - I have included a few photographs of some of the fish in Bung Kwarng
There are nearly a hundred small fishing lakes in and around Bangkok who make a living out of competitive fishing for Striped Catfish (pla sawai). The matches are held by each lake once or twice a week and the lake will set a weight for the day, for an example 4.0kg - the match is run over a set time period and the last fish caught nearest the set weight but not over wins the 1st prize which can be up to THB 200,000 depending on the venue. There prizes for 2 to 4th place and sometimes a small prize for the biggest fish caught.
The competitions are a busy time with hundreds of anglers present. Some of the locals make a good living from these competitions as there is usually one or two matches every day of the week somewhere in the area. I have fished alongside some of the "pro" anglers and they are willing help you and will answer any questions. These lads know what distance to cast and depth to fish for a specific size and the tactics at each lake vary.. but they pull out a catfish every 5 to10mins on average
Each lake usually has a few big Mekong Catfish 60kg plus which are very hard to catch
During the day Shadow Lake is usually very quiet, the busy period being late afternoon until after midnight when the local fishermen take advantage of this excellent venue - it is considerably cheaper (a quarter of the price) than Bung Samran for a day or nights fishing but does not have the trimmings or comfort available at Bung Samran.
The toilets are a bit basic but there is work starting on new buildings to improve this.
Recent catch reports from Shadow Lake have included large 80kg plus Mekong Giant Catfish and an Arapaima of similar size.
Mekong Giant Catfish - 71kg - Bung Samran, April 2008
Arapaima Gigas - 100kg - Bung Samran, August 2008
Siamese Giant Carp - 23kg - July 2008
Pacu - 8kg - Bung Samran, June 2008
Chaopraya Catfish - 18kg - Bung Samran, July 2008
Striped Catfish - 18kg - Shadow Lake, May 2008
Walking Catfish - 0.9kg - Bung Chum Narng, Sept 08
Striped Snakehead 1.0kg - Bung Maruay, Oct 08
This is an excellent venue for lure fishing and fly fishing for Barramundi in Thailand. This lake is well known amongst the local fishing community and is very busy at the weekends.
The fish are mainly Barramundi (Pla Kapong in Thai) up to 12 kg plus (26.5 lbs) and a few Common Snakehead (Pla Chon) The fish are rotated between fished and recuperation ponds and the stock levels are topped up weekly to replace the one caught by non catch and release anglers - A fair number of locals come to catch and eat, the fish cooked on site and eaten in the restaurant.
GPS Coords 13.508929N, 100.959428E - Google KMZ file is available Here
Costs 100 THB per day per rod for all anglers - An unbeatable price for this type of fishing
Bung Chum Narng is located outside of Bangkok in Samut Prakarn Province
GPS Coords 13.643208 N, 100.660559 E - Google KMZ file is available Here
No bungalows are available and the shelters are basic - not too good for non fishing visitors and the toilets are all but non existant- food and drinks are available along with a small stock of tackle and hire rods
Costs for a days fishing - 0800hrs to 2000hrs is 70 THB per rod
