Fishing In Thailand Newsletter November 2015

Hi and welcome to the November 2015 newsletter, our monthly roundup of news, catch reports and anything remotely connected to our little slice of paradise out here in Krabi…

Well, it’s been another amazing month at THE theatre of dreams. The unexpected surprise for me was seeing so many faces again, as it’s now 12 months on from when I started working here. It’s the first month for me where people who come the same time every year have appeared! It really drove the message home on the amount of rebookings we get here, and I guess that must mean we are getting most things right, although with the ‘Big Dawg’ driving this ship, we are always looking to improve anything that we can, all the time. With so many customers coming and going, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with all of them, from my perspective, as we always have so much going on in the background.

It’s been another truly amazing month, and the Siamese carp seem to be going ballistic at the moment. As mentioned later, Gary Hipple had possibly the biggest haul of carp ever, and there have been many different specimens coming out over the magical 100lb barrier. Many times we see customers arrive, and they say they just want to catch a 100lb-plus Siamese, and now more and more of them are actually achieving this, with many different fish now pushing over the 100lb mark and quite a few different ones going over 120lbs now. In the old days carp anglers traveled to France for a big carp, but we are seeing many people now coming here with their girlfriends or wives instead of travelling to France, having a week’s carp fishing here, then going on for a week to the beach, or just traveling around Thailand and combining both different types of holiday all in one mega holiday.

Guide Lee has had an interesting month, as he popped home for a short holiday and also had the joys of his friend cooking some Brussels spouts for him, in the kettle! Sticks, after crashing his bike on a few occasions has had a good month. His lady friend flew over to see him and showered him with boxes of chocolates to help feed his constant craving of sugar; however all is not well at Sticks H.Q. because he is finding it almost impossible to live without Walkers crisps, so much so, that there have been negotiations for his mum to post him some out! However, rumour has it that a local supplier of “farang” (white man foreigner) foods has been able to source some, so maybe Sticks will not have to bother home after all.

Lawrence popped to Kuala Lumpur for a couple of days, and apparently (as he is the most perfect form of human being – his words, not mine) every girl in the city fell in love with him… amazing stuff! He also had a few days’ fishing where he caught a big gourami weighing nearly 13lb, our second ever tarpon (I think!), featherbacks, and I believe a snakehead. He then spent a few days enjoying his mother and father’s company who were out here celebrating his mum’s 60th and retirement. Nick has had his fishing head on and was over the moon when he landed a superb Siamese carp of 120lb. He also continues his passion for Thai boxing. Gollock has extended his use of the English langauge to include “loverly jubblerly” and bought some nice new shorts. Young Alex has been constantly applauded for being the only guide with a full head of hair. He had an amusing experience where a lady(boy) gave him a lift on her (his) motorbike, which seemed to be quite an expensive one, and left our ever-giggling guide without any money in the middle of nowhere and calling for help at 3 o’clock in the morning, as we all found out when our phones went off!

 

Right that’s enough of my ramblings, so best we get on with the whos, the whys and the flipping ‘ecks from this month’s fishing.

The anglers who visited us for the exotic fishing Thailand has to offer, had some superb fishing in Krabi this month with a total of 596 fish caught of 26 species, made up as follows: 33 arapaima to 530lb, four alligator gar to 65lb, 149 Amazon redtail catfish to 80lb, one tarpon of 20lb, 56 Asian redtail catfish to 40lb, 6 black pacu to 30lb, one Chao Phraya catfish of 35lb, six spotted featherback to 12lb, eight Julian’s golden carp to 35lb, 62 Mekong catfish to 220lb, five red bellied pacu to 18lb, 221 Siamese carp to 183lb, one tiger shovel nose catfish of 20lb, one tambaqui of 45lb, three gourami to 8lb, seven arawana to 8lb, one ripsaw catfish of 20lb, three giant freshwater stingray to 130lb, four giant snakehead to 9lb, seven giant featherbacks to 8lb, two wallago attu to 6lb, one tilapia of 4lb, one Nile perch of 10lb and two striped snakehead to 6lb.

Guide Lawrence’s mum and dad came out to Thailand for a month’s holiday, incorporating his mum, Frances’, 60th birthday, a spot of sightseeing and a bit of fishing, which was great for Bob, as he is actually quite a keen fisherman. First stop for them was a few days’ fishing here, and Bob had set himself a little target of five species that he really wanted to catch, as follows: Siamese carp, Mekong catfish, Amazon red tail catfish, stingray and an arapaima! No pressure then for our gobby guide! Bob and Frances came bearing gifts (which is always nice). Mine was some St. Agur cheese, which probably won’t last long in my fridge. Bob’s first day’s fishing luckily coincided with the start of a two-day rest period of Lawrence’s, so he could get a little bit of one-on-one guiding, which was a bit of a tickle for him. Bob was set up in A1, and before lunchtime he was pleased because he had caught his biggest ever fish in the shape of a 100lb Mekong, which obviously gave him a good workout in the process.

Early in the afternoon his rod ripped off again, but this time it was a Siamese carp of around 50lb, so that was two out of the five species done on the first day. On his second day’s fishing Lawrence decided to leave him alone for the morning, as he had some shopping to do, but this didn’t stop him landing a decent Asian red tail, and later that evening when Lawrence had returned, Bob went on to land an Amazon red tail catfish of 40lbs, so that was three of the five he was looking for. Fran was in the shower, and upon her return instantly pointed out that the pictures were ok, but they would have been better if she had taken them. At that point I could see where Lawrence inherited some of his skills.

Having settled in nicely to the fishing, Bob continued to get amongst the fish and upped his PB Siamese to 65lb around 8.30am on day four. Then as the day progressed he bagged two more Amazon red tails of 25lb and 50lb, and all this without Lawrence around, as he was planning another night out. His last but one day was his only blank day of the trip, and as much as he tried the fish weren’t playing ball that day. So with his last day’s fishing Bob was up nice and early, and bang on 7am the rods went in, and the traps were set. There were clearly Mekong in the area, and it didn’t surprise anyone when Bob struck into one and then landed his biggest ever fish with a solid 140lb specimen. That really was the one he was looking for, a big 100lb-plus fish, and he was more than happy to call it a day after that, especially as that day really belonged to Frances because it was her 60th birthday. To celebrate her birthday, Lawrence, Sticks, Nick and I took her to The Carnivore. We met Adam Thacker and his wife there too, and a great time was had by all. Then we went for a few cocktails, and Lawrence took her into the rowdy section of town and introduced her to some of his ladyboy friends. They enjoyed their stay with us and then left us for a week’s chilling out in Ao Nang before they continued their holiday for the next couple of weeks visiting other areas of Thailand.

 

Keith ‘The Tooth’ O’Connor and his partner in crime Gary Hipple made their usual November jaunt again this year. Keith and his wife Ina came in a few days before Gary and his wife Fran. If you have read any of the previous newsletters you may remember that the last news on Keith was that his tendon had snapped in his arm and his bicep literally fell down his arm. We didn’t know whether or not he would be able to continue fishing for big fish. Well a few months on and it’s a bit better but still really needs some medical attention. However it’s not that bad that he can’t fish, so he turned up ready to have a go at them, and quite luckily his favourite swim D3 became empty as he started his fishing, so he jumped in there like a rat up a pipe! The first morning came, and just what he needed was a Mekong to test his arm strength out! At 90lb it wasn’t a huge one, but he dealt with it ok, and it looked like everything would be fine from then on. The next couple of days Keith plodded along landing a few Siamese to 80lb and another Mekong, this time weighing a nice 110lb. This was also backed up by a couple of Asian red tail catfish. Then Gary and Fran turned up, and it has to be said, very kindly and generously bearing all sorts of gifts for everyone! Mine were two inflatable sea creatures for the pool and a packet of sugar-free sweets, which it has to be said, had been attacked on line for causing bowel troubles, which Fran had warned me of prior to their visit, but I had said to bring along as I have guts made of steel.

Gary set up in C1, but as much as he tried the fish had other ideas than gracing his net on the first day. Keith seemed to revel in the fact as he wound in a 75lb Siamese carp, a 110lb Mekong and an Asian redtail of 20lb. The wind in the staff block blew strong that night as I filled my face with these ‘dangerous’ sweets. I couldn’t believe the noises that were coming out of me. Guide Chris (in the room next door) said he had never heard anything like it and asked if I was ok. I was, if not somewhat surprised as to how a few sugar-free Gummy Bears could have such an effect on a grown man! This did cause a little bit of amusement for the masses, as the next day rolled in, but Gary was getting stuck into the Siamese carp, of which he landed four over 70lb, the biggest of which was 90lb and then a small featherback. Keith on the other hand was still reeling in Mekongs and landed a further two of 130lb and 150lb, just what you need with a bad arm! Still, a Siamese of 70lb and an Amazon red tail finished the day off nicely for him, so there wasn’t too much moaning.

The next day started in style for Gary as his dream fish, i.e. a 100lb-plus Siamese, turned up in his net at 105lb. He was really chuffed about having seen Keith reel in the odd one last year, and it had been a year or two since he had reeled one in. Shortly after an 80lb one came along just as Keith got renamed ‘tiddler fiddler’ for his new found ability to only catch small ones, and he showed yet again that day why it was appropriate, as he landed two Asians of 30lb and 15lb, followed by a 40lb Siamese. The only other thing of any real consequence that happened that night was the fact I had another go at the sweets, and let’s just say between 3am and 5am the next morning I was sitting on the toilet, and it wasn’t air that was coming out… God, I was ill!

Back on the lake however things were going the same as they had on previous days – Keith was messing about with tiddler Siamese of around 35lb and Mekong catfish around the 130lb mark, whilst Gary showed the way home yet again with two Siamese, the biggest of which was 115lb! With a night on the town and a Chelsea game to watch, Keith was up with the lark and more than ready to go at 7am. He managed four that day to 80lb and had a good scrap with another Mekong, this time a bit bigger at 170lbs. Gary stuck to his tactics and landed two Siamese, the smallest 90lb… no tiddler fiddler here that’s for sure. The day’s fishing ended early as they all caught a cab into town to get a bite to eat or watch the football, and it ended with a drunk tiddler fiddler falling through the hedge twice near his bungalow, which meant someone was a little late starting the next day – in fact three hours late!

In the meantime Gary was on time and got stuck into the fishing. He managed a few small ones, and then later on that morning he had a run that really ripped off and took him just about the whole way across the lake. Thinking it was a Mekong, he gave it the big one and got locked into the fish and eventually pulled it back into his swim. Then the real shock set in as a really big Siamese went into the net. It took a while, but we knew which fish it was – it was the 183lb landed the month before – wow, what a fish! Gary was rightfully buzzing, for now he had caught three 100lb-plus Siamese, topped by a 183lb monster! Tiddler Fiddler on the other hand was relieved to avoid the Mekong and netted two Siamese of 45lb and 75lb respectively.

Coming into November Keith picked the reins up and he had a cracking day where he landed 5 Siamese to 90lb, then had a battle royale with a 190lb Mekong catfish and as dusk fell, a small Asian red tail finished off his days angling nicely. Gary on the other hand just had a couple of Siamese carp to 70lb and a black pacu of 20lb. He wasn’t too bothered though, as I don’t think the biggie had sunk in yet, and anyway he was off to The Carnivore restaurant that evening, and I’m sure his mind was on which steak to have. The following day went in Keith’s favour as he landed two Siamese to 90lb and an Asian red tail catfish. Gary on the other hand lost a Mekong and then lost a couple of pacu that bit through his hooklink, so that went down as a blank day!

Just getting to the half way point of their holiday, and with Ina always chilling by the pool and Fran doing as much shopping as possible (with partner-in-crime Becky) the boys carried on. Gary continued his run of better carp with another four in total, of which two were 70lb, along with a 90lb’er and also had a token black pacu of 25lb in the middle of the day. Amazingly Keith seemed to be catching the same type of fish, as he kicked off with another Mekong of 120lbs, which he was more than happy to tell everyone he landed in 15 minutes – not bad with a cronky arm. Then after that he had three more small carp of 50lb and under (50lb – small – ha ha!).

By now our dynamic duo had really put a few carp under their belts, but there was a role reversal the following day when Gary landed three Siamese which weighed 35lb, 45lb and 70lb whilst Keith had a very impressive day catching Siamese of 60lb, 70lb, 80lb, 80lb then his seventh 100lb-plus Siamese of 110lb! They both fished very similar methods of quite heavily baiting and constant recasting. In fact Gary made it clear that he didn’t change anything during the whole of his trip. He stuck to his guns and just kept working the same spots in the lake. Sometimes this would produce a few fish, but sometimes not, as he reckons they tend to drift in and out of the swim.

Well even though they are a few swims apart they seemed to like it more down in Keith’s swim for a while, as he landed three to 70lb and Gary had two, the biggest 70lb. Things evened out a bit the day after, as Keith had five more including a couple of ‘tiddlers’ at 20lb and 30lb, but still managed a 70, an 80 and then a 90lb lump, whilst Gary had four, of which three were 70lb and another was 90lb. That evening they were all out again for a meal at The Carnivore, and Keith, being the chicken crazy guy he is, managed to come back with some small eggs from the restaurant, which he then placed under his ‘croaking chicken’ which he would give a good squeeze too, every time he returned a fish. This of course meant he had to build a nest for them before placing them under his plastic chicken, and when I saw them I was beginning to think maybe he’s been carp fishing too long and perhaps he’s gone a little mad! The eggs seemed to bring good luck, as he didn’t fall through the hedge on his way back that night, and the following day he landed a Mekong of 160lb, four more Siamese to 90lb and a big Asian red tail of 35lb.

Gary on the other hand had decided to have a bit of a play for other species, and he had gone and dug some worms up. He was pleased to land a couple of giant featherbacks of 4lb and 7lb, a gourami of 4lb and then a 90lb Siamese on his ‘carp rod’. After what was quite a busy couple of days things slowed down a little, and Gary landed two Siamese, one of 150lb and one of 97lb, so that was four over 100lb! Incredible stuff, and if that doesn’t whet your appetite enough, then later that afternoon Gary landed a big head carp of 40lb… Keith the crazy chicken fiddler…? Well, he had a pacu of 20lb and a Siamese of 80lb. Gary probably became the one and only person on planet earth not to have a picture taken with a 150lb Siamese carp the next day, as in a strange twist of fate, he landed the same fish two days running! Well that’s fishing for you, I’ve seen it before back home, but it doesn’t happen that often that’s for sure. He also went on to catch a very impressive haul of Siamese that day in the shape a 28lb’er, a 45lb’er, two 50lb’ers and four 80lb’ers… Now that is a good day’s angling! Keith on the other hand had a fairly relaxed day with carp of 60lb, 70lb, and 90lb, and then popped out an Asian red tail of 30lb.

If that day was fairly relaxed the following day was even more so for Keith, as, bless him, he really did feel quite ill. Exhaustion and dehydration we think we the culprits, but as much as he tried, he just needed to get his head down and rest a little on what had been a pretty long session by anyone’s standards.

Gary on the other hand had a dream day and landed an incredible sixth Siamese over the 100lb mark with a monster at 130lb, which he backed up with another four all over 80lb with the biggest at 90lb – truly incredible. The last day of their adventure belonged to Gary as he landed six Siamese carp to 85lb and then quite remarkably he landed the 183lb monster again! We simply couldn’t believe it! Yes, sometimes the odd fish comes out twice in a short period of time, but to do this twice and it be the same angler is quite exceptional to say the least, as is a tally of seven captures of 100lb-plus Siamese, but hey, I guess that’s the way the lake is going as the fish get bigger and bigger. Keith lost a couple that day, and then it was a gentle pack the next day as Gary and Fran flew home, and Keith and Ina went to Ao Nang to continue their holiday.

 

Nick Parkinson and Ash Rich came here for the first time last year, and when they left, they said they would be back in a couple of years. Well that obviously didn’t go according to plan as they arrived at the start of the month, openly admitting they couldn’t leave it two years between trips… “That’s fair enough,” we thought. Nick set up in Sala 2 and Ash went to Sala 9 to start his fishing. Nick really loves his carp fishing and goes as often as he can, but just like most people work and family commitments get in the way a lot of the time. Fully prepared and ready to go, Nick was down in good time the first morning and fairly quickly landed a Siamese carp of 55lb, which he was really chuffed with. Then the swim went quiet for a bit until a mad half hour’s fishing, which saw three Asian red tail catfish landed to 25lb. Ash on the other hand had locked into a Mekong catfish, which obviously beat him up a bit, as it weighed 130lb, and I do believe I heard someone say that he needed a good break after that.

After a night on the town Nick and Ash weren’t exactly in the their swims on time for the start the next day, but a bit bleary eyed and forlorn they started around 7.30, and the day went pretty well for Nick, as he landed another couple of Siamese carp, one of 55lb and one of 70lb, so he was happy, and things were moving along nicely for him. Ash on the other hand battled a Mekong, which eventually managed to avoid being landed, and he decided that the following day he would move swims into Sala 10. Last time Ash was here he reeled in a load of Amazon red tail catfish, and his move into Sala 10 produced two more for him, both around 35lb. Nick kept plugging away in Sala 2, which produced a couple of bite-offs, probably pacu, and then he caught a red bellied pacu and a black pacu, again both weighing the same, somewhere around the double figure mark. That afternoon we saw Nick having a bit of a tussle with a fish, so we shot round and filmed it, and the fish came in as a superbly conditioned Siamese at 86lb, which was a PB for him.

With their friends Ian and Laura Parker out in Thailand on holiday, Ash and Nick met them for dinner that night and then went on for a few drinks. Nick just got back in one piece whilst Ash… where’s Ash? The next morning, again somewhat bleary eyed, Nick got stuck into the fishing again and a black pacu of 12lb. Then another good Siamese of 80lb made our rather forlorn angler a happy man, and he also promised that he wouldn’t go out on a night out again if he was fishing the next morning, as it was just too much hard work! Ash eventually appeared in sala 10 and then embarked on a leisurely day’s angling where he caught three Amazon red tails all around the 45lb mark. I had to laugh; last time he was here he caught a load of red tails, and it seemed like he was doing it again.

The boys were coming up to a little break around the halfway point of their holiday, and on the final day before their rest days, they both had their fishing heads on and were in the swims ready for the off. Nick got a reasonable Asian of 20lb, whilst Ash battled a powerful 130lb Mekong catfish. Then there was a quick lull in proceedings before Nick caught a magnificent tambaqui of 45lbs, which he was really pleased about, and then Ash popped out another Amazon red tail, this time weighing 35lbs. The next day was a rest day for our boys from Hastings, and after a nice chill out and a late breakfast they headed into town for the evening.

Nick got back into his swim around 2pm the following day, which was half a day earlier than the predicted two-day rest they had planned. However, this turned out to be a good move, as he then upped his PB Siamese to 95lb, which made him a very happy fella! Ash was of course still on a rest period, bless him. With the rest period over, Nick and Ash were both in their swims bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning. Nick was clucking to get going, as he felt a 100lb’er was close, whereas Ash was just hoping to get his first ever Siamese. Nick’s rod got bent first when he had two nice Siamese of 65lb and 75lb within ten minutes of each other, and later went on to net a small one of 25lb. Ash over in Sala 10 gave the whistle a good hard blow as his rod ripped off from a spot he had been baiting for a day or two, and he was grinning from ear to ear as his first ever Siamese rolled into the net at 125lb! That’s the way to do it.

A night out to celebrate then followed, and our two fishing buddies from the south of England finally got fishing about 12 o’clock the next day. Although they only fished half a day Nick had his string pulled by three Siamese weighing in at 25lb, 65lb and 75lb, whilst Ash caught his first one under 100lb with a nice 85lb lump. Managing to be in the swims on time the following morning, I thought Ash was about to give the fish a good hammering, but they had other ideas, and his rods were quiet. Nick’s on the other hand gave him a 45lb Siamese and then we heard that famous ‘three-whistle blow’ meaning he had an arapaima on, so we shot up there and filmed it as well. It was a great little video, showing a good tussle with the fish, which ended up weighing in around the 160lb mark.

The next day was a quiet one, especially for Nick, as he barely fished at all. And so it came to the last day where the boys didn’t have the earliest start again, especially Nick, but he came good in the end because he had two Siamese carp of 65lb and 89lb, then landed a Mekong of 105lb, giving him a decent tally of 25 fish. Ash on the other hand had a quiet day; he wasn’t bothered though, as he had caught his great big carp that he hoped for. We know they are coming back again next year, and let’s hope Nick gets the 100lb’er he longs for… Close this time, mate, but no cigar!

 

When we did the Brentwood show a couple of years ago, my mate Adam Thacker said he would come down and see us on the stand. Adam is a bit of a nutcase at times and consequently he gets called ‘Nut-Nut’ by his pals. As the doors opened and the crowds started coming in, this big oaf came bounding up to the stand to say hello and to meet Stuart and Sean. He was with us for about 20 minutes before the excitement of looking at a new reel or rod diverted his attentions. As he left he bought £20 worth of raffle tickets in the vain hope of winning a holiday out here. These were the first tickets we sold, and bearing in mind we had a full two days to go, I didn’t think for one second he would be the winner as I scribbled ‘Nut-Nut’ on the back of the ticket stubs.

We sold quite a few tickets over the course of the two days, and then late in the afternoon on the second day, the time came for the draw. I thought this would be a good time to go and annoy Ian Russell (Chemo) of Avid fame, so I left them to do the draw as I scooted off to find Ian. As I left I said to Jo Green, “Make sure you give them a good mix up before you pull the winner’s ticket out!” I left, burger in hand, only to return 45 minutes later. I walked straight into the question, “Who’s Nut-Nut?” I didn’t have a clue for a few minutes, then it dawned on me what I had written on his tickets the day before. I couldn’t wait to tell him, and I was pleased I hadn’t pulled the ticket out, quite simply because in this day an age where fingers are constantly pointed by internet warriors, someone would have accused me of fixing it. Well, like I said, I wasn’t there, and they didn’t even know who ‘ Nut-Nut ‘ was, so he won it fair and square. It took about 15 attempts for him to actually believe he had won. He said he would definitely come the following year, and I for one couldn’t wait to see me ol’ mate!

Adam and his wife Manthy decided to combine the week’s fishing with a week chilling out at a local hotel, enjoying the beach and pool, and then they came to us. Adam was set up in A1 and raring to go, but the first day was quiet, and although he had a little play with the Mekong float rod he didn’t manage to put anything in the net (squeaky bum time!) By the end of the first day he was settled in and putting a plan together for the next day’s fishing. As soon as he started on day two, out went the float rod, accompanied by the spod rod, and within minutes he had received a take, which turned out to be a 90lb Chao Phraya catfish – an awesome start, and he was relieved to say the least. I congratulated him and said it was good, but unless it’s a 100lb-plus fish it isn’t a monster, and he agreed, although he was chuffed to have caught his biggest ever fish.

The day seemed to then go slowly for some as yet unexplained reason, but he thought he would have another go with the float rod, which went very quickly again, and he was locked onto a hard-fighting fish, which he fought and subdued in a very respectable 20 minutes as it was a 130lb Mekong catfish. Now he was almost shaking with excitement rather than a lack of medication. With his first monster banked and the sun disappearing, Adam placed both rods in close next to the hyacinth, one to the left and one to the right, as he knew this is a good time for a bit of ‘kerb crawling’ as the predators come alive. At about 19.30 his right hand rod went into meltdown and straight after, a large fish leapt clear of the water and he pretty much knew it was an arapaima! The fish went out into the open lake, and he played it hard until it was in front of him, then it charged to his left, leaping clear again. A short while later Lawrence found it literally trying to escape out of the lake, 20 yards down and buried in the hyacinth. Our fish-wrestling guide got it out fairly quickly, and it was soon caged, and for the first time in a long time, Adam clenched both his fists and punched the heavens! At 130lb it was another cracking fish to have in your photograph album, and it finished what had been a superb day’s angling for him. With his sights set on catching some Siamese carp, Adam changed his tactics slightly, picked a spot and started baiting quite heavily. By the end of the day a small Siamese of 25-30lb had tripped up and landed in his photo album.

The next day the same rod was away again, and a big Siamese was seen heading for the net, but just as the fish was about to give up the fight, it managed to throw the hook, and Adam was a bit gutted, obviously. However a little bit of karma kicked in later when he went on to land a 45lb Siamese, so things were slowly getting better! With just two days’ fishing left, Adam stuck to keeping both rods on the spot and kept working the spot with constant baiting, recasting new PVA bags out etc. It worked for him, as he landed two 50lb’ers, and then around 18.00 that night he landed the fish he was hoping for, and that was a biggie of 85lb, so he was really chuffed now. I said, “Come on, son. You’ve got to go for it now!” but an impending night out with the ever-patient missus meant shortly after that he wound in for the night as they hit the town.

Now with the carp ‘kicking in’ as such on his spot, you would think a man with a degree in engineering would be clever enough to be in the swim at 06.45 the next morning, baiting up and ready to go, but not our Adam. He decided on a bit of lie-in and started late at 7.50am – shocking! Around 10am I walked into his swim, and we were arranging his last night’s proceedings, when I noticed he only had one rod on the spot. I couldn’t believe it and told him so, but the old boy was happy with what he had caught and had fired his left hand rod up the margin as he crossed his fingers for an Amazon redtail on that rod. As I stood there, the ‘carp spot’ rod went off, and after a nice tussle he landed a superb 75lb’er then grinned at me, so I walked away. Keen as ever, I found him asleep in his room at 12pm, ‘because he needed some sleep’… what a lightweight! When he eventually woke up and got going again, he managed to get another nice Siamese carp, this one around 80lb, and that pretty much ticked all the boxes for him. They left us the following morning, saying they had loved every minute of it.

 

RTV Hengelsport’s Ronald Vd Toorn Vrijthoff (or Red Tail Ronnie as he’s known to us) came over this month with his wife Bianca, daughter Georgina and friend Danny. They split their time between seeing the sights of Thailand and doing a little spot of fishing when they felt like it. All of them caught fish and spent many hours laughing away and just generally enjoying themselves. Ronnie is quite a character and a respected carp angler in Holland. So is Danny, and although they spent as much time not fishing as they did actually fishing, they managed to pull a few out.

 

Finally, we received a very nice email from Lee Fisher on behalf of his partner Sally and himself:

Hi all,

Just a quick note to thank you all at Gillhams for the wonderful hospitality on our recent November trip; it truly was a dream holiday. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, and nothing was too much trouble for the fantastic guides. Having caught six different species on a three-day trip last year, my main target was to catch my first Siamese carp on this trip. We fished Sala 6, and on the second day I’m glad to say I achieved my aim and landed the most beautiful carp I had ever caught. Despite carp fishing in the UK for over forty years and landing fish to over 50lbs, this Siamese carp was the most memorable ever. I went on to catch every day during our seven-day trip including four PBs with carp to 80lbs and Mekongs to 170lbs. I even managed to introduce my long time partner Sally to the art of angling, and she caught her first ever fish, a nice Julian’s from the top lake. Needless to say I am already planning a third visit and can’t wait to get back to the best venue in the world.

 

Well, that’s it for this month from all of us at Thailand’s premier fishing resort . We’ll see you all again next month, with more news of rod-bending MONSTER fish action!

For those of you planning a return or first trip, please email Stuart gillhamsfishingresorts@gmail.com or phone +66 (0) 861644554, and please remember we are +6 hours GMT.

Best wishes and tight lines from us all at Gillhams, and we hope your next fish is the one of your dreams (which it probably will be if you come to Gillhams).