Chris Harris with a giant snakehead

Thailand is famous for many things; silver sanded beaches, dramatically beautiful temples, exotic nightlife, fishing….fishing? Yes, Thailand is rapidly becoming one of the top international destinations for savvy anglers who want to catch exciting fish in beautiful surroundings – without spending a fortune doing it.


Heading out to the fishing
Chris and I recently made our second fishing trip to Thailand, joining a group of anglers from the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Japan and Thailand in a visit to Khao Laem reservoir in pursuit of the elusive snakehead under the guidance of our friend Jean-Francois Helias of Fishing Adventures Thailand. We also made a side trip to Bung San Lam, the world’s craziest day ticket water, catching Thai catfish, which will be covered in a later piece.

The nitty-gritty – the cost

So let’s get right down to the question so often left unanswered in articles like this – what does a trip like this cost?

Well, you can expect to pay between £ 500 and £ 550 including taxes for a flight to Bangkok from most regional airports, probably less if you fly from one of the London airports or happen to land on a good deal. Once you are in Thailand, your accommodation, food, five and a half days fishing, guides and transport is going to cost around 45,000 baht – that’s around £ 700. If you want to tack on a few extra days to enjoy the experience of Bangkok, a budget of around £ 40 to £ 50 a day would easily cover your hotel room, food, drinks and entertainment.

So what’s the fishing like?


Classic snakehead territory
Next question, of course, is “What’s the fishing like?” Well, being mad keen lure anglers, we spend most of our time at Khao Laem reservoir, which is in the west of Thailand, near the Burmese border. This is a beautiful and remote reservoir, around 85 kilometers long, set in a national park, reached by a six hour drive in air conditioned mini bus, passing en route the famous Bridge on the River Kwai site, where a stop is usually made on the way back from the lake.

The snakehead is an elusive predator which can be infuriatingly difficult to catch, but which is hard fighting and endlessly challenging. There are three main species in the reservoir, the Giant Snakehead, the Striped Snakehead and the rare Cobra Snakehead.

The Giant Snakehead can grow to 20 kilos or more, but a good specimen is from around 5 kilos, and there are plenty of smaller individuals around which are fun to catch.

The Striped Snakehead grows to around 5 kilos, and a good specimen is from 2 kilos. These are less common, and fight harder pound for pound than the Giants. They are prized for their eating quality, especially as the chief ingredient in Tom Ka soup. Whilst Jean Francois advocates catch and release, there may be one Striped Snakehead taken for the pot during the trip.


Chris and striped snakehead
The Cobra Snakehead is a real rarity, and even Thai anglers may fish for a lifetime without catching one. They have been caught up to 8 kilos, the current IGFA record however is just 2.5 kilos. However, our group were lucky, and Windfried, our German member, caught a small one, much to his delight.


Francois wading
Snakehead are caught principally with surface lures, and sad to relate (for a lure seller) the local Thai lures are definitely the ones they like best – although Luhr Jensen Woodchopppers and Arbogast Sputterbuzz also work well.

Classic technique

The technique is classic – casting from a boat or wading, fishing in weeds, grass, reed-beds and slop. You need a light yet strong spinning rod; you’ll be making around 120 casts per hour for six or seven hours a day, so a heavy rod becomes tiring. We’d suggest the Harris Lure Pro 7ft Spinning rod, combined with a good quality fixed spool reel like the Quantum Blue Runner. Braid is really essential as long casting is important (that’s why experts like Jean-Francois use a spinning rather than a baitcasting outfit). You don’t need a trace, just a very good quality snap swivel, such as QED Coastlocks, to enable the quick change of your lure.

The usual pattern is to leave around 7am, fish until around 11am when it gets really hot, stop for lunch, swim and sleep in a shady corner, and start fishing again at around 3pm until around 6pm.

Balls of blood red fry

When the snakeheads are spawning (usually in April and October) they have a fascinating behavior pattern which makes for exciting fishing, with the adults guarding the balls of blood red fry which come up to breath at intervals – snakehead are partly air breathers.


The rare Cobra Snakehead (inset, the face of the Cobra Snakehead)
The game is to spot a ball of fry surfacing, then chase after them, anticipating where they may be heading. When the fry are located and within casting distance, the cry goes up “Tee, tee, tee!” (“Cast, cast, cast!”) and the anglers and guide all cast like mad things over the fry ball, the object being to stimulate the guarding adults to attack.

The action is fast and furious and for those who love sight fishing there is really nothing else to compare it with. It’s not for wimps, as a ball of fry can be chased for an hour or more in sweltering heat. But the excitement takes over, and the teamwork involved is a great bonding experience – whoever catches the fish in the end, the whole team triumphs!


Jungle perch
Also targeted at Khao Laem are jungle perch, sometimes called the Thai mahseer. These look like a cross between a mahseer and a chub, they fight like hell, and a good specimen weighs a couple of pounds. These are fished with lures, usually spoons, and can often be found hanging around near rock walls, which have the added advantage of offering welcome shade.

Simple floating bungalows in a friendly, pleasant community

At Khao Laem you stay at a small fishing village resort which consists of a collection of simple bungalows floating on pontoons made of silky smooth teak, lovely to walk on in bare feet. In windy weather, the pontoons may be moved around during the day into more comfortable locations, and it’s possible to come home every night to find your pontoon has disappeared over to the other side of the village. You will have a simple, clean room with electric light and a floor fan, a foam mattress with sheets and pillows, and an adjoining washroom come toilet, with cold water.

In this climate, life is mainly lived in the open, so your bungalow has a large covered veranda where you can sit and enjoy a drink and a chat, or snooze in a hammock.

Thai people are famously friendly, and it is very pleasant to live in this little community, which revolves around fish and fishing. Head man Sang Hop was a very famous angler in his day and he is still a smiling presence in the village, although these days he is recovering from a stroke so doesn’t get out fishing much any more. Sang Hop’s large family cook, run the little shop, which sells basic supplies and fishing tackle, and will even provide an excellent therapeutic massage at the end of a hard day’s fishing.


Preparing dinner
In knead of a massage

Massage is an integral part of Thai life, regarded as a key component of good health, and you will commonly see Thai people giving each other a massage in public as a way of relaxing and curing small ailments. Don’t worry, you don’t have to take your clothes off – you will just lay down on a mat in a corner while one of the village experts kneads out the aches and pains of the day for a remarkably small price.

In Bangkok itself there are many places to have traditional Thai massage, often combined with a barber shop and hairdressers, and with the same general atmosphere as a UK hairdressers. An hour long massage will cost you about £ 5, or you can opt for just a head or foot massage, which is wonderfully relaxing and highly recommended.

Sensational food, accompanied by a karaoke!

Meals at Khao Laem are organised by Lek, Francois’s charming Thai wife, and are taken as a group in the floating open air restaurant. The food here is sensational, Thai of course, absolutely fresh, and will encompass dishes such as chicken with cashew nuts, wild boar, wild deer, tempura, prawns with vegetables and of course the famous Tom Yum soup. Think Chinese food but a little lighter and spicier, and you have the idea. Western and local beers and soft drinks are available and cheap. You’ll get back from fishing, wash and change, drink a beer and a Thai feast will be waiting on the table. You may even have a very special treat if you are there at the weekend – Thai karaoke (bring ear-plugs!).


Dinner at Khao Laem
On the trip back to Bangkok from Khao Laem, the first port of call is the local craft market, which adjoins one of the area’s most spectacular temples. Now is the time to search out gifts to take home. Fantastic bargains are to be had, including many things which you won’t see in the markets of Bangkok. Carved wood, fabrics and jewellery are particularly good buys, and Francois and Lek will be on hand to help with the inevitable haggling, which is part of the fun.

This short article can only give a flavour of one of the many fishing adventures which Thailand can offer. In partnership with Jean-Francois’ Fishing Adventures Thailand, Harris Angling is putting together an expedition to Khao Laem and Bung Sam Lan for next year. If you are interested in details of this trip, or other Thai fishing, please contact us at sales@harrisangling.co.uk and Chris and I will be happy to help.

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