Bangkok
When thinking of Bangkok wild parties, cheap street food and chaotic city life are the first things that jump to mind. For the most part that’s pretty close to the truth but if you’re like me and no holiday’s complete without wetting a line there are options.
Saltwater is out, for one Bangkok isn’t on the coast but even if it was the seas around Thailand have been destroyed by over fishing. Fresh water on the other hand provides a few interesting options in Thailand. After all Thailand is the home of the Mekong Giant Catfish, the largest freshwater fish on the planet!
Where to fish
Of the many ponds around Bangkok the new Bungsamram fishing park is the best and most popular. The new park opened on the 31st March 2017. It’s a little further out of town and the dam is larger but it’s the same owner and staff as the old park. They’ve moved the majority of the fish from the old park too but have added a few new species. They state there’s now 40 different species in the dam, the largest of these are:
- Mekong Giant Catfish up to 200kgs,
- Siamese Carp up to 160kgs,
- Arapaima,
- Chao Phraya Catfish,
- Alligator Gar,
- Barramundi,
- Red Tail Catfish
- And many more!
Tackle
At Bungsamram you can hire a guide and all the tackle you need. There thousands of fish and you can catch plenty fish in a day but they’re very particular in how they feed. So if it’s your first time fishing these dams then a guide is definitely the way to go.
If taking your own tackle then the minimum would be a 40lb setup. Generally though, 60lb-80lb or PE6 – PE8 is optimum. The heavy tackle is to pull the fish away from the columns that support the pier and bungalows. You may need to apply considerable force to persuade fish away from these underwater hazards.
Fishing Parks around the rest of Thailand
There’re stacks of fishing parks all around Thailand so wherever you are check the area for the local fishing park. The website below will give you a good start on where to look.
