SOUTH AMERICANS IN THAILAND!

SOUTH AMERICANS IN THAILAND!

We took a short trip to Bangkok, Thailand to sample some of their local fishing scene. Below is an excerpt from our sister blogger and distributor, Tackle Source, on the great fun we had.

No trip to Bangkok is complete without a visit to the well-stocked lakes along the fringes of the city. This time, with a group of keen fisho friends, it was back to a couple of locales which produced well in the past. It was a chance to tangle with a host of Amazonian species imported and kept in these lakes for anglers to pit their skills against.

 

We get right into it with a Majorcraft Days heavy baitcast rod loaded up against an angry catfish...

The Amazonian Redtail Catfish is most common here and they grow big!

There's no better chance to hook something when fishing in Bangkok than when you have one of these tied on - the Jackall Bros Giron swimbait is synonymous with this type of fishing...

 

Giron gets going as the session begins. The rather big lure means stout rods are best used. They don't get much stouter than the Evergreen Tactics 'Pitchin Frog'...

Nice Redtail on Giron worked with the heavy spin Majorcraft Giant Killing rod...

Followed shortly by another. These fish go hard and are ferocious lure-takers. Sticking with the Jackall Bros Giron ensures a steady stream of hook ups...

Another common capture is a Central American export, the Alligator Gar. With its nasty set of dentures, passing lures are rarely ignored. The Giron is a favourite for these fish too...

Another nice Gar on the Giron and Majorcraft Days combo...

There were some pretty decent fish thrown in as well. Redtails of these size take a while to subdue. Saltwater rods like the Majorcraft Giant Killing do put the fight in the favour of the angler but its still a task to get those Girons back safely...

 

Alligator Gars are atmospheric breathers and give away their locations when they surface for air. Anglers take advantage of this, and a well placed lure stands good stead...

A not so common catch on lure, this Silver Catfish must be hungry...

Its hard to get past the frisky Redtails, especially the smaller, more enthusiastic ones like this one. Short work for the strong Evergreen Tactics rod...

Moving away from the Jackall Bros Giron, not many other lures work consistently. But experimenting with the IMA Honey Trap did open some doors. This fat Amazon Redtail didn't hesitate...

In these lakes you do find the odd Giant Snakehead as well, and the like Jackall Bros Girons too!

 

Another Alligator Gar, this time on the IMA Honey Trap lipless swimmer...

This was very much the scene for the day, as turn by turn everyone hooked up...

Deep down there's a large Evergreen ES Flat swimbait...

The South American legend - the Arapaima, is stocked here as well. They feed by inhalation and so are usually deeply hooked. However, the staff on hand are well equiped to handle these big fish and ensure they are released in good shape...

The Evergreen combo of the ES Flat lure worked with the Temujin Amazon Flip rod worked a treat. Here another Redtail Cat falls victim...

Another Jackall lure worth noting, the Doozer lipless vibe does a great tilapia impersonation as well. This Redtail certainly thought so...

Another typical Gar which took a Giron...

 

The Gars were queueing up for a feed, and they loved Girons...

This Giron was almost lost, those teeth do claim lures...

 

Jackall Bros Doozer down deep...

The Redtail party was far from over as the Evergreen Tactics rod had to work overtime...

A larger than average Amazonian Redtail on the perfect tilapia imitation - the Jackall Giron...

A short exciting fight turned up an interesting customer. The Giant Snakeheads in this lake are known to be smart fish...

 

Speaks volumes about the effectiveness of the Jackall Bros Giron swimbait...

 

Here's a big Alligator Gar on the Giron. These fish can grow to really large sizes in the wild...

 

More Giron action with the not so common Asian Redtail Catfish...

 

Another day, and another Alligator Gar. This one liked the slow worked IMA Honey Trap lure...

Fat Amazonian Redtail on the ever-effective Giron...

When they want the lure, there is little hesitation. Girons get sucked right down...

 

Redtails do get in the way when one is trying to catch the other inhabitants...

Jackall Giron and its Arapaima capture...

Small but still thrilling to hook, Arapaimas are capable of short bursts accompanied by crazy acrobatics...

Another Giron taken deep by an Arapaima...

One never tires of catching these fish. They present a challenge to fool with their changing feeding patterns, and once hooked would showcase their explosiveness...

The get aggressive after dark too, especially on shallow running lures...

Here the Evergreen Royal Flash swimbait scores. The multi-jointed lure swims with a slinky s-shaped wake that proves irresistable, and the one fish landed from the countless misses does no justice to the lure's effectiveness...