4 Day's Carp Fishing in Thailand at Bungsamran Lake - Bangkok
UK based angler Simon Edkins came back to us this year with the intent on catching 'big' carp. Throughout the winter in England and leading upto his 4 days fishing in Thailand; Simon regularly rang us to inquire what his chances were looking like! Of course our reply was always 'Simon, you have 4 days to fish 2 rods specifically for carp - you will catch carp!' Any guide will know that to be so confident can be the kiss of death but the fishing condtions were so perfect we just knew we would get into some carp.
DAY 1 - Are You Serious??!!
The 1st day of fishing in Bangkok had arrived and the guides were delighted when the first run came only 20 minutes into the 1st session; after all we had been so confident on the phone. Within a matter of seconds a 12oz Siamese carp came swinging in over the deck!! It took a few minutes to re-assure Simon that this was not the tremendous carp fishing we had promised and that bigger ones would come! In all honesty the whole situation was taken in good humour and we all found the funny side of this ironic event.
Yes We Are!
A little later and a vicious run resulted in a hooked carp, a much better fight but without any trouble the first 'sizeable' carp was netted. This one weighed in at little over 20lb - Simon was already happy with this result, although for the guides it was still a 'tiddler.'
Moment of Truth!
The final run just before dusk had us all hoping for something 'giant,' and indeed that is what we were blessed with. The concentration & adreneline was intense throughout the fight for we knew it was a special fish. Simon carefully wore the fish out and drew her upto the net for Alley to safely land. A cheer was cried out as a 60lb Siamese carp was in the bottom of the net, this one was at last a truely worthy fish.
DAY 2.
After the first days great result, Simon was relaxing nicely into the carp fishing game with a book on the go. We were all confident of more carp, Simon also. At about 3p.m Simon struck himself into the biggest carp so far, this fight was tremendously powerful and had Simon working hard to control its' tricky attempts to dive into the bungalow supports. Yet again Alley swooped the net over it, and we prepared ourselves for a water photo-shoot. The Siamese carp was lifted up to read 85lb on the scales; what would the next 2 days bring?
DAY 3. A Monster Mekong Story
The carp were not responding to anything today, but we did suspect that the large amounts of bait in the same swim built up over the past 2 days should at least attract a monster Mekong catfish; it is unusual not to have a one by this stage.
Sure enough as it was getting dark and almost all hope was gone Simon began playing a decent Mekong catfish, which became more decent and more decent as the minutes ticked away! Eventually Simon had broken into a dripping sweat as still the fish showed no signs of tiring. At one point Alley assisted as the cat entered a snaggy area beneath a walkway 50 meters away, it was successfully turned and Simon finished the last few minutes of the fight. At 100lb this fish was Simon's best fish from fishing Bungsamran and was totally blown away with the results in the past few days.
DAY 4. The final count down
3 days had passed and this was the fourth and final day for Simon carp fishing in Bangkok at Bungsamran Lake. Throughout the day Simon was constantly playing 'average' mekongs one after another as if he were actually targeting them! This was obviously due to now 3 full days of baiting the same swim. However a few small carp did fall to Simon's rig between all the small catfish. Just as Simon was content with his last day being a bit of a 'mixed' fishing day; another monster Mekong giant catfish took the bait. Weighing in a tad smaller than the last at 84lb - a superb ending to a fabulous Thailand fishing holiday. |
