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Fishing Tips

Fishing at Lake Bungsamran for the Giant Siamese Carp, Bangkok, Thailand

 

I arrived at Bungsamran Lake at 6am on the dot, just as the daylight was beginning to appear. It was a beautiful morning with very little breeze, the surface of the Lake was like a mirror only being disturbed by the appearance of some of the huge fish that lurk in this world class fishing water.

 

Khun Boonsong mixed the bait while he waited for me to set my rods up, the apprehension of the first cast still makes my heart beat that much faster here. Khun Boomsong is one of the leading carp specialist guides working here and what he does not know about Siamese Carp is not worth knowing.

 

The bait that he had mixed was a combination of baby milk powder, custard cream flavour, sweet corn with a few other secret ingredients (he calls it his mega mix carp bait); all this was added into the base mix of rice bran. This blend is a much wetter combination than the one we use to catch the Mekong Catfish.

 

Nothing had happened for the first half hour, so Boonsong had gone to buy breakfast; he had not been gone thirty seconds, when bingo, I had a bite, the fish ran and the line was screaming off the reel, then it just stopped (probably sensing the hook). I wound the reel to take up the slack line, I thought, maybe it had shed the hook, suddenly the line tightened as the fish moved, I immediately struck and set the hook firmly in its mouth; the fight was on!

 

After the initial excitement of hooking into the fish, I had started to look for hints as to what kind of fish it was. From my previous experiences, the Striped Catfish and the Mekong Catfish are similar; they tend to run with the bait stripping line off the reel at a fantastic rate. The Mekong and the smaller striped Catfish give long hard runs, which slowly curve in a “C” or a wide “S” shaped course.

 

The Siamese Giant Carp tend to run deep and turn suddenly in an almost zig zag path. It is hard to believe that these fish when in the water are completely weightless and you are just fighting its sheer power.

 

My line carved a classic letter “Z” and I was fairly certain that I had a carp on the end of the line.  I knew I had to take my time and play the fish, unlike the Giant Mekong Catfish the Carp has a very soft mouth and too much drag will pull the hook out. I decided to back off the drag slightly; I used an Accurate Boss Magnum 870 with Lever Drag, very fine consistent adjustments to the drag are easily achieved without moving your hands from the rod and reel. They are much easier to use than a fixed spool reel especially when fishing for the larger specimens.

 

My aim at this point was to tire the fish as quickly as possible and keep it out as far as I could; the Siamese Giant Carp are renowned for appearing to give up and roll over, then at the last minute making a dash for freedom (there are many bungalows surrounding the lake and a pier splitting it in half, many fish have been lost in between the supports and stanchions).

 

The fight was ten minutes in and I had made progress, the fish was tiring -it was not the only one, my arms were beginning to ache. After another five minutes of struggle, it made a determined sharp turn, which actually brought its side out of the water, it was a Siamese Carp.

 

The Carp made several more sharp turns and then typical to these creatures, it feigned submission, which I had been ready for. I shifted to one side and instead of letting the fish run underneath the bungalow we were in, I moved it towards the left, increasing the drag slightly and with some fancy footwork (I new those ballet lessons would come in handy one day) the last ditched run for the snags was foiled.

 

The carp made its last attempt to go deep, kicking up the silt -causing lots of bubbles of natural gas, which is trapped in the bottom of the lake- but by this time it was exhausted so was I, but the fish did not know that, Boomsong appeared, with the landing net in hand I was never more pleased to see him, he quickly prepared the deck to receive the fish.

 

We unhooked the line from its mouth and we also removed another snapped line from a previous battle which it had obviously won.

 

The Siamese Giant Carp weighed in at 25.3Kg 56lbs which was quickly returned to the lake after a couple of photographs for the album.

 

Guided by Khun (Mr.) Boonsong

 

Jason Butler is a free lance writer. He is currently residing in Thailand and enjoying life. Writing articles on Fishing and Steam engine models is a passion of his. He is also a scuba Diving Instructor with over ten years experience.

contact Jason…divebutler@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.john-tom.com/

Related Blogs

Carp Fishing Basics

Float Fishing for Carp

So many carp anglers use static setups these days that you could be forgiven for thinking that float fishing for big carp is a lost art, amazing really as it can be one of the most adrenalin filled methods for targeting big fish at close quarters there has ever been!


I have heard of many a carp angler who is become bored with the current trend for fishing static set-ups at extreme distances in some cases not even casting a rod but using a bait boat to ship out a lead and hookbait to some distant location – no wonder the heart has stopped pumping – that alone would be enough to make me fall asleep! All I would say to such anglers is break out a float rod and have some fun!


As methods go, they do not get much simpler – all you need is a float and a hook! Forget your bite alarms, rod pods, swingers and suchlike – this is proper fishing designed to put your heart in your mouth every time the float twitches! My standard float fishing set up for big carp consists of a light action carp rod of around 1.5lb to 2lb test curve, which provides exciting sport when playing fish at close quarters, twinned with a lightweight coarse reel – there is no need for big pit reels or baitrunners – so long as it has a drag facility which allows you to adjust the tension during the battle it will do just fine. Spool it up with a quality monofilament line, my personal choice is Daiwa Sensor. The breaking strain will depend on the water you are fishing; if it is free of snags, weed and other submerged obstructions you can use a lower diameter, say between 8lb and 10lb, or increase it up towards 12lb or more if conditions dictate.


Again, on a personal level I like to keep things light as this increases the enjoyment factor when playing fish close in, so most of the time I will use 10lb or below. There are countless floats available for carp fishing, but to be honest I only have about five different types in my tackle box which I find cover me for all eventualities. To fish a standard float set up I like to use a self weighted carp float, not only does this save time when setting up but it means you can swap and change easily when faced with a different distance rather than having to take off or apply different shots to the line each time you want to change distance and depth.


As most of my float fishing for carp is carried out stalking fashion I am never going to be casting huge distances more likely just dropping the float out to marginal features like weedbeds, lily pads or reedmace in the margins. As such I only need enough weight to cast the float a few yards so a pre-weighted float is perfect for flicking out the hookbait. If I want to attract carp on the drop or if I am fishing for spooky carp I won’t attach any shot to the line at all, but if I want to get the bait on the lake bed quickly I will add a small shot or a chunk of rig-putty about three inches from the hookbait to help it reach bottom quickly.


Hook size is critical as you need to match the hook to the size of hookbait. Too many anglers think you need huge hooks to bank carp, which is simply not the case. Most of my stalking and surface fishing for carp is carried out using hooks between size 12 and 16 and rarely do I lose a fish due to the hook pulling! You don’t really need hair-rigs, just mount your bait on the hook and away you go! Just remember to carry an unhooking mat so you can deal with a big fish safely on the bank.


Try to fish to obvious features where carp might visit and keep trickling in loosefeed on a “little and often” basis in order to grab their attention when they do come along. My personal preference for bait is something that moves, something that stops the carp in its tracks when it passes by – and as such I usually favour maggots or worms.


It really is as simple as that, the adrenalin rush on seeing the float slide away before having the rod bend double just can’t be beaten and I can assure you you’ll never be bored again! I have bagged countless lumps recently on the methods and tactics described above. So why don’t you get out there and do the same.

James Johnson, carp fisherman that has caught the big one, the little one and sometimes none at all. Just like most fisherman, the one that got away is always the biggest. Carp Fishing from Trevs Tackle North West Carp

Carp Fishing Equipment

Bow Fishing Equipment For A Heart Racing Good Time

Bow fishing is very popular among hunters in the off season for deer and birds. To fishing in this way you need the appropriate equipment to basically spear the fish. Bow fishing generally takes place in the warmer months for the most obvious reasons. Fishermen will usually either find a shallow body of water to hunt or may hunt from a small boat for lakes and rivers. It is also possible to bow hunt in the ocean, which can land some wonderful wall decorations as well as bragging rights. There are several different types of bow fishing equipment and it depends on the type of fish that you are looking to hunt.


During the winter months the hunters use their bow and arrow to hunt deer then turn their focus to the water with their equipment during the summer months. They claim that the bow fishing keeps their aim in practice and provides the same excitement that the land hunts provides. Many even state that the water hunt is more of a challenge due to the reflection and movement of the fish. Those little devils are quicker than what you think. Bow fishing equipment truly puts the hunt back into the sport of fishing.


For many years carps were regarded as the trash of the lake. Today many fishermen are seeing them as an adrenal pumping hunt. These fish are the larger fish of the lakes and rivers so they provide an excellent target. If it is more of a skillful shot that you are looking for then hunt a smaller fish! That should get you practiced up to one great shot before winter rolls around! There is also a great line of bow fishing equipment for the ocean fish such as the stingray, sharks and other marine life. There are many tours that take individuals out on the ocean for an afternoon of fishing.


Bow fishing dates back to ancient times when man would stand in the water and spear their dinner with a long hand carved arrow. Today there is a more advanced line of bow fishing equipment that powers the arrow. It is still a difficult sport and one should not assume that it is a great deal easier today over the past centuries, but the equipment has certainly improved. There are other types of equipment such as special arrows for different types of fish and even spear guns. That way there is something for everyone when participating in the sport of bow fishing.

For more information on all aspects of fishing equipment, and to download a free guide, visit The Fishermans Guide