Fishing in Thailand – August 2020

Catches, entertainment and news from Thailand’s only exclusive syndicated sport-fishing venue.

August Caption Contest Winner

In August we ran a caption competition linked to when Martin Bowler was attacked by an alligator gar landed by Alan Blair. There was a good response with lots of entries over the course of the month and we are pleased to announce that we have selected a winner. The winning caption was “MANDATORY TACKLE INSPECTION IN PROGRESS” by “PERRY NOAKES” who has been issued the 7000 THB gift voucher which is equivalent to a days full fishing. Perry won the prize, as it was felt his caption was a good balance between humour, being cheeky wihout being crass, which cannot be said for all the entries!  Ensure that you like and follow our social media channels which include Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter so that you don’t miss out on upcoming promotions, offers, comps and prizes.

A selection of captures from August

Welcome

Another month has gone by and more angling dreams have come true here at Jurassic. Anglers from all over Thailand have been making the journey to paradise to take advantage of the quiet period, sat back, and relaxed behind the rods in stunning surroundings. Those of you living in Thailand who are now able to fly into Hua Hin Airport from provinces including Chang Mai and Udon Thani with additional routes soon to be expected so why not see if you can make it down to us to enjoy the special deals we have been doing whilst the borders remain closed. With regards to International travel, there have been talks to slowly open international flights, although this has yet to be officially confirmed and we will report travel updates for our international guests as soon as we have some firm news..

A superb session for Matt

Matt and his wife made the long journey by road down from north off the country from Pai, north of Chaing Mai to check in for a 3 day stay. The first morning and Matt was soon of the mark with a string of Siamese carp. The predator rod came to life in the afternoon leading to some epic marginal action accounting for both Asian and Amazon redtail catfish . Day 2 saw Matt move up to The Point where a single Jurassic Classic boilie produced his largest Siamese carp. With only 10 minutes remaining, he also hooked into and landed an arapaima at sunset, ending the trip with 20+ fish spread between 4 different species.

More personal bests being broken

Jurassic is home to several different species and during the course of a year the seasonal weather changes may reflect their catch rate. The stormy rain showers have started and the redtails have been hard on the feed as Ian found out during a day trip in Sam’s Sala. We had been hit by heavy rainfall for days, so he must have brought the sunshine with him. Chopped fish baits presented in a shaded area along some water hyacinths produced a series of Amazon redtail catfish  as they sought cover from the sun. Rob fished in a similar manner tight into the margins in Mountain View where he too was met with redtail catfish of the native variety. The Asian redtail are far more streamline in appearance and have been found burrowed into the actual banks on more than one occasion. Speaking of digging, another species that exhibits similar behavior in the lake is the aptly named shovel-nosed catfish (sorubim) meaning that the maintenance never ends!

Blind Man’s Bluff offers access to the largest water hyacinth bed in the lake and the swim has been on top form this month accounting for several arapaima as Peter found out. He had no less than 5 pick-ups leading to a total of 4 arapaima landed during just a single day session! Hearing of his success in the social media catch reports, Ron decided to follow in his footsteps and received 5 takes, unfortunately losing the first 4. This just shows how angling averages are formed, from highs and lows. After wondering what he was doing wrong, he recast the rods and hooked up into one of the largest arapaima in the lake. A grueling battle unfolded that lasted nearly an hour and we weren’t sure who was going to tire first. He dug deep and on the third attempt, the fish was safely caged. What a way to make amends given it was near 8 feet long, built like a keg and required 3 people to display it for the photos.

Up the the other end of the lake, Graham came last out of the draw and fancied his chances in Lover’s Retreat which is a swim that has been dubbed “redtail corner” and only associated with predators in the past. In spite of this, he set up two feeder rods on the bottom for the carp after locating some harder areas. He worked the swim to produce 11 Siamese carp and 1 Amazon redtail. However, the highlight of the day was one of the highly sought after Niger ripsaw catfish.! This species is very tricky to target due to its small down turned mouth and they are smaller overall than other species meaning that they may be displayed when competing for food.  Paul had been fishing opposite Graham on The Point and they had been batting the gillie between them like a game of ping pong take for take as Paul fished in a similar manner. Paul knew that in order to make the most of the rice bran meal, he would need to apply it at regular intervals. Repeat casts and additional loose feeding led to him using 10kg of rice bran meal to land 7 Siamese carp and 2 stunning Indian carp during the day trip.

Fun for all the family

ATV

The Cha-Am ATV Park is situated on, about 8 KM. from Cha-Am beach and covers a total area of 43 rai. The park has received the Award of Outstanding Performance in the category of Recreation Tourist Sites at the Thailand Tourism Awards 2008 and 2010. It is a soft-adventurous attraction with various activities available; including, ATV riding at different levels of difficulties, paintball game, gun shooting and archery.
Cha-Am ATV Park have 3 tracks to suit different age ranges and levels of experience including a full off-road tour led by a member of staff that allows you to explore further afield.

Paintball

Cha am ATV also boast paintballing featuring the latest equipment and a large, shaded field of play to offer both participators and spectators a more comfortable experience and good viewing. The course can accommodate up to 16 players at one time and is complete with kill zones and bunkers and is suitable for different ages and levels of experience. Refreshments are also on hand to combat the fast-paced action and warm weather. All equipment is provided including safety equipment. All Paint Ball players receive a full briefing from English speaking staff before the day’s action sports commence, with an emphasis on safety precautions, as well as proper use of the Paint Ball equipment provided, and all attire is issued at the beginning of a session

Archery

The archery target range has been recently developed and has been set up to suit all ages. Full instruction is provided whilst shooting at 12m targets with recurve bows and carbon arrows. ATV Cha am aims to accommodate all ages and levels of experience across all of the activities on offer to provide an enjoyable and exciting day out for couples, families and friends alike.

The Angler’s Rest Country Pub – see video

John Wilson is still fondly remembered for his massive contributions to the sport of angling through his numerous TV programmes, books and journalism. In his later years Thailand’s growing sport fishing scene was also helped immensely when John chose to take his retirement in Thailand. David Wilson recently presented us with one of John’s own fly rods complete with reel and flies. This very kind donation from Dave will form part of the John Wilson theme incorporating the Wilson Brothers memorabilia showcase on display in the Angler’s Rest. Over the coming months it will be completed and finally live up to its name as a welcoming country pub and restaurant. Work is due to be undertaken to transform the appearance and atmosphere of the Anglers Rest. The formation of a lakeside pub environment packed with character, nostalgia, fisherman’s tales, memories and memorabilia of the angling scene and its influencers over the years.  

Jurassic Monster Tackle and application

Jurassic Classic was formulated over a long period of time requiring extensive research and development to produce a high nutritional value bait that would promote growth rates within the fishery environment. As a result, each ingredient has been hand selected to form a balanced diet to promote weight gains. This is why their use is promoted and is included within the bait allowance whilst other less nutritious baits are not.  Jurassic Classic has been a success from the start accounting for all species and noticeably singling out the larger Siamese carp.  As each month goes by, new products are appearing in the Jurassic tackle shop and our online store as the Jurassic brand expands. Both boilies and base mixes are in stock whether you need to grab a bag before your next session or you would prefer to roll your own. From small to large quantities, they can be rolled fresh to order and are also available in shelf life for longer sessions and easy storage. 

The Jurassic Monster tackle range is also expanding to incorperate a wide variety of terminal tackle items suitable for use in both the U.K. and Thai angling scenes. A full range of rig components are well underway and their uses will feature in upcoming tutorial videos on our social media channels. From the application of P.V.A. Products through to understanding rig mechanics, it will form an alternate angle for viewers. All of the tackle and bait items above and many more are available in our store and can be pre-ordered before your arrival so  explore the store today and reap the rewards with every purchase.

Thailand’s biggest tarpon?

As part of our ongoing stocking projects, tarpon was selected along with a few other species to be reared onsite. They are a particularly tricky species to land because of this. Despite not being large by comparison to other species stocked at Jurassic, they are certainly one of the most testing species and anglers who have been successful in targeting them certainly cherish the moment. We are pleased to announce that we recently introduced the remaining tarpon stock into the main lake and what cracking fish they were. Like bars of silver, they are something special and here is an example of just some of the specimens that we stocked, being possibly THE biggest tarpon currently in a fishery in Thailand with several approaching the 50lbs mark..

At one with the arapaima

This fish had put up a good account of itself and its capture would be cherished for years to come by the angler. By handling the species daily, you can come to further understand them during each encounter. You realize that despite being the same species, they all exhibit induvial personalities just the same as their scale patterns. Over time, myself and the fishery team have come to identify specific fish and can recall their behavior from previous interactions. During each capture, different aspects much be taken into consideration with customer safety and fish welfare at the forefront. Handling the species must be done with great care and attention to ensure that us nor the fish are put at risk. You learn to read them by their body language and through feel, as to whether they are relaxed and willing to comply for the cameras. Accidents can happen and you do hear of them elsewhere. These usually occur when people do not adopt a safe stance and fail to respect the power they possess along with the potential problems they pose. On this occasion, the photography had finished, and the cage had been removed. We remained side by side for 10 minutes, aware of each other’s presence as I admired the sunset in the distance. His breathing had slowed, signalling to me that his heart rate had reduced and he had been allowed sufficient time to recover and.  On the breath captured above, I eased my grip and we went our separate ways.

Testimonial

Monthly Wildlife Watch

A carpenter bee was captured mid-flight as it went between the flowers up and down the banks. They can often be seen and heard as they go about their business. Multiple shots were taken, and we were lucky to get one in focus.

The Asian Openbill stork is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is greyish or white with glossy black wings and tail and the adults have a gap between the arched upper mandible and recurved lower mandible. Young birds are born without this gap which is thought to be an adaptation that aids in the handling of snails, their main prey.

The zebra dove (Geopelia striata) is also known as barred ground dove and is a bird of the dove family that is native to Southeast Asia. They are small birds with a long tail and are predominantly brownish grey in colour with black-and-white barring. They are known for their pleasant soft, staccato cooing calls and this one was spotted sat on its next in the bushes behind The Bruce.

Until next month – tight lines!

Jurassic Mountain Resort & Fishing Park
43/6 Moo Baan Kokesehti Tambon Na Yang, Na Yang, Cha-am District 
Phetchaburi 76120
Thailand
For all enquiries/bookings contact:  enquiries@wordpress-1242400-4445492.cloudwaysapps.com
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