One of the things at the top of my list when I got to Thailand was to check out one of their exotic fishing parks. These fishing parks sometimes get a bad rap since it’s not a completely natural environment and these fish are usually bred for the sole purpose of recreational fishing, but honestly, I didn’t give a damn. I was going to catch some of the fish I had only seen on TV and YouTube. In fact, the same lake I decided to go to was featured on River Monsters with Jeremy Wade. The lake is called TopCats and it’s located on the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand.
Most of the fish actually come from South America, but the climate in Thailand is similar enough that these fish thrive and can grow to record proportions. Since I never trust other people’s gear, I loaded up my strong saltwater rods and reels and set out to hook into my very own river monsters.
My setup was a Phenix Black Diamond spinning rod paired with a Shimano Thunnus Ci4 8000 saltwater spinning reel. At this lake they used electronic rod holders, which I wasn’t used to, but actually they work pretty damn well. My rods are a bit higher quality, so they’re thinner than other rods of comparable strength. The staff were pretty skeptical of my setup and thought my rods were going to snap in two the second I hooked a fish.
It was the middle of the afternoon, but it didn’t take long before the electronic rod holder started beeping like I had just shoplifted underwear from Walmart. I ran to the rod, put the reel in gear, yanked back, and held on tight as my line went screaming off the reel. Ho-lee-sheet this thing was strong! Luckily for me it didn’t take too long for these fat and lazy fishing park fish to throw in the towel. I had caught my first Redtail Catfish!
This fish was massive. The staff corralled it gently into the holding net and I climbed into the water to cradle and comfort it, and to remove the hook that I maniacally yanked through its mouth. The guide poured some iodine over the hook wound so it wouldn’t become infected and as soon as we released it, it swam away, mumbling under its breath how much it hates its job.
At this point, I was so freaking happy I could have not caught anything else the rest of the day and still went home happy. But it wasn’t over. Not even close.
About 20 minutes later, the alarm on my rod holder went off again. I hadn’t even had time to wipe the grin off my face and I was already in sumo position battling another fish! This one definitely felt different. It had more spunk and didn’t give up as easily as the Redtail Catfish. My reel was working hard and I managed to get him in a few minutes. Giant Siamese Carp!
This guy kept slapping the shit out of me as I was trying to hold him for a photo op. See that strange look on my face? That’s cause my nipple had just been beaten raw.
After the Giant Siamese Carp was set free to go do more weird S&M stuff with his next customer, I took a quick break to eat and rub cream on my nips.
I shoved the food down as fast as I could and got baited up to fight another battle. I had to wait a bit longer for the next hookup this time. When you’re staring intently at your fishing pole, waiting for the slightest movement in your line, it’s hard to tell exactly how much time passed. I had a freaking air raid siren attached to my fishing line, so I didn’t exactly need to watch the pole, but I couldn’t help myself.
Incoming!!! This one had some muscle. It was a smoother pull like the Redtail Catfish, but it definitely had more power. He was stripping line from my reel without much effort and it felt like he took it all the way to the back of the lake. I managed to turn him around and get some line back, but he took off again! After a couple minutes I could tell he was tiring and I was able to pump the rod to start bringing him closer to me. Finally I could see what it was… a Mekong Catfish! Another one checked off my fish wish list! As he got closer he took off on a quick drag-peeling run, but ran out of steam and I begin to bring him back. The guides secured him in the holding net and I climbed in to do selfies.
I couldn’t have been happier at this point and I still had quite a few more hours to go. I ended up catching 8 more Redtail Catfish! Redtails all basically look the same so I won’t bother posting pictures of every one, but here’s a couple more.
It was getting dark and there was another fish I heard was in these waters that I had dreamed of catching. We changed my bait and hook setup from a bread mixture to a chunk of dead fish. They told me to cast not too far from the shore where there was clump of vegetation. I casted perfectly, ran my line through the ultra-sensitive bait alarm, and waited. It was dark outside at this point with only a few lights illuminating the shoreline. Closing time was coming near and I was losing hope. And then, at 7:55pm, 5 minutes before closing time, BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!! I ran to the rod, put it in gear, and set the hook. Fish on! It’s hard to describe this fight. It was incredibly powerful for about 5 seconds, and then as if the lake's clock hit closing time and someone turned off a switch, it stopped fighting. I got him in close and the guides did their thing. Arapaima! I’ve seen these fish countless times on fishing shows and documentaries and finally I caught one!
The guides told me to keep him in the water and I wasn't too sure why. And then I understood. Arapaimas save their energy for single jolts that rocks your bones. You had to be extremely careful too, because their heads are solid bone and can do serious damage. I made sure to keep him semi-submerged to lessen the chance of a dislocated jaw.
So my trip was concluded on a high note… a very, very high note! This wasn’t "natural" fishing, it didn’t require any certain skills, and I paid for it, but it was worth it. I had a blast and someday I’d like to do it again, unless I can save enough money to fly to South America and fight them on their home turf!
For the fishing nerds out there, here's a picture of my setup. It looks like a damn sniper rifle...
And the highly skeptical staff:
Thanks for reading!