Brand new bungalows at Gillhams fishing resort in Krabi and what a view, the balcony opens out to the lake and mountains beyond.

Lure and fly fishing was on the after breakfast menu and the action started pretty much straight away with Sean Gillham getting a screaming take on a Mega minnow but unfortunatley what ever underwater tanker that took the lure also managed to spit the lure without much trouble.

Shortly after, my own rod was bent double and I thought ( hoped ) that a big Arapaima had taken my Mango Jig head lure. In retrospect a much heavier rod and reel was needed for this venue as the fish are really monstrous but it was too late for changes and somthing big was threatening to empty my Shakesphere reel and atomise my carbon spinning rod.

Fould hooked in Krabi. This poor Mekong giant catfish managed to get his tail in the way of a Mango Jig head fishing lure.

After a good twenty minutes and a new pair of pants the beast eventually surfaced and to everybodys surprise it was a Giant Mekong catfish hooked perfectly, in the tail no less.

I was very kindly awarded the "booby prize" of a plastic lure in the shape of some fine breasts by Mr Lee Jackson UK carp writer, officionado and former british carp record holder who was visiting the resort and his friend Stuart Gillham while on his honeymoon here in Thailand.

That would be it for the morning as we made our way to Krabi town to watch a very interesting street procession where local men and women pierce thier faces with all sorts of objects in display, at a vegetarian festival in Krabi town that originates in China it made for an interesting afternoon and a short break from thoughts of fishing.

That evening UK Carper Lee Jackson managed to hook up and land an estimated 90KG + Arapaima on a dead mullet fish bait that he had bought only an hour before from a local market especially for the purpose.

Another monstrous Arapaima is landed at Gillhams fishing resort in Krabi province.

The Money shot. A 90Kg+ Arapaima caught by Lee Jackson from the UK.

The next day  proved to be more productive with the bites picking up as the day went on with Lee Jackson landing a very nice Soribum or Tiger catfish as its also known and myself with a Tiger cat and a Amazon Red tail catfish. These catfish give a really great fight but with the quality of rods and reels ( fox catfish rods, Shimano bait runner 6500C) used at this resort and lack of snags meant there was never much doubt in landing a 20Kg+ fish without any trouble.

A nice catfish brace. Amazonian red tail catfish and the Tiger catfish also known in the trade as Soribum.

English carp team member Lee Jackson with a beautifull red tail catfish.

One thing that makes a great fisherman is his constant thinking, experimenting and then getting good results. This was plain to see with Lee who decided to try float fishing with small pieces of fish bait on 4lb line and a match rod which almost immediatley produced a beautifull Green Arowana of about 2Kg. Apparently many anglers before have tried to catch this particular fish but it has proved to be too wiley until it met its match with the English carp team member.

Uk carp writer Lee Jackson with a good sized Arowana caught at Gillhams fishing resort in Krabi.

As evening drew colser it started to look like it would rain. As we are now in the transitional period between the wet and dry season cool mornings, hot days and afternoon rain are a daily cycle in this part of Thailand. With a carp rod out all day just dropped off the end of the fishing platform and a constant stream of bait going in we were starting to get a couple of knocks around 4pm just as a massive storm moved in and we all decided to pack up for the day.

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Tight lines!!
MFT