We know much much better about everything related to the fishing and the fish at that lake. So it is time for a good update about it. 

The lake offers awesome fishing for numerous Thai native and non-native predator species. It is inhabited by a big population of Arapaima (lots of them) up to 180 kg, Amazonian Redtail Catfish up to 45kg, Asian Redtail Catfish (Pla Kot Kang) up to 20 kg, Sorubim or Tiger Shovelnose up to 10 kg, Redtail Tiger (Hybrid) up to 12 kg, Tambaqui up to 20 kg, Barramundi up to 10 kg, Alligator Gar up to 15 kg, Peacock Bass up to 3kg , Pacu up to 11 kg, Giant Pangasius up to 8 kg, Black Ear Catfish (Pla Tepo) up to 8 kg, Wallago attu up to 10 kg, Wallago leeri up to 7 kg, Arawana up to 3 kg, Mystus nemurus, etc.


 
We truly had a ball on each of the 43 sessions we did there so far - except for two slow days where we did not do well at all, catching a couple of fish only. But in average I can sincerely say there is a 98 % guarantee any of our clients will score a good amount of quality catches on his day fishing. Here below is a little taste of how good the fishing is at that lake:


 
- I was fishing at the end of July for 5 days in a row with a multi times return client, Tim Webb (a UK angler living nowadays in Australia). A part of the numerous fish species we caught during the 5 sessions, we captured a total of 13 Arapaima. I had 9 myself, the two biggest ones being in the 65 kg mark (one of them caught on Rapala). I wish you had been with us that day to witness the Arapaima's strike at my lure and the fight that followed. Tim had the 4 others, including the biggest of all weighted at 78 kg on our 230 kg certified digital scales. Tim's 171 lb Pirarucu was at that time the biggest catch ever at that lake and was short of only 5 kg to tie the current 83 kg IGFA world record.
 
- from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10, I fished for another 4 sessions in a row with a nice bunch of 5 "fishing gangsters", all close amigos of yours truly: UK Peter Cartwright, Richard Pike, Michael Ward, Tim Webb, and Belgium Philippe Pletincx. Again, a part of our numerous catches of various species, we hit them Arapaima pretty hard, landing either on lure, dead bait, or live bait an amazing total of 31 Arapaima between ourselves, in 4 days fishing. We lost as many who - thanks to that species's bony jaws - got unhooked.  None of the catches were of big size this time, biggest ones mainly in the 30 kg mark, except for a 65 kg mark I caught on dead bait on our very last session. Philippe Pletincx who was fly fishing caught a nice Arapaima on the fly, losing a super biggie (for sure over 60 kg) that made easy work of his tippet. 
 


A few highlight catches during our 4 sessions were:
 
- two lovely fish both caught on lure by Peter Cartwright, a nice size Arawana and a very rare Wallago leeri. For the latest, it is the very first Wallago leeri I've ever seen captured on rod and line. Congrats Pete!
 
- three splendid Tambaqui, two in the 7 kg mark caught by Rick Pike, and a 9.30 kg caught by Tim Webb.
 
- but to me, the "MVP Award" should go to Rick Pike for the catch of an extremely rare Thai native "Pla Kot Malakot Dam". That nowadays rarely caught fish species is a beautiful totally black color mystus with pale blue eyes (I'm not joking). Stunning catfish it is!
 
 
 
- on Aug. 11, 12 & 13, I spent 3 more days with Philippe Pletincx. We had a few more Arapaima catches. Phillipe landing the biggest one, again in the 65 kg mark.
 
- on Aug. 15, 16 and 19, it was the turn of my "bald brother" Peter Collingsworth and his mate Richard Foster, founder of the Fosters of Birmingham's fishing tackle store, to experience a few days fishing with yours truly, while being on their way to Christmas Islands. 


 
Peter who was only fly fishing during our 3 sessions, this to survey the potential of the lake for his fly fishing clients, hooked up around 20 fish on the fly: Arapaima, Redtail catfish, Pacu, Gar, etc... losing most of them unhooked if not because of a clean cut tippet (thanks to the Pacu's sharp teeth). He managed to land at least one young Arapaima in the 33 lb mark though, one Alligator Gar, one Pacu & one Chao Phraya catfish.
 
Sadly, Peter was extremely close to earn a IGFA world record for the freshwater fly 16 lb tippet class (class still vacant up to this day), for the Redtail catfish. The fish he had hooked up and fought - estimated around the 12 kg mark - was almost tamed and on its way to the landing net..... when unexpectedly it got unhooked.
It was definitely not Peter's luckiest angling days.....as he also lost (unhooked again) a good size Arapaima estimated in the 70 lb mark he had fought for a long while.


 
The fact is that Arapaima with their very bony jaws are particulary difficult to keep on the hook. I personally target them mainly on lure (Rapala), stalking them by fishing on sight. I must have hooked up Arapaima around 60 times in these last three months but I have only succeeded to land a third of them.
 
His luckier mate Richard Foster who was lure fishing and live bait fishing, a part of the numerous fish species he caught, landed not less than 6 Arapaima during our 3 days fishing. Three of them of giant size, weighing respectively 160 lb (73 kg), 154 lb (70 kg) and 136 lb (62 kg).
 
A few days later, on Aug. 22, UK wellknown globetrotter angler Joe Taylor, my old friend, who has fished numerous times with us here in Thailand during these past 8 years, landed the biggest Arapaima ever caught by one of our clients at that particular destination: a gigantic 187 lb!
 
An hour later on that very same day, it was the turn of another Fishing Adventures Thailand's return client, Hong Kong based Mike Sharp, to tame a 138 lb Arapaima.
 
 

If you are interested in fishing at this Venue with JF Helias then email info@megafishingthailand.com for prices and booking info.
 
Best regards,
 
Jean-Francois Helias
IGFA Representative - Thailand