Its very very good to live away from the sprawling hustle and bustle of city life. Away from the tourist track.People are living off the land and the wet season now brings with it quick change as lands jump start into their yearly cycles of renewal. In and around the newly flooded fields and rice paddy’s the local fish are on the move as they search for abundant foods in places unaccessible only a week ago.
This stretch of stream has had two days of rest since the last heavy rain and has settled very nicely after rising suddenly over night.
Snakehead baits range from lures and artificial worms or flies to natural prey items such as crabs, frogs, shrimps, shells.
Many fish are showing in and around weeded areas now as the flood waters run off , its looking like a perfect day for some worms and some new lures.
A very big Striped snakehead caught in this small stretch.
We will have to find a nice spot away from local nets or long-lines before we settle down, which is usual for this area . Later it will be a case of roaming the bank with a small foam popper lure searching for signs of fish.
Other items abundant in the newly flooded plains included Frogs and Eels, both of which are considered ( And I must agree) very tasty when made into a hot curry dish. The meat is prepared and then shallow fried in garlic, some garden herbs, fresh leaves and chilli paste. Share together as a side dish with drinks and Beer or Whiskey, This is jungle food at its best.
Big Striped snakeheads are very wiley creatures and typically hard to catch, a large pair of Snakeheads can pretty much clean out a small pond as the dry season kicks in, when waters decrease enough the shrinking size of the pond forces all the living creatures there closer together.
The word about a catch of a 3.kg Chon, goes round the area.
A big Striped snakehead such as the one pictured above might be one of only a few residents left in the water by the time the rains come again. When they do arrive a pair of big stripeys, well fed and ready to mate will leave the pond for new surrounding habitats .
This Juvenille Striped snakehead ( below) would be about 6-9 months old. It grabbed for the Mango Jack as the sun was starting to set over the palm trees.
Dusk brings a catch of a baby, probablly from this season.
After a few more casts a dark shape was visible cruising below a tree. After a spot on cast on top of it, BAM the fish went for the popper but just missed on first attempt and then followed it back all the way to the bank .
At first it looked like this was a Striped snakehead as that was the target fish but surely not as in my experience they will have a couple of pops at a lure on retrieve and do not continue to chase with the ferocity that this fish was displaying.
I could see the unidentified fish circling the area where my popper had been just before, still aggressive hunting a meal, it obviously liked the mango fly popper so I cast back out at the waiting beast where the red feathered hook end of the lure was grabbed instantly.
Really not sure what this fish could be, came a big surprise, a Pacu , I did not know they were in these waters and what a nice tasty finish to the end of the day this one was in the bag.
As night falls our Fly Popper from Mango fishing is intercepted by a very hungry Pacu in an open canal system, its an invasion!
This Pacu, was out on the hunt in a small pond near to the flooded stream. Not a native species to Thailand but now a rouge alien in many areas the Pacu is a close relative of the Piranna as you can see from its mean looks.
Pacu will eat pretty much anything from fruit to live baits.
Conclusion?
Fly poppers work! (even in the dark) So do worms anytime (as always).
