Introduced

The Red tail catfish is native to the Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo river basins in South America. They are possibly the most common introduced fish species anglers will encounter when fishing in Thailand.

Thailand is a tropical country so the waters here are warm which has meant some really interesting and exotic fish such as the giant Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), Silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) and Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) have been introduced into man made fishing lakes right around the country from North to South. For anglers going fishing in Thailand the array of imported game fish species makes for a really exciting prospect.

The "Ball Cutter" fish aka red Bellied Pacu are very common in Thai fishing parks. They are heavy feeders and will give a really hard fight up to the net. The legend of the "ball cutter" name goes, that in Brazil there was an incident where a Pacu mistook a man's testicles for some floating Brazil nuts. Ouch, The teeth are sharp and jaws are strong, built for cracking nuts.

Some introduced (invasive) species have inevitably found their way into the natural Thai environment. There are now known to be Peacock bass , a species considered extremely invasive in some reservoirs and large lakes around the country. Probably the most attractive and well known non native Thai fish species to travelling anglers in Thailand is the Pirarucu or Arapaima. This fish is among the biggest freshwater fish in the world, it is legendary for its fighting strength and grows to massive proportions in Thai fishing lakes where they are well fed and always released. A specimen of approximately 185Kg (407lb) has been caught from Bungsamran lake in Bangkok.

Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) gets its English name from the Alligator like teeth, snout and head shape. The large interlocking scales on the Alligator gar also add to its reptilian appearance. Often Brown to silver and Olive in colour with a light cream to white ventral surface. This species of gar fish can grow to 3m (10ft) in length and attain weights of over 100kg (220lb). Introduced in Thailand to lakes and fishing parks by sport fishermen and people who found their pets quickly out grew their fish tanks...more>>

Arapaima gigas  (Arapaima gigas) is a tropical fish of the Amazon basin. It is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Arapaima reach sizes of up to 4.8m (15ft) in length and are one of the rarest large freshwater predatory fish left on this planet, these fish can be fussy feeders but for an exciting fishing experience are well worth the effort for any angler who wants to catch a large specimen of the world's ultimate freshwater predator...more>>

Peacock bass are not truly bass but actually Cichlids. There are more than 15 different species referred to as such which are native to the Amazon river basin and also introduced now into many other countries around the World's tropical regions including Singapore, USA, Hawaii and Thailand. The species most of interest to anglers in Thailand is the Speckled Peacock bass (Cichla temensis) which is stocked in fishing parks as-well as now to some small reservoirs by local Thai anglers...more>>

Red Bellied Pacu (Colossoma brachypomum) are Omnivores and will eat a wide range of food. Their favoured natural diet is vegetation, nuts and seeds but will also take most other offerings like small fish, vegetable, insects, meat, rice or dead baits. Pacu teeth resemble human teeth as you can see in our photo's and are used to crush nuts and seeds that would fall from the Amazonian forests into the Pacu's water...more>>

Redtail catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) is a long whiskered catfish named for it's distinct Red caudal fin. It originates from the Amazon Orinoco, and Essequibo river basin's. It is known in Brazil as the Pirarara. Redtail catfish can grow very large to over 40kg (88lb) and more than 1.2 m (4ft) in length. They are active predators and will take fish, meats, insects, flies and lures. Stocked in many lakes in Thailand the Redtail is a popular sport fish and very strong fighter...more>>

Sharptooth Catfish (Hybrid Clarias macrocephalus and C.gariepinus). These catfish over the years have been introduced mostly from Africa and Russia and interbred with other native species. Locally known as Plah Duk Russia in Thai the name can relate to a few of these hybrid species. They are very easy to breed and flurish in small ponds and the shallowest puddles. Very popular as a food fish right across Thailand...more>>

Silver Arowana  (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum), also spelled arawana has been introduced to Thailand from the Amazon basin in South America. Stocked in small numbers in some Thai fishing lakes as a sport fish it can thrive is good conditions and can grow to 1m (3,2ft) in length. Primarily surface feeders arowana's can be found constantly on the lookout for prey items floating or falling into its range. An arowana is a a prized catch for any angler visiting Thailand and can be caught using lures, flies and baits...more>>

Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) or Black Pacu is a native freshwater fish of the Amazon basin, it is also known as the Black-finned Pacu, Giant Pacu, Cachama and Gamitana. Black Pacu are Omnivores and will eat a wide range of food. Their favoured natural diet is like the Red Bellied Pacu is vegetation, nuts and seeds but will also take most other offerings like small fish, vegetable, insects, meat, rice or dead baits. The Black Pacu can grow larger than the Red Bellied Pacu, it is quite rare in lakes in Thailand and large specimens are expensive...more>>

Tiger Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum) is found naturally in South American rivers such as the Amazon or the Orinoco. They have been successfully introduced into some fishing lakes in Thailand and are considered by most a very beautiful and prized catch. When hooked this fish will stick to the bottom for as long as possible and have you wondering if you caught up with a mini jet powered submarine...more>>