Fishing in Thailand

Fishing in Thailand's natural rivers and public lakes is very different from the fishing park experience. Rivers like the Mekong, Ping, and Chao Phraya once held enormous populations of giant catfish and carp, but wild stocks have been heavily reduced over the past 50 years by over-fishing, gillnets, longlines, and the construction of hydropower dams that have blocked migration routes.

There is no fishing licence required in Thailand for public waters, and there are no bag limits, minimum sizes, or closed seasons. The native species found in Thailand's fishing parks — Giant Siamese Carp, Giant Mekong Catfish, Chao Phraya Catfish — are all critically endangered in the wild and almost never caught on rod and line outside of purpose-built fishing parks.

This is the reason Thailand's fishing parks exist and why they matter: the fish stocked in them are bred in captivity, not taken from the wild. A day at Bungsamran Lake is not just incredible fishing — it is one of the only ways left on earth to experience these magnificent animals.

Reservoir fishing for Snakehead and jungle species is the one area where productive wild fishing in Thailand remains accessible. Thailand's vast national park reservoirs — Mae Ngat, Srinakarin, Queen Sirikit — hold healthy populations of Giant Snakehead, Jungle Perch, Tilapia, Rohu, and Mud Carp. These trips require experienced guides with local knowledge and are best suited to anglers with some lure fishing experience.