mekong fishing recommendations?

Post by **JoeThrows** » July 21, 2014, 5:39 pm

anyone know who to call, or better yet who not to call? looking for a half day trip for 4-6 people in december, hoping to land a catfish bigger than i am.

Post by **fatbob** » July 21, 2014, 6:08 pm

If you luck in I hope you throw it back so someone else can catch it, the look on Thai faces is worth it.

Post by **rick** » July 21, 2014, 7:59 pm

I don't know of any organised rod and line fishing done on the Mekong. Commercial fishermen too busy trying to catch everything. And big catfish - snowball in hell comes to mind. Best bet would be fishing on a large reservoir where Mekong cats are sometimes stocked.

Post by **Udonhoward** » July 22, 2014, 9:34 am

The giant catfish is listed as "critically endangered" by the IUCN Red List, one step above extinct... Technically, they are fully protected in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Fishing for them has been banned in Thailand since 2010. I lived on the bank of Mekong for five years, and saw one in the river during that time. There are some ponds where they have been raised, that would be your best bet.

Post by **JoeThrows** » July 22, 2014, 10:50 am

didn't realize they were on the endangered list. i'd go to a farmed lake for that then. i found a website offering week long tours but that's way more than we want.

Post by **Caitlin** » July 22, 2014, 12:24 pm

Giant catfish is going to extinct in Mekong. Due to threat this specie is not living in it's original habitat. This specie normally lives in the small isolated population that is in the Middle Mekong. This fish normally live in the area of the river where the water depth is 10m (33 ft). This fish is found by the fishermen in Tonle Sap River and lake in Cambodia. This fish normally feeds green algae. This specie is now going to extinct due to over fishing that's why authorities are going to ban to catch this fish by fishermen and going to take important steps to save this specie.

Post by **Aardvark** » July 22, 2014, 1:51 pm

Don't think Fishing the Mekong is much good at this time of the Year. Water is usually running at about 40klm an Hour ...

Post by **JoeThrows** » July 22, 2014, 2:52 pm

Aardvark wrote:Don't think Fishing the Mekong is much good at this time of the Year. Water is usually running at about 40klm an Hour ...

actually interested in december as i've got some friends visiting and they recently did some sport fishing in the atlantic, i'm just trying to find things for them to do.

Post by **wallabyjack** » July 22, 2014, 8:49 pm

Maybe a fishing park in Udon might be a good Idea ,

i know one ,directions go past chern chim straight to the main ring road go straight ahead 4 or 5 kn up the road on the right!

Post by **rick** » July 22, 2014, 11:22 pm

There are a number of fishing parks around Udon, although most are quite basic. Probably best would be Saman farm and Luckana, rest only small fish. Try this website for the most comprehensive list, although out of date:

http://udon-news.com/en/main/fishing-in-udon-thani

Post by **socksy** » July 23, 2014, 10:14 am

Went to Samman a couple of years ago and they've got big Catfish in there. My mate caught one 26kg and you see large one's regularly jumping.

Post by **BigRick808** » October 2, 2014, 7:24 pm

If any of you are planning to be in Chiang Mai you have a few options for the day at a rate of $50-60 which includes transport and entry to a lake, bait, and tackle. They have it stocked with Asian, S. and N. American game fish, plus catfish. Just stop in at any travel/tour shop near the old city wall and take your pick. They also have longer packages with bungalows but I didn't think they were worth the extra cost.