Wishin' You Were Fishin'?

Wishin' You Were Fishin'?

by JG Learned

The Mekong River system, with an estimated 1,300 species of fish is, next to the Amazon basin, the richest freshwater fishing ground in the world. While one doesn't normally associate SE Asia with fresh water sport fishing, incredible opportunities await the adventuresome angler in Southeast Asia.

Imagine catching fish weighing up to 300 kilos from the roiling waters of the Mekong! Pla Beuk, the giant Mekong Catfish (Pangasianodon Gigas), is the largest, scaleless, freshwater fish in the world. It makes a yearly migration of hundreds of miles, from the Tonle Sap in Cambodia to the upper reaches of the Mekong near China. To some, the giant silver fish is considered sacred, but to most, it is simply delicious. Highly prized for its dark, firm, savory flesh (reported to have aphrodisiac qualities), the season for catching Pla Beuk lasts only a few short weeks in April and May, when the Mekong, before the monsoon, is at its lowest level and the fish are working upsteam to spawn. Unfortunately, dams, pollution and over-fishing threaten this noble fishes' future.

The good news is that Pla Beuk and other threatened species have been successfully introduced into several reservoirs and lakes, insuring their future and actually creating more superb locations and opportunities for the ardent fisherman to experience unforgettable thrills within the warm, wild ambience of Laos and Thailand.

Other exotic species include hardfighting Rohu (Labeo rohita); Chao Praya giant catfish (Pangasianodon sanitwongsei); the Siamese Giant Carp (calocarpio siamensis); Julliens Golden Price Carp, a lovely striped fish attaining weights up to 100 kilos in the wild; the vicious Pla Chado or Giant Snakehead (Channa micropeltes), a beautiful predator reaching 15 kilos, known to attack man when defending its nest; fearsome-toothed Giant Bagarius (Bagarius yarelli); Amazonian Pacu (arapaima gigas) reaching 200 kilos and the rare, giant freshwater ray with a wingspread of over 7 feet! Thirteen hundred species…..and still counting, perhaps you will catch a fish waiting to be named after you!

Every year around the beginning of May, the riverbank town of Ban Hat Khrai, Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai Province hosts a festival to honor the Giant Mekong Catfish. Its purpose is to encourage visitors to experience the amazing variety of delicious fish endemic to the Mekong River. There are demonstrations of fishing rituals and techniques and also of the method used to artificially inseminate the endangered fish caught, which is used to help boost dwindling natural populations.

Freshwater sport fishing in the region has only recently become to be recognized as some of the finest in the world. There are several first class, highly professional fishing expedition outfits in Thailand that can guarantee fishermen and women outstanding fishing at any time of year, and allow them the opportunity to experience the warmth and beauty of Southeast Asia at its absolute best. Live life as it should be lived.