The challenge of the Giant Snakehead.
Lovely Lampang
The light was beginning to fade and I still didn’t have my Giant Snakehead despite fry rising all around the boat since we had arrived at 7.30am - it was now 6.30pm. Three enforced halts when heavy thunderstorms passed over notwithstanding, the fry had risen all around the beautiful lake all day. Sometimes up to 2 minutes between rises, sometimes as little as 20 seconds (Yes, I admit it, I was counting) my casting varies from acceptable to appalling and it showed. I had connected with a couple of small fish but they got off. Failure to set the hook, these fish have bony mouths. Time was running out. Suvit had spotted another ball of fry in the shallows near a submerged hedge of bamboo and thorn, the boat positioned by the silent electric motor on the prow., Even I cast well enough and the parent swirled around the lure as it passed her fry, Suvit cast as well and his lure was knocked out of the way, “cast again, quick, quick” he told me, in went the lure and “thump” the fish was on, strike the hook again, but already the fish was behind the hedge of thorn and bamboo, rod over to the side the fish went on into the branches, slowed and stopped, the branches moved a little, the fish lunged another few feet into the hedge.
Casting may be my weakness but I have had a lot of practice getting fish out of weed, Lilies, tree branches, scaffolding platforms, you name it, my fish get in it. That is even if they are not already in the snag to start! Don’t panic, steady pressure.. Wait; let the fish come out.. Sometimes it even works. The boat had turned into the gap in the submerged hedge, improving the angle of the line, the fish thrashed and moved out. Yes, the black and white stripes were seen in the clear water just under the surface, good fish. There was a narrow space between the boat and the hedge, the fish went for it, straight into Suvit’s waiting net, good man with a net is Suvit. No second chance needed. The single hook was held by a flap of skin in the scissors of the jaw, only just enough to hold it. Phew. Success. 7kg said Suvit and the ‘bogle grips’ that is 15lb to me (sounds a lot bigger in ‘real’ measures) some great photographs, and then returned unharmed to continue to bring up her young. Amazing fish, Amazing Thailand! Can’t wait to do it again.
31st May 2012, Lampang, northern Thailand.
‘www.biggame-fishingthailand.com’ If Suvit can succeed with me he can catch fish with anyone.
Expanding Horizons for the Traditional Angler
Some people save dogs, whales or even The Planet. I save cane rods from ‘eBay’. I caught my one and only 20ld carp on an old split cane salmon spinning rod and a bakelite centre pin (total cost 35pounds including postage and packing), small quill float, 2 worms on a size 6 hook. 10inches from the bank in less than a foot of water. The club subsequently built a platform over the spot to ‘make it fishable’ – I am not in that club now. So what on this earth am I doing sat on a converted bar stool on the front (or is it ‘prow’) of a boat, holding a 6foot rod made of some unidentifiable man-made plastic stuff with a funny looking ‘lure’ with a propeller on top and a size 2/0 single hook with a thing like a plastic squid underneath it. The Norfolk Jacket is replaced by a life vest; I am wearing wrap-around sunglasses and sandals… just the silly hat to cover the bald patch remains of this transformation from faux Chris Yates to even more faux Matt .....!
In my defence I can say I am in northern Thailand, on the Ping River where it flows out of ChiangMai province. Here near Doi Tau (literally Tortoise Mountain in Lanna Thai language) at the end of the rainy season (it is October) the river has flooded to form what looks like a lake in the wooded mountains. The Bhumibol Dam is over 60miles down river below the gorge and what we are fishing in is an area of water which will fall away during the dry winter to come.
My guide is local expert Suvit who was waiting for me outside my room at 5am in the morning, so we arrived here soon after first light. The boat was launched and avoiding the very numerous floats, mainly plastic bottles, marking the nets of the local fishermen we have found some late breeding Giant Snakehead. These wonderful fish pair up to mate, share defending their fry and can breed three times in a good rainy season. They also have a simple lung behind the gill so they can breathe air if the water becomes low in oxygen. Add vicious teeth and a shape like a pike giving them power and speed then you have a very worthy adversary.
The technique is to find the ‘ball’ of fry where they come to the surface and cast the lure just beyond them, as the lure threatens the fry they dive (they only stay on the surface a few seconds at a time anyway) and you hope Mum or Dad hit the lure to drive away (or eat) the intruder.
That is the theory. Problems are that finding the fry isn’t easy, parents move them around and the need for fast, accurate casting makes someone like me work for the fish. Then they don’t go for the lure ‘properly’ a warning swirl around, a butt with the nose that misses the hook, or they just see the fry have got out of the way of the lure and leave it. They are really good at this when the fry are a few weeks older and change to orange and black from pink colouring, or when they have been caught before. I flatter myself by saying my casting is improving, but from such a low start it couldn’t be much worse. I prefer to have time and have my feet on solid ground, and still I get it wrong. Also when we work along the margins actually trying to get the lure onto the bank to pull it into the water is just ‘odd’ to me, even if the lure is a rubber frog!
Suvit hooks a fish and hands me the rod so he can video me with a fish and I enjoy the tussle. The rod is short and light, certainly compared to the line so it is fun, I remember the advice to keep the fish down - the fish are very adept at shaking lures out if you pull their head up. This time no mistakes and the fish of 6kg is netted, photographed and released back to parental duties. Lunch is taken on a floating bamboo hut on the lake during the hottest part of the day. Then back to the search, there are occasional rises of fry and we spend the time between these finds working along likely margins and inlets for individuals or the Jungle Perch , actually more like a Chub than a British Perch. No more fish until the evening comes near. My previous Giant Snakehead was a last-chance fish, can I do it again?
The fry are rising in a clump of weed and bushes that just break the surface in a larger bay back towards the floating village. The first cast gets the ‘warning swirl’ but we have seen this many times today, these fry are young so maybe a better chance, the third cast and another swirl. Normally the parents would now take the fry away to safety; maybe they are already ‘at home’? I keep at it and suddenly no lure on the surface, thump! Fish on, Strike, strike, and even a third time, to set the hook. This one feels strong, the weed and branches and roots give lots of places to take refuge nearby, no long runs, twice the fish is solid in the weed but I manage to cajole it out and around, now we see her and she is a big one. The short rod is bent beyond double and I fear a ‘crack’ any time, but the fish turns towards the boat, she sees the net Suvit is holding in the water (other hand with the video!) and.. straight into the net, self-netting fish! Phew that was good; a very strong fish is landed. 9kg , as near 20lb as needed for me, and I am a very happy man. Back she goes and we just get to the floating restaurant before dark. A quick shower and an even quicker celebration beer of two! Spicy salad, spicy fish soup (not Giant Snakehead!) rice and more beer. I worked hard for the fish and feel I (just about) deserved it. As the beer takes effect I think “am I changing from the Traditional Angler approach?” Well now, that was fun, but if I had that Rawson and Perrin barbel rod I bought just before coming to Thailand, 11feet of beautiful cane and a centrepin reel it might be even better. I need to learn to Wallis cast first, but, well maybe you can sometimes have it all. We slept on the floating bamboo houseboat, and next day I caught another fish, with a cast a helpful gust of wind turned into a good one (“Thank you, Isaac”) this f ish had more open water and made serveral strong runs before coming to the boat. Then got its own back by rasping the end of my finger as I held it for the photograph. Blood on some of the pictures, but the fish was unharmed and I’ll live to do it again. Suvit can be contacted via his website ‘www.biggame-fishingthailand.com’ There is even a video clip of ‘yours truly’ playing the fish on his ‘ facebook’ page, I now have fans in Malaysia!. He claims he will be able to teach me to cast fast and accurately with a baitcaster in 2 hours! We shall see.
Writer : Stephen bidden from England
October 30-2012
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