Udon Fishing

Hi Guys....What sort of tackle do you normally use in the fishing parks? What methods and bait ? I want to bring some bits and pieces from the UK out with me on my next visit. Cheers ...Lee

Hi leehut... Type fishing into the searchbox on the top right of this page and you may get a few answers.

Welcome.

Tried that already.. thanks anyway...Lee

I think the parks supply all the bits and bobs.

leehut,

I've done a bit of fishing at the parks and of course species determines methods and bait. There are some parks that have mostly talapia (pla nin), snakeheads (pla chon) and small catfish (pla duk) where very light line, small hooks and tiny floats are in order. Bait can be bits of bread, worms, insects or sticky rice.

Other fishing parks have the bigger fish, mostly striped catfish (pla swai), Mekong catfish (pla buk) and Siamese Giant carp (pla coho). Fishing for these species requires stout rods, heavier line (6 kg to 12 kg) and strong terminal tackle (snaps, swivels, hooks). Preferred bait can vary from park to park, but basically bread, sticky rice (khao nieo) and prepared dough type baits are used.

Techniques are primarily bottom fishing or float fishing. Slip bobbers are typically used when float fishing and bottom fishing is usally done with 1/2 to 1 ounce (or more) lead sliding sinkers. Strong hooks are a must, usually size 8 to size 14. I use size 12 most of the time.

There are a couple of pretty good tackle vendors here in Udon Thani. One is at the night market and another is on Adunyadet Road near soi 8. A lot of Thais fish the parks and locally preferred baits and tackle are easy to find here. Rods and reels should be able to handle 6 kg to 12 kg line. Most rods used here are in the 6.5 ft. to 7.5 ft. range although you sometimes see longer ones.

Good fishing line, both monofiliment and braided is expensive here. If you have a favorite line that you like to use, I'd suggest you bring it with you. All sorts of terminal tackle and reels can easily fit into luggage. Bring rods only if you have favorites that you simply cannot part with. They are a pain to transport and servicable rods can be easily found here. Most parks will gladly rent tackle to you as mentioned above. Not too expensive.

I have fished for tilapia (plaa Nin) with 1 kg line (some would think this a bit light, but never broken yet) and an 8' telescopic rod i bring with me; use typical light floats and hooks around size 12 -14. baits usually pellet, pellet paste or bread. Also good for java barb (Plaa Tapien) which i have had up to over a kilo.

Snakeheads require stronger tackle, spinning also good for them. Small Catfish i have caught on 3 kilo line, but if decent size fish (average 5 kilo) then most anglers use 10 kilo plus line; as it usually takes some punishment over a session and will break. usually bottom fishing with heavy leads or method feeder. I would use hooks larger than size 10 for such fishing. landing Nets are usually provided at the catfish waters, but are pretty basic. you would need fairly heavy carp tackle or preferably British catfish tackle.

Find out what baits are used on the water you fish - Striped catfish in particular seem to be preoccupied with bread based baits; have tried some typical british carp baits without success, but only a few so far.

Small telescopic rods will fit in easy, but most heavier telescopic rods are too long (remember, typical travel bag is about 26", so need to be able to fit). Easy to get most end tackle, bring absolute minimum.

All parks i know are outside ringroad. So unless you know where they are, can be hard to find as also often only signed in Thai. But there are locations given in the threads here or else link up with a regular angler in udon.

Thanks Guys....Exactly what I needed to know! I have previously brought over a selection of reels, line, hooks etc. and planned to buy a rod in Udon, but I had a growth of calcium removed from my hand at the AEK hospital, and didn't want to risk infection.
I had a brief chat with the Thai guy that runs the shop in the night market. He was really helpful, insisted on showing me a load of photos and trophies he has won, and wanted to take me fishing....I should have gone for a look really, even with a bad hand.
Now I've got a house near the airport, I'll be able keep some stuff over here, which will be a lot less hassle in the future.
Has anybody tried fly fishing on the ponds?....Thanks for your help....Lee

leehut wrote: "Has anybody tried fly fishing on the ponds?"

I've not seen anyone try to use fly fishing techniques on the ponds. It might work for the pla nin and possibly some of the barb species, but you would have to find someone who uses that method to really find out how effective it is. I know of some ponds near Bangkok where fly rods can be used for barramundi (pla kapong khao) and imported species such as pacu, arapiama, arawana and (rarely) peacock bass. This link to Thai fishing may help. http://www.megafishingthailand.com/

I suspect there are a lot of fishing opportunties here in Isaan other than the parks. However, unless you speak pretty good Thai or just happen to stumble onto someone in the know, it is pretty difficult to get access to these places. I much prefer fishing for species that can be caught on artifical lures, but I don't mind spending a day bottom fishing for pla suai or pla buk at the local ponds. That beats just sitting at home and not fishing anywhere.

Thanks for the link....some good info on there....Lee

leehut wrote: "Thanks for the link....some good info on there....Lee"

You're welcome. That link covers quite a bit of the fishing opportunities in Thailand. If you don't mind travelling a bit to some of the locations, good fishing can be had here. I'm pretty sure that Isaan holds some good fishing spots, but they are not well publicized. Perhaps with time some of these places will come to light. It would be nice to have some good fishing locations that are within driving distance. As it is now, I'll just be content with the local ponds in the Udon Thani area.