August was a very difficult month for everyone here at EFT . Boom's father has been suffering from cancer for a very long time to the point where he was bed ridden and basically counting his last days .
Boom and her family travelled to Korat north of Bangkok to be by their father's side . I remained here at the lake and with the support of the rest of the staff kept everything going as usual . Michelle went along to try to keep everyone's spirits up.
Not long after everyone arrived in Korat Boom's father sadly passed away with my Thai brother Ched by his bedside .. It was probably in some ways better at that point as he was continuously in so much pain . It was only his strong heart which kept him going until all his family and friends could be there to say good bye .
I traveled to Korat for the funeral and to be by Boom's side . I was so proud of her to see her take care of all aspects of the funeral and was sorry that I couldn't speak enough Thai to help more with so many things that are involved in a lengthy and complex Thai funeral .
Boom's father was cremated like most Thais and like my Dad just 3 years ago. I thought it would be a nice idea to put some of his ashes in the lake here at EFT so that both of Michelle's grandfathers could be together in a such a peaceful location. Boom agreed so we had a short ceremony and did just that ..
.We spent the first part of August trying to decide which puppy to keep from the 5 as we decided that 3 dogs on the property was enough without offending customers . We decided to keep the tan coloured puppy who Michelle named coffee and found good homes for the other 4 ..I have never had a dog from a puppy and was excited to train Coffee and spend time with Michelle and her puppy ..
Even though we had built a dog house we continued to have difficulty to get the dogs to use it . Coffee was quite happy to follow Mom , Dingo just about anywhere to get out from the sun .
This habit didn't end well as we have very sad news in September . A Taxi driver unknowingly ran over Coffee as she was hiding from the sun in the shade of his car . Nobody heard anything we just found her dead where she had been sleeping . I am sure the Taxi driver didn't check under his car and probably drove away in a hurry . Non of which makes any difference other than I will be adding a speed bump inside the gate and signs to slow everyone down for both animal and child safety ..
In an effort to get up to date with catch reports and keep them current I have decided to combine August and September . I personally spend many hours on the monthly reports and even with catch reports from all customers it is still very difficult to match names and photos and catch reports when I am always 2 months behind :(.
We are not a big enough company at this point to hire a full time PR person just to take photos and make movies. Getting photos is usually a combination of me running [ok driving and/or walking]:), around the lake and guides juggling 2 cameras to take both customer's and EFT photos .
We very much appreciate of course when customers send us their fish pics.
We do our best to show as many fish and different species pics as possible . We like to show enough photos to give a good representation of the month's catch .We don't understand how some venues can boast so many fish caught each month yet don't show very many photos ..
I guess not showing fish pics is more ethical than some ponds rumoured to be posting photos of fish being stocked and then claiming they were actually caught by customers or owners .
I will also not show the fish totals and calculate catch rates this month as that is also time consuming . We do of course keep all customer reports and data and can use that as we need to for our own studies and records..
To anyone who's photo is on the report with no name attached I apologize . This was also simply to save time and get caught up to date with reports .. I found myself spending 30 minutes or more at times trying to match 2 photos to accurate names .No wonder I don't get much sleep :).
We do appreciate those who make the effort to fill out the reports accurately and especially those write their names and email address legibly :) .
We had lots of interesting and fun customers who were happy to catch lots of different species as seems to be the norm these days .
Kevin from New Zealand was happy to catch some of our exotic fish for a change from stalkng Trout in the back country streams of New Zealand . This Ripsaw catfish was defintely an eye opener
Kevin also caught several Tambaqui, Amazon Redtails and a beautiful Arapaima
Another serious species angler to visit in August was Andreas Karlsson . Andreas has caught so many big fish here its difficult to find anything to impress him although he much like it here as he keeps coming back ..
Andreas was accompanied by an even more serious specimen hunter , his girlfriend Thian Black .
Thian has also caught many species here before but really went to town this visit starting out with this fabulous Goonch Catfish.
Next up was an extremely rare Wallagoo Attu
A Ripsaw Catfish completed the trifecta of Exotic Catfish.
Andreas wasn't going to be left out of the rare and exotic Catfish race and soon landed the fish of the day with the biggest Piraiba I have seen so far ..
If that wasn't enough . Andreas explained that he really wanted to catch a big Chao Phraya Catfish and started asking questions about the best way to catch one . It took a while to convince him to go with our recommended method but before long he cast/chucked out a huge piece of chicken.
I unfortunately had to leave but couldn't even drive through the gate before he hooked this awesome fish .. He said "I struck the rod and could still see you tail lights going out the gate "..We are always happy to help those who ask .
Another couple to join us were Jeremy and Theresa Cook who were also busy catching Ripsaw catfish and both Amazon and Asian redtails
Theresa caught the fish of the day with her amazing Arapaima.
Jeremy had to settle for second best with an Alligator Gar and several Amazon Redtails but has vowed to return and catch a bigger Arapaima
Harald Klien and his son Daniel joined us again for a few exciting days fishing .Daniel started their catch report with this nice Asian Redtail
The next fish was a colourful Giant Snakehead which we left in the net for safety and due to the fact that they like to jump .
The next predator was this fantastic Goonch Catfish ..
Daniel is a great young angler and had no problem landing this first Arapaima of their visit
The happy angler also landed a bigger Arapaima late in the day :)
Daniel also caught 3 fish on plastic rod and reel he was using to catch small Java barbs
This Chinese Black Carp was also caught on the same method and he landed it easily ..
Dale Leach returned for his third visit . It was a pleasure to also meet his wife Kathy and daughter Joanna this trip . Dale got the catch report started with this Wallagoo Leeri .
Kathy was next up with a beautiful Redtail/Tiger Cross Catfish
Dale also managed some nice Siamese Carp
Jo was very excited to catch the fish of the trip with this Giant Stingray.
Jo also landed a good sized Pacu on of all baits , a piece of chicken .
James Cottrell caught lots of new species including this Albino Pacu .
He also landed one of my favorite Carp species this stunning Black Shark Carp
Another Carp speces for James was this Rohu or Indian Carp
He fell in love with this colourful Amazon Redtail
Not a big Wallagoo Leeri but an unusual species all the same .
No Arapaima photos for James but a good sized Alligator Gar to show for his hard work .
Joe Beale visited us for the first time , primarily interested in fly fishing. He started the day on the bait rods and caught an Alligator Gar for his early efforts .
He was very excited to catch a very Rare Goonch Catfish .
Joe like many people was interested to catch an Arapaima and hopefully on his fly rod . He did catch one but on chicken before switching 100% to the fly rod for the rest of the day.
Joe's first fish on the fly was this Amazon Redtail
Arapaima eluded him on the fly this trip but he did catch another even bigger Amazon Redtail.
John Pearce brought his friend Warren Ferrington for the day and not only helped him catch fish but also got in for the fish photos .
Rumour has it Warren was too busy eating his wine gums to be bothered with his fish photos :)..
Majec from the UK with a good sized Wallagoo Attu
He landed lots of nice fish including several Siamese carp
He really wanted an Arapaima , but no surprise there :)
He finished with 2 Aris with an even bigger one after dark
Michael Schubert also caught lots of exotic fish including this perfectly painted chunk of a Tiger Shovelnose
Michael to his delight also landed an Arapaima.
David Pagel from USA booked with us after seeing our excellent reviews on Trip Advisor . His first fish was an albino Pacu
His second fish was a Giant Gourami landed on the float rod.
His final fish of the day was yet another fat Wallagoo Attu. These fish are continually smashing our many feeder fish and growing like mad.
French brothers Julien and Philippe were all smiles catching lots of different fish here at EFT
They did well catching several very nice sized Siamese Carp
This Albino Gourami is not a common species to be caught here .
They landed their fare share of predators including Goonch Catfish.
An even more aggressive fish was this Giant Snakehead . We have lots of good sized Snakehead including fish stocked bigger than the current world record
Alan and his family joined us from Phuket for a day ticket . He caught several good fish including this big Asian Redtail Catfish
It was great to see the kids getting involved .
It was also great to see my good friend Akshay and his lovely wife Nargis visiting from Port Blair India .. Their first fish was one of our smallest species . It is ironically named the Giant Gourami.
Akshay told us he had 2 specific target species. The first priority was a Giant Snakehead . As a professional guide , Akshay demonstrated how to lift the fish slowly so it will stay relatively calm for a photo . It took a few tries but as you can see we got a great pic.After one target species accomplished Akshay took a break to sign autographs for Freddy Mercury fans while his wife took over the rods :).
Nargis was no slouch on the rods catching this good sized Amazon Redtail . She guides with Akshay in India so she is used to landing big fish.
Here is very nice couples pic with an Alligator Gar .
Nargis landed the first Arapaima
Akshay caught the the second Arapaima and was quoted later that night after more than a few drinks and some bar hopping saying " I have caught the biggest fish of my life. Now which bar are we going next ?":).
It wasn't just about freshwater fishing as they also managed a nice Phuket Sailfish while guided by mutual friend John Pearce.
Scottish angler Alan Linkston visited us for the first time and was welcomed by a great selection of fish including this Wallagoo Leeri
This was a personal best Siamese carp although he was very excited to know that we have much bigger .
The Giant Snakehead continued their aggressive feeding habits with yet another specimen landed
EFT is probably the only venue in Thailand where anglers can catch the powerful Piraiba Catfish . We obviously don't have the 200lb + monsters of the Amazon but we are excited about our progress as this fish was stocked only 2 years ago at less than 1kg .
Alan also caught his target species with this healthy lump of an Arapaima
Doug was yet another Scottish angler to join us this month and like Alan was busy catching Exotic Catfish like this stunning Goonch
Doug was also very happy with his first Arapaiama
He was even more happy with this Arapaima which was twice the size .
Arapaima was also at the top of the wish list for this French angler
He completed his day with Amazon Redtails along with a Giant Gourami and an Albino Pacu
This Aussie couple were happy with this big Alligator but were really after an Arapaima
Patience paid off with a little lady luck thrown in for good measure with this healthy fish .
Dave Waring had an awesome day catching all kinds of monsters ..
This fish is by far the largest Giraffe Catfish I have seen caught in Thailand
Dave was most impressed with this super red coloured Arapaima
Robert Moore visited us with good friends Peter and Fanny . We surprisingly don't have any photos of Fanny. She kept herself very busy with numerous selfies highlighting our stunning gardens and mountain back drops ;).
Peter like Robert also got a Pacu with this albino versions of the species .
Yet another Giant Gourami .Lots of them coming out at this time of year ..
As mentioned earlier another species with lots coming out is the Giant Snakehead with over 20 fish for August and 30+ for September
Robert was really doing a number on the Wallagoo family
He landed both a Wallagoo Attu and Wallagoo Leeri .. Robert we do apologize for half beheading you in the photo :).
Another different species was this Chinese Black Carp . This awesome fish can reach over 100lbs ...
The Father and son Schumacker family teamed up to catch yet another Arapaima.
This angling duo were kept busy with a long fight from one of our massive Mekong Catfish
They were all about big fish species adding an Arapaima to their tally for the day .
Warren from the UK was here for his second trip. He has caught lots of Amazon Redtails with this being one of the few photos available
Here is a great photo of Warren with one of our Giant Freshwater Stingray .
We have been told by our fish supplier that the movement of these rare creatures is going to be limited by a new change to the law in order to protect them and their removal from the wild.
We fully support this change and are also very interested to see if the new law will effect fishing for them in the rivers . .
Here is Warren with one of his Arapaima target catches .
This rainy day Arapaima definitely put a smile on Warren's face who had decided to dress up like a Smurf for good luck :).
First time customer Zena took a few days off from the corporate banking world in Chicago to come searching for monster fish . Her first fish was this Amazon Redtail Catfish
Zena had found us while looking through Trip Advisor .I am sure at the time she didn't expect to end her search with this amazing fish of a lifetime.
Speaking of the corporate world we were happy to host Exxon Mobile Asia for a recent corporate event . They rented the whole lake for the afternoon .
There were a total of 36 guests fishing in 9 swims
As usual our kitchen staff did us proud with some amazing food and also very creative decorations
I knew Chef Tuk was a talented chef and also excellent pastry chef but i hadn't realized how good she was at fruit carving .. When some non fishing clients didn't want to try the cooking lessons Tuk was quick to offer fruit carving which some of the ladies decided to try and thoroughly enjoyed .
As a result we now offer fruit carving as well as the cooking lessons for groups of up to 4 people . I haven't tried it personally as I prefer to keep my distance form ladies with knife skills ..
Some customers enjoyed the many photos opportunities in our fish park
Others relaxed with a lakeside massage . The massage services were provided by the professional staff from Kata Day Spa who we are happy to use for future events .
Did they fish ? you may be asking . Well yes they did and they did well for such a short time fishing with 5 Arapaimas caught between 1 and 5pm
There was no trouble getting people to jump in the water for a photo that's for sure
There was also no problem figuring out which was the biggest fish for the day with this 120kg+ fish making a grand appearance
It was a great day with several customers and the organizers describing it as "absolutely perfect" ..
We look forward to hosting other corporate groups . If interested in a corporate event or private lake rental please contact me directly for a quotation at exoticfishingthailand@gmail.com
Roger and his son Ash came on an Islander Bar day out with their fish of the day being this nice Arapaima. They also landed several other fish including Amazon and Asian Redtails and several Albino Pacu .
Ash is a good little angler . He really plays his fish well. We hope to see him and also his brother back sometime soon .
Lance Longman joined us for a days fishing which soon turned into 2 days after he caught 7 new species and doubled the size of his personal best fish .
One of lance's smaller fish was this Albino Pacu
His second catfish was this Asian Redtail
Yet another colourful Giant Snakehead in the net . The purples and greens on these fish really have to be seen to be appreciated
Here is one of several Arapaima landed by Lance
When the second fish was almost double the size everyone got in for the photo .
Lance thought this was a good sized Alligator Gar
That was of course until he landed this monster Gar
Lance finished the day with this nice surprise, a big Chao Phraya Catfish . I was stood next to him when he hooked the fish . There was no doubt by the speed of the screaming run that this was a Chao Phraya who are renowned for turning after the first run and swimming directly back at the angler . He responded quickly to my screams of REEL REEL REEL and eventually caught up with the fish and the fight was on .. After a great job by a calm angler it was time for more smiles and fish photos .
Aussie couple Paul and Christie joined us for a fantastic 2 days of fishing . They caught numerous species including their target fish Arapaima. Their first fish of the trip was one of many Amazon Redtails.
Next up was a huge Ripsaw Catfish for Christie.
Paul had to wait until the second day for his first Arapaima.
As nightfall came Paul upsized his recent personal best Arapaima with this lovely fish .
Paul and Christie weren't the only ones catching Arapaima as you can see by this gorgeous fish caught by this angler .
He also landed this toothy Alligator Gar
Alligator Gar were also on the bite for Uma visiting us once again from Singapore
Uma was hoping to break the 50 fish mark which she got so close to on her last trip. She ended this trip with a fantastic total of 40+ fish including some amazing specimens like this Wallagoo Attu
Uma explained that the focus of this trip was about not just catching but also getting some great photos . This of course included hat shots for 2 Pacu species
Then it was flower time and flowers in her hair for this awesome Asian Redtail photo .lol:)
Not all photos were posed for as this amazing Jau catfish didnt want to cooperate
Uma also had trouble with Giant Snakehead shots as she missed the first 3 with one literally flying right over her shoulder and narrowly missing her head .. She didnt give up though and got a great shot of this fish .. Uma landed an unheard of 8 Giant Snakehead in 2 days ,all of which were over 5kg ..
Uma fished hard from 8 to 7 each day which payed off with several last minute fish including this Wallagoo leeri . She also landed a late Arapaima which bust through the net before we could get a photo..
Lewis Janes was so frustrated with the smoke from Indonesia covering KL Malaysia that he decided to visit us early before his scheduled trip later in October
Lewis had a great 3 days landing 7 Arapaima from 10+ fish hooked
One of the highlights for Lewis was landing 4 Arapaima in one day on the fly which is just shy of our lake record .
The second highlight was landing this stunning 100kg + specimen Arapaima.
We are expecting to see more of Lewis and other fly fishermen in the future as we are now the only Lake in Southern Thailand which allows fly fishing for Arapaima .
That just about wraps up this lengthy report but watch for our upcoming catch reports for more info about our exciting bungalow build schedule and also our swimming pool .
As a family owned and family run resort we encourage you to bring your children fishing . If you have children who want to fish please ask about our Family Special when booking .
We look forward to seeing more smiling faces here soon . For bookings please use our website booking form at www.exoticfishingthailand.com or you can also email us directly at exoticfishingthailand@gmail.com.
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