Hi Amigo!
Thank you very much for your kind wishes of HAPPY NEW YEAR! Did you have a good time yourself celebrating it? I guess so! A good party doesn't hurt ... !! I didn't have any oysters, goose liver neither champagne myself this year but a simple plate of fried rice with mineral water ...
In fact I didn't have no one around as well to share that night with me (not even my wife). I didn't celebrate at all and went to bed early, around 9.00 pm. I had been guiding visiting anglers all the previous days and spent most of the nights typing as many emails as possible, trying to catch up the best I could with the mail before leaving Bangkok. I was more than pretty tired and needed a real good night rest (6 hours sleep is what I need). I needed a break. So I felt the best vacation I could offer to myself was to get out from the city life and its crowd. I needed to be close to Mother Nature again. My mind was still full of so many details related to my recent expedition in the wild. I had such a great time fishing at that new destination that I felt heading one more time for the same place. I wanted so badly to fish again for my favorite species: the Snakehead. So I departed on my own on the 31st in the morning.
I left Bangkok at 9.30 am that morning and reached the dam around 12.00. I had previously arranged everything on the phone with my local boatman, Joe, who was waiting for me there for our first half day fishing. I was pretty excited as usual when getting in his pirogue. Joe told me the weather had changed since my last trip. Either morning or afternoon time, a very strong wind will come from the North, spoiling the fishing. I would have then either only half day of decent fishing or no good fishing at all during the day. That was no good news at all. Fishing conditions were going to be pretty tough during that trip and there was nothing I could do about it.
A part of the few snakeheads that had already spawned and could be eventually found escorting their fry on the dam, there were no other snakeheads to be caught with lures. Most of the rest of the population was hidden deep inside the flooded sugar cane fields guarding their eggs. They were not going out to feed. So the best strategy I could come up with to optimize our chances of success was I would cast lures for jungle perch in ambush, hidden along the border of these flooded sugar cane fields. My boatman will be paddling looking at the same time the best he could for luk krok (snakehead baby fry) swimming in the area while I would be casting top water lures in any hole through the sick vegetation for jungle perch. Strong wind makes big waves at the surface. Therefore it is very difficult to spot luk krok from a long distance while cruising with the pirogue to move from one location to another. With those waves, we could pass very close to one without seing it. That strong wind made for both of us a kind of personal challenge. For him to transform his human eyes in eagle eyes, trying to spot a luk krok through the waves. For me to keep my casting accurate with the wind. With that weather condition, to cast a top water lure at the right place, often in a small 20 cms wide opening in the thick vegetation, requires good casting skils. I was often thinking of those professional golfers who can hit the ball with great accuracy in strong winds. I don't play golf myself but I could figure out how good they must be at their sport.
| ... I would cast lures for jungle perch in ambush, hidden along the border of these flooded sugar cane fields ... |
Again I had 2 casting rods in the boat. One with mono filament to cast Rapala in areas free of anything underwater that could break my line while fighting a fish, and a second one with braided line 40 lb to cast top water lures at luk krok or in territories with vegetation or obstacles. To start the trip, I had loaded 15 lb mono line on my first reel. The plan I had in mind was to try catching something bigger than my pending IGFA record of a 4.20 kg snakehead the 17th December. But I had only one chance to give it a try with the only two luk krok we luckily found at the end of the afternoon when the wind stopped to blow and ... I just blow them! I just screwed both opportunities. I was very tired from the lack of sleep from several days but I won't use it as an excuse cause it doesn't bother me to lose fish. Any good angler does. Those who say they don't are too good. (not at angling but at distorting the truth). I could still fish well even I was tired. I just didn't finalize with any catch because of 2 mistakes I did. The good thing about it is I always keep better in my memory the fish I didn't catch (smile) .
The first luk krok was found in an area free of snags. And that was a serious big ball of fry of almost 4.000 new born red babies. I was shaking deep inside, my heart bumping loud in my chest, cause opportunities to find such a big amount of fry are rare. To the snakehead expert it means a real big female in the 7.00 kg / 8.00 kg range is escorting it. On my first experience fishing for snakehead with mono line, I had landed a 6.00 kg on 12 lb. So I was confident I could do it again with a bigger fish on 15 lb. I just had to keep cool and do everything right. While Joe was paddling slowly to approach the fry at casting distance, I checked again my drag reel. It had to be tight enough to get a sure hooked up in the fish's very bony jaw but not too much to get a broken line in a split second. Too tight, to loose, no, too tight again, shit maybe too lose this time .... Man, fishing for snakehead with mono line dives me totally crazy! I just don't have to bother myself with braided line. I tight the drag at its maximum, that's all, end of it. With mono line, I go through hell. All the reel drag tension checking and double checking, all the doubt, all the questions I asked myself before making my first cast, all of it makes me losing the few hair I have left! Not to mention when I'm at last satisfied with the reel drag adjustment, the small finger of my left hand is cut at several places by the burning friction of the line I pulled out several times. At the end of the trip, my small finger bears badly the marks ....
After only a few casts at my first luk krok of the day, the fish started to strike at my Firetiger Floating Magnum but missed twice. I could see each time small bubbles appearing at the surface indicating one of the two parents had just attacked my lure. Good news. The fish is already upset. I knew then I was going to hook one, hoping the mother will go for it. I did. Bam! I felt the hit, yank the rod to set up the hook. The rod bent badly, too fast, I'm jumping on the drag to loose its tension before I got a broken line. The first straight run is rocket style, the fish then turns on the left, fuck me bad, I think I just lost it! Unhooked. What did I do wrong ? Did I loose the drag too much ? Should I have yank the rod twice more to set the hook better before adjusting it ? And so many more questions ....
At the end of that heavy brainstorming boiling in my mind, there are lots of sentences left starting by the universal IF that anglers love to use when they lose a fish. Happy is the fish that has less questions to ask to itself ....
I didn't do any better for the second opportunity of the day. I screwed up again. Where we found the second luk krok, my boatman who knows any part of the dam informed me the territory underwater was a former corn field. No way I could use mono with that kind of unwelcome snags for my mono line. I had to go for braided line and a top water lure instead. I choosed to cast an Addy lure with 2 hooks and a noisy prop in front. I just cannot describe in words (furthermore in English) what happen next with those 2 luk krok. Both had female and male escorting. It didn't take long to make them bite. I wish again that someone was with us in the boat shooting a documentary about snakehead fishing. It would have been such a great moment on film to be watched. What a thrill it was! Both fish got upset very quickly, starting to chase the lure, making big boils under it before making a U-turn, coming back to their fry. More I was casting, more they were getting angry. They started to attack my lure, offering us some beautiful strikes with jumps out of the water trying to grab the intruder to crush it. On one occasion, both snake parents strike the lure on the same retrieve. They were missing it, several times in a row, and then ... I missed next!
I knew the right strike was going to come anytime and keep myself in focus for it. One of them had to hit the lure right. All of a sudden, one snake took it. I hooked the guy. The snake was running like crazy in every direction, and finally came straight at me. It rushed two more times trying to go under the boat but I pumped it bringing back to the surface. The snake looked like a good well over 6.00 kg. It seemed it had no energy left and was ready to be netted when all of a sudden it dived again, rushing one more time under the boat. It took me totally by surprise. I was standing up on the front of the pirogue. My reel drag being set at its maximum, with only 2 meters of braid out, its last run took me off balance making me almost falling overboard. I hanged up the best I could to save my rod which was going to hit the side of the wooden pirogue next and will explode in 2 pieces. The time I got on my feet again, the little demon had snagged my lure in the corn field and got away. I would love to have that moment on a film ....
There were too many crazy angling moments on my day 2 to describe them all. We found a few more luk krok in the morning but I couldn't hook any fish. Two krok we were chasing disappeared from our sight before I could succeed to make the parents upset, two others had their parents attacking lures but missed, and again escaped by heading for cover in the near sugar cane fields. I had to wait mid afternoon before hooking my first snakehead of the trip which was going to be another world record.
On my previous trip at that dam, I experienced for the very first time lure fishing for snakeheads with mono line. I set up 3 IGFA records in line class. First a 3.90 kg snakehead and then later a 4.20 kg, both caught on 15 lb line on the same day, Dec. 17, 2003, and a lovely 6.00 kg caught on 12 lb line the next day. Back to Bangkok, I wrote to some of my close friends:«I loved every second of it and now I just want to do it again (only at that dam, cause at any other dam with plenty of obstacles underwater I don't stand a chance). But this time I will go for 10 lb and 8 lb. Could be serious rock'n'roll in the boat and in the water ....»
Before departing for that new trip to the dam, I was too busy guiding daily and had no time going to tackle shops to purchase the line spools in those particular strengths. I could only get a spool of 10 lb Berkley Trilene from a friend the day before I left. Just before leaving, I packed in my gear a few more line spools that I had at home since a long time without looking at them. I was late and in a hurry as the van chauffeur was waiting.
At the dam, while having coffee early morning of my 2d day fishing, I looked at those spools.There was one 330 yards of TEAM DAIWA S.W.LINE 14 lb in them. I had purchased that line in Malaysia. Reading a few things written on the box, I saw the mention: IGFA 16 lb TEST CLASS. I wasn't sure at all if that was true or not. I learned two things from Doug Blodgett, the IGFA W.R administrator. One is, almost all braided lines- tends to overtest. Second is, some manufacturers falsely claim in their advertising that their lines are IGFA-certified. This is not true, he said. There are no lines on the market that are IGFA tested or IGFA certified. He added: «Be careful when it comes to advertising that names IGFA in it. We are non-profit, so we are not allowed to promote any one product over another.»
But I thought to myself if a 14 lb line could test in line class in 16 lb as Daiwa was saying it was, then the 15 lb Berkley Trilene I used for both records might test minimum 17 lb or even more. It could eventually means my 2 records in 15 lb might end up in the 20 lb class. And my record in 12 lb might then end up in 14 lb class. So I thought using that 14 lb Daiwa line could be anyway a good idea. If it was accurately tested, then it could bring me a record in the 16 lb class. There was an opening for it. And in case it would test later in the same class than my 15 lb Berkley line, I had still chances anyway to hook a bigger fish in the following days than my previous 4.20 kg snakehead, breaking then my current pending record. A 4.20 kg snakehead was not a monster but a decent catch. That was not that difficult to break such a record. I just needed to find a luk krok in open water with no obstacles underwater, with a bigger fish escorting it, and then make it bite, hook it, fight it and land it. Nothing impossible to be done. To do it on 10 lb was another story. In fact I was not in a hurry really to use the 10 lb line. I wanted to do it for the thrill of it. But I was in a way avoiding using it for the moment, fearing it could bring me some disapointment too soon if I was going to experience a broken line with a good fish at the beginning of my trip. I was going to fish for 5 more days. I felt it was wiser to try setting a sure record first. And if I could do it, then to go for the 10 lb line strength and try for another record in that line class (which could be 12 lb once tested).
 | ...It was weighted at 6.00 kg, for a total length of 90 cm and a girth of 41 cm. A beautiful first catch for that trip and one more snakehead record... |
I got blank the day before. I had been blank the whole morning. But I didn't care. I was in a great mood enjoying myself, caught a few more jungle perch on top water with some beautiful accurate casts, and was very confident I will catch one or two snakes later. The opportunity came mid afternoon when we found a big luk krok in open water but in an area close aquatic vegetation. That was not a too good location cause after a few casts the fish could maybe head for it while trying to escape us. After having checked several times the drag tension again of my reel loaded with that 14 lb line, I started to cast my 11 cms Rapala Fire Tiger Floating Magnum. After several casts I had no response at all. I changed of lure several times but it didn't work any better. The fish was pursuing its cruising with the family, ignoring totally my lure. We call that kind of fish ru mak (meaning in Thai knows too much). It had certainly felt the hook of another angler once. Luckily it didn't head for cover but went for the large instead. So I use the very same method that I invented when I want one of my clients with whom I'm sharing the boat to catch a difficult snakehead like this one. Then I cast a top water lure with a very loud prop non stop, machine gun style. By experience, I can guess in what direction the fish is heading even it doesn't surface with the fry that often anymore. And if he stays underwater for several minutes, not showing itself anymore, then I cast all over an area of 45 degrees where I saw it appearing last. So I cannot be wrong. It still make enough noise all around for its ears to make that fish start getting pretty upset. I retrieve full speed because I want to make as much noise and as much splash as possible but also because I just don't want the fish to strike my lure. Once the fish starts to chase it and boil, it means it is already very hot temper and then ready to bite. So most of the time the client casting his lure will hook the fish next. The difference this time was I warmed the fish on top water, and once I saw it was enough upset, then I changed for a 11 cm Rapala Floating Magnum, white with orange stripes this time. And bam! What a good fight again that was. So much better than with braided line. More exciting. When the snake appears close to the boat I saw it was again a big size one. I didn't fear about my boatman losing the fish while trying to net it like he did last time for my first catch of the trip. I didn't forget to bring my big personal landing net, this time.
Because I was fishing alone with my boatman on my previous trip, I couldn't release any of my record catches. I was sad about it even I knew there was still one of the two parents to protect the fry from any other predator fish. Taking the life of those snakeheads was a real pity. If not for setting those records I would never have done it. It annoyed my mind several days after. My local boatman and his wife were the only ones happy about it because they sold them at 40 baht per kilo ( almost one US dollar). With those 3 fish, that was a nice bonus of 560 baht (13 USD) on top of the nice tip I gave to my boatman for the good work. Upcountry that is a lot of money. If there had been at list another angler friend with me in the pirogue, I would have asked my boatman to bring us to land where we could have proceeded to the official weighting and measurements and then bring the fish back close to its fry. Instead we had to keep those fish in the boat all day so we could proceed back at my boatman's home at the end of the afternoon, asking his wife to help being the official weighmaster for the occasion. This time I didn't want that to happen again. I took my handphone with me in the boat. Prior to start fishing, I told my boatman and his wife I would call her asking her to come fast with her pirogue if we were to catch a record fish so we could proceed outdoor and then release the fish unharmed. To make sure both understand what I wanted from them, I said I would pay them 80 baht per kilo for each record fish I release. She came twice. And you better believe it didn't take long for her to find us on the dam .... After having proceeded on land, we released the snakehead to its fry. It was weighted at 6.00 kg, for a total length of 90 cm and a girth of 41 cm. A beautiful first catch for that trip and one more snakehead record in the box. I couldn't ask for more. That size was good enough to go for another record in a different class. Now I could try the 10 lb class ....
I had heard of another small dam at 40 kms from this one, built only 2 years ago. Locals told me there were lots of snakeheheads there, both giant and striped. Giant Snakeheads at the max. weight of 4/5 kg were there and no local anglers were going it because that body of water was not even on a map. No need to say I had to go to have a look at it. So I asked Joe to join me on this survey. I rented his father's pick up truck for the day, we brought Joe's boat engine, and up we went on the morning of the 2nd January. Arrived at the dam, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. A wild small reservoir surrounded by mountains, and with areas with submerged trees all over the place. It took us some time before to find a local at that dam who accepted to lent us his wooden boat. The territory was really promising but I didn't hook anything. I only had one Striped Snakehead bite in 4 hours of fishing. There was no activity at all, not even a single snakehead boil at the surface. The water level was too high to offer good fishing on topwater. But I'll be back there when the time will be right. Around noon I said to Joe «No need to waste time. Let's go back to the dam and let's fish some more!» The best moment I had from this dam was when this big eagle landed at the top of a submerged tree not far from our pirogue. I asked Joe to paddle as close as possible so I could eventually take a picture of that great bird when it will fly away from us. I got lucky. He just flew away when I was ready to push the button so I have a nice remember of the place. And each time I look at that pic now, I think of the Steve Miller's song: Fly like an eagle and feel so good to be a free bird myself! ....
 | ... Fly like an eagle, eagle ... |
We got back at the dam for another afternoon of fishing. I loaded my reel with that spool of 10 lb Berkley Trilene. I was ready for that new challenge if any opportunity was going to present itself. But the wind was particulary strong. After several hours of searching and casting, we didn't see a single fish boil or any fry. Chances to hook any snakehead were pretty slim. At that reservoir, areas protected from the wind are only a few. It was impossible for us that day to spot any krok in that kind of weather condition. I could feel through our conversation Joe had no confidence left. If he asked me on mid-afternoon to call it a day, I knew he had lost all of it. I had to take over. No way I would quit anyway until the night comes. I guess it was also very tiring for him to have to paddle against the wind. Maybe he had enough of it. I had not. The day before, we had found a krok in an old sugar cane field that has been cut. It was almost impossible to do a decent cast in it. Too thick. I had to be ultra patient, waiting several minutes for the krok to reach a very small opening where I could cast a small weedless frog. I could only do one single cast and it had to be at the right place, meaning just in the middle of two rows of sugar cane plants. Ten centimeters too much on the left or right and I would have my line entangled in the thick vegetation, making then too much noise to free my lure. The fish would be scared and would flee the scene. Perfect accurate cast. The lure landed just at the right spot I wanted it to be. I was starting to retrieve frog style when the mother immediately turned back and chased the frog imitation but didn't strike. The fry didn't move. I could do one more cast. Again no miss allowed. The lure landed again at the same place. I retrieved. Nothing happened until all of a sudden both of us got scared: me and the snakehead. She had followed my lure to the boat and we saw each other at the same time. My heart jumped and she turned back running with the speed of a lightning. That was over. No need to cast a 3rd time. I said to Joe «let's go back to that place, I'm sure she's still here». That area was protected from the wind so we still had a chance to spot her. I did. I spotted a few bubbles through the sugar cane field rows, luckily in an area less thick. I used a big Addy frog with a noisy prop. It didn't take long to make her react. She striked several times and finally got hooked in less than 15 casts. She was weighted at 5.40 kg. A lovely catch as a reward of my obstination ....
On our way back to the base camp, before night fall, I was casting for jungle perch when Joe miraculously spotted a krok swimming in open water. The wind was less strong so were the waves. But that was not an easy one to spot from that distance. I asked him if there were any snags underwater there. He said it was snagless. I grabbed my mono line rod with the 10 lb line. I thought I was not going to have a chance to use it that day. Here was my first opportunity to dare doing it with such a light line. I choosed a Rapala Floating Fire Tiger 11 cms again (my old favourite). I was not sure I could hook any fish cause the fry was already old. Babies were already big size so the mother didn't have to be close to it. It could be patrolling far from the fry, 10/15 meters around. But after 2 casts the snake started to boil, on the fifth it got hooked. I play it nice and easy, took my time to make it tired, playing with the drag reel, and it got netted next. What amazed us was that female escorting the fry had her belly full of eggs. Was it her fry and she was going then to deliver babies again or did she take over that fry as a substitute mother ? I just don't know. I have been told several times by the locals that if both parents are caught (never released by the locals) then another snakehead will adopt the fry. The new parent, step-fish, I guess it would be, will protect and care for the babies, keeping them from jungle perch and other predators. The stepparent will escort them until they grow bigger and then, as they become tasty morsels, will begin eating them one by one. Sort of farming your own food. I have not read anything on that subject and it sounds (excuse the pun) a bit fishy, but the locals live on the water and maybe they know. Guess that it could be true. I called again Joe's wife to come helping with the weighting and measurements. That fish was weighting 4.5 kg, had a total length of 79 cm for a girth of 38.5 cm. We released her back to her fry or adopted fry (I'll never know). That was my 3rd snakehead catch of the trip and my last. This one caught on 10 lb meaning one more pending IGFA line class record for the all snakehead category. Once tested, I guess that record might end up in fact in the 12 lb line class.
 | ... One more pending IGFA world record in line class (10 lb) with that 4.50 kg snakehead, total length: 79 cm, girth: 38.5 cm ... |
On the 3rd January, since early morning, the wind became seriously bad. A strong depression was coming from the North, the radio said. The water was agitated all day with big waves. Fishing was very bad all day. I caught 5 more Jungle Perches with diving lures but no snakehead could be found. The weather was going to get worse. I had to fish 2 more days but then I had to «to call it a day» much earlier than I had planned. It would have been a waste of time and money to go on fishing. So I called the van company and asked the boss to send me a chauffeur to pick me up early morning on the 4th. I'm already back in Bangkok. Ready to guide on the 6th. Right now I'm typing all of this for you. I know some of you guys enjoy reading some about fishing, more especially Thai jungle adventures. It took me several hours to type all of this with one finger. But during that time, I was not in front of my computer keyboard anymore, my mind was again still very much outdoor, there ....
Plenty of love, Jean-Francois
This nice story is taken from a news letter Jean-Francois sends to his snakeheads friends. He would be happy to share his passion with you. You can contact him here directly to make it come true.
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