FISH IN CHEOW LAN LAKE & FISHING TECHNIQUES

Below you can read a description of, the three main quarry fish plus the tackle and techniques required to catch them, on your jungle fishing trip to Cheow Lan Lake and the rivers in Khao Sok National Park. The three are Giant Snakehead, (also known as Toman), Thai Mahseer and Hampala Barb. You will also have the chance, on our lure and fly fishing trip for Thai Mahseer in the rivers, to catch Hampala Barb, Blotched Snakehead (world record caught in Khao Sok National Park 2007), Cobra Snakehead and Blue Mahseer. When fishing for Giant Snakehead on the beautiful Cheow Lan Lake will you also have the chance to catch Striped Snakehead, Great Snakehead, Cobra Snakehead, Hampala Barb, and Asia River Catfish. Thai Mahseer is also caught in Cheow Lan Lake.

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GIANT SNAKEHEAD
(Channa Micropeltes)

The natural habitats for Snakehead are located in South East Asia. Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for Snakehead fishers from the rest of the world. Thailand is also one of the regions of the world where you can catch several Snakehead species. At least three of the Snakehead species commonly caught in Thailand are the Striped Snakehead, the Great Snakehead and the Giant Snakehead (locally called Pla Shado) all three species are a natural part of the fish population of Cheow Lan Lake, Khao Sok National Park, where we fish. Many fishing trips for Giant Snakehead enthusiasts take place in Thailand.
The natural habitats for Snakehead are swamps, weedy channels and lakes with densely growing vegetation are preferred areas for the Giant Snakehead. It likes to stay behind snags from where it can ambush its prey. The Giant Snakehead is highly territorial. It can live in heavily vegetated waters where oxygen is scarce, since they breathe oxygen from the air using their labyrinth organ. The Giant Snakehead starts breeding when its one year and spawns in a nest a little offshore.
The young of the giant Snakehead are red in colour, with orange and black lateral stripes appearing after about two months. As the giant snakehead matures, they lose their stripes and instead develop a bluish black and white pattern on their upper body. The Giant Snakehead is a surprisingly good parent and the male as well as the female protects the nest and eggs. The Giant Snakehead is considered gregarious; they will follow their young closely. Parents will attack everything disturbing the snakehead's school of juveniles. This behavior wears off as the pup grows. The average lifespan of the Giant Snakehead is about 8 years and they can grow up to 2 meters and weigh up to 20 kg and is the largest in the family Channidae. But a catch on 5-6 kg is a good catch. The present world record for Giant Snakehead is 10 kg. There have been caught Giant Snakehead of 11 kgs in Cheow Lan Lake!!!
The Giant Snakehead with its razor sharp teeth is a top-level predator, meaning that they have no natural enemies outside of their native environment. When the Snakehead eats it is a thrust predator. That is to say it will eat its prey all at once, striking and ingesting it whole. It generally feeds on other fish, frogs and birds, but will take on anything that gets too close.

FISHING TECHNIQUE FOR GIANT SNAKEHEAD
Giant Snakehead are aggressive predator fish they take surface lures, diving lures, popper flies and large streamers. Giant Snakehead take the lure hard and will dive to the nearest snag or cover with constant head shaking. Giant snakehead fishing in water with weedy and growing vegetation with top water lures can produce some spectacular visual surface strikes and are adrenaline fishing at its best!
When fishing in deeper water with diving lures and you spot the Snakehead, as it is coming up to the surface to breathe and then slowly dive down, cast, as soon as possible, the lure to the fish. They are very territorial and will often strike at anything that comes near them.
When Giant Snakehead is taking care of their fry the first months they will attack everything that comes to close. If you spot a school of small fry coming to the surface for air, casting the lure close to the school of the fry is a good fishing technique that can be very productive, and give some of the biggest Snakehead.

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THAI MAHSEER
(Tor tambroides)

The natural habitats for Thai Mahseer are located in South East Asia. There are reported catches from Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Myanmar (Burma); The Thai Mahseer is a predator member of the family Cyprinid (carp). Thai Mahseer inhabits both clear rivers and lakes. Preferring clear well oxygenated, running water and dark environments, mature individuals migrate upstream in the bigger rivers and spawn with the monsoon rain. Thai Mahseer can grow up to 100 cm and 20 kg, when they are small, they have a gold, brown color when they are about 1 / 2 kg comes a dark longitudinal stripe on the side which decreases as they grow larger, they become brown to green body covered with large, thick scales, powerful jaws with protrusive and very fleshy lips adapted for taking food from the bottom. Like other types of the carp family they are omnivorous eating not only algae, crustaceans, insects, frogs, and other fish, but also fruit that falls from trees overhead. In Thailand it is locally called Pla Peang, the English name for the Thai Mahseer is Greater Brook Carp. Thai Mahseer are a natural part of the fish population of Cheow Lan Lake and the rivers in Khao Sok National Park where we fish, The rivers in Khao Sok hold one of the large populations of Thai Mahseer in Thailand. In Cheow Lan Lake a Thai Mahseer of no less than 17 kilograms was caught on a baited hook. The present world record for Thai Mahseer is 12 kg. You will find the best lure and fly fishing for Thai Mahseer, in Thailand, in the rivers in Khao Sok National Park.

FISHING TECHNIQUES FOR THAI MAHSEER

The king of the Rivers. The Thai Mahseer is an outstanding game fish. The Thai Mahseer is one of the fiercest fighting freshwater game fish in existence. Pound for pound it has unparalleled strength and endurance, They are hard hitting and fight like tigers when hooked, often using the rocks, rapids and the currents of the flowing jungle rivers, to their advantage, Thai Mahseer can be caught either by lure or with the fly. Lure fishing can be highly effective. Lures like Rapala wobblers, Mepps, Wibrax spinners and spoons with the hooks swapped for strong split rings and hooks, are ideal. Plugs that imitate the local baitfish will increase your chances of a take. The Thai Mahseer is also a fish that will take flies. They will take nymphs, streamers and dry flies. Thai Mahseer fly fishing is a newly developed type of fly fishing in Thailand. To target the hard fighting Thai Mahseer on fly is challenging for the fly fishermen. One of the biggest challenges is not to spook this shy and reclusive predator.

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HAMPALA BARB
(Hampala macrolepidota)

The Hampala Barb like Thai Mahseer is one of the predator fish of the Cyprinid family (carp), It is easy to identify from the others by its streamlined body, covered with silver to gold scales, with a combination of a dark vertical bands running downwards from the anterior of the dorsal fin to below the lateral line and black marginal striping in both lobes of the caudal fin. They can grow up to 80 cm and 15 kg, but average size is 4-7 kg. The present world record for Hampala Barb is 6.5 kg. The rains brought by monsoon plays an important role on deciding the timing of spawn. The size of Hampala barb at sex maturity is 16cm and the fish swim upwards into river waters during spawning season. The Hampala Barb also known as Jungle Perch is locally called Pla Kasoop. The natural habitats for Hampala Barb are located in South East Asia. It can be found in larger streams, rivers, old mining ponds with streams running in, lakes and dams. Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok National Park is one of the places in Thailand, where there are a big population of Hampala Barb. It is predominantly a river fish preferring clear, well-oxygenated, running water with substrates of sand, gravel, rock or mud. They will lurk around structures in the flowing water. Eddies around fallen trees, branches and rocks are used to wait for passing prey. In still waters, the smaller Hampala Barb can be found in and around shallow weed beds. However the bigger Hampala Barb will take up residence in deep waters. Areas with submerged trees or fallen logs are a favourite. The Hampala Barb is a highly aggressive carp species which subsists on a diet of small fish and aquatic insects. In Cheow Lan Lake you can often spot big shoals of Hampala Barb as they press shoals of bait fish to the surface when they are feeding, the speed of movement and rapacious feeding means that slow-moving bait fish will simply be out manoeuvred and devoured.

FISHING TECHNIQUES FOR HAMPALA BARB

Hampala Barb are a great sport fish. Weight for weight, they are one of the hardest fighting freshwater fish in Thailand. From the powerful strike till the last seconds before it is landed, the Hampala Barb just never gives up fighting the angler. Lures such as surface lures, spoons, soft plastics, spinners, spinner baits and minnow profile plugs readily account for most of the Hampala Barb caught. Flies like poppers, clouser minnow and deceivers will work for the fly fisherman. Small Hampala Barb is great sport on light casting tackle. Bigger Hampala Barb require heavier tackle especially in snaggy areas. Fishing in water with weedy and growing vegetation with top water lures, fishing the deep pools in the rivers with diving lures, casting to shoals that are feeding on the surface, can all be very productive fishing techniques.

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