jack2964

Sorry guys, I got distracted and totally forgot my own post. Should have opted for "Follow this topic".

Anyway, better late than never. I fish at this reservoir-Lam Plai Mat also known as 'Chom Tawan'. Nearest town is Soeng Sang (Nakhon Ratchasima).

Google Earth coords" 14N 18' 0.78"/102E 26' 59.57"

Since my first post, the fish have all 'disappeared' again. Water level is very low and the few fish I caught were all juvies.

Had a session this morning but came home empty-handed but had a little thrill when a Chado left some very obvious bite marks on a deep diving Rapala-failed hookup!

Also been a couple of times over to Lam Chae Dam near Khon Buri and this dam is always more productive.

How's the JP over your patch?

Same over my patch. Birdlife appears to have plummeted as compared to previous couple of years.

I've seen the return of Whistling ducks numbering perhaps a hundred or so and Openbills too are back but in small numbers.

Pair of Darters and that's about it.

And then this unidentified LBJ which I shot in early April. It was foraging in this bamboo grove. I initially thought it was the usual Streak-eared bulbul until I looked harder.

Looks like emerald dove female. Fairly common in the right habitat.

Pla Chon. Never seen them caught with anything but a net. I have tried to catch them with live bait (worms) to no avail. Minnows would probably work but I have had no luck. The family eats all the minnows.

For some unknown reason, pla chon is very much rarer than chado here. I've tried in vain to catch a chon with lure but only managed to get chado up till now. When I was in Malaysia, the reverse is true, chon all the time and chado only in more remote waters. Strange.

Come to think of it, even tilapia don't seem common enough in the wild.

Google bkkhooker-there are several chado chasers there and lots of other info specific to thai fishing.

7seas online tackle store has given their website a make over but it is a pain to navigate now. Unlike before, one could pick a category e.g 'Hooks' or 'Lures' and then you have the option to view by brand. That doesn't work anymore and their search function returns items you aren't targeting. I gave up after a few minutes and went over to Ebay and Aliexpress and I am overwhelmed by the different types and shapes of circle hooks-and along comes Robby (very welcomed) to muddy the waters...lol

Anyway, I'll choose some similar to what Jackinbkk used in the photos.

Good job and thanks for the pics. Is that a Rapala lure? For 30Baht I would have cleaned out that bargain bin. A typical Rapala is around the 250B to 300B range.

I live out in the sticks so I'll have to buy online and I normally get stuff from 7seas but being Songkhran now all services have shut down for the festivities.

I'll try some size 4/0 Gamakatzu first.

Thanks for sharing the youtube link.

With circle hooks the experts say to refrain from striking which would be hard to put in practice as it's a natural response once a fish has taken the lure.

I wonder if the fish might spit the lure once it knows it has bitten on hard plastic or timber.

I'll go get some circle hooks and see how I fare.

I use circle hooks all the time. Great for catfish, even sharks. All you'll find is that as soon as you get a take, the line will go tight. You don't need to jerk the rod. Thee hook will set itself. Just play the fish as you would. Keep the line tight. The circle will just set better and better, the more tension it experiences. All the stress goes into the curve of the hook rather than just the tip. It is extremely difficult to lose a hooked fish. Hook holds will 99.9% of the time end up in the side of the mouth between the top and bottom lip, called the scissor.

I'll find out when I get some of these circle hooks. The constant retrieval and action imparted while retrieving should work I would think. The bonus is the lure is less likely to snag as with trebles but these hooks are pricey and hard to find. That online store only has stock of 4/0 and larger which may be too big for my 7cm lures. They cost 360B for a pack of 8 before mailing cost.

Thanks for sharing the youtube link.

With circle hooks the experts say to refrain from striking which would be hard to put in practice as it's a natural response once a fish has taken the lure.

I wonder if the fish might spit the lure once it knows it has bitten on hard plastic or timber.

I'll go get some circle hooks and see how I fare.

Circle hooks are usually used on live and dead bait, where the fish will keep the bait and not spit it out. They drastically reduce gut hooked fish while increasing the percentage of hooked fish landed.

If they are now being used on hard lures, I'd be surprised. But I've been surprised before.

You'll find that with a lot of lures the act of retrieving the lure and the fish grabbing it and moving away, it'll get hooked right away. Even on a popper fished with a pause, the circle hook only has to get into the fish's mouth to be primed for a hook hold.

I replaced some trebles on a lure of mine last night with some circles. A local lake (Here in the UK) has so many pike in the margin that it should be easy to experiment as a side line when targeting some carp. I tell you what. It has been a few years since I've tried to get hooks off and on to split rings. What a nightmare. Destroyed my nails, took me a good 45 mins just to get the job done. I could have asked my wife to help me but it was about 4am.

I'll post up a picture later.

I have this tweezer like tool specifically made to work on split rings. Sure beats using a thin bladed screw driver to coax the ring apart but still can be fiddly and many times the ring slips off and launches itself into orbit never to be seen again. I found mine at a tackle shop not sure what the proper name is and there are various sized 'tweezer' for the many sized split rings.

Thanks for sharing the youtube link.

With circle hooks the experts say to refrain from striking which would be hard to put in practice as it's a natural response once a fish has taken the lure.

I wonder if the fish might spit the lure once it knows it has bitten on hard plastic or timber.

I'll go get some circle hooks and see how I fare.

Hi guys, I am not sure how long the 'migration season' is. I've always thought they leave the northern hemisphere round about late summer/early autumn (northern hemisphere) which would be around Aug/Sept? And then make their way back about now? So whatever migrants we see now are on their return leg and merely passing through?

The southward migration of Palaearctic species starts in early August, and goes on roughly until early October. Some species keep drifting in on cold fronts after this. The autumn migration is a fairly leisurely affair, and migrants may stay for a few days in a good feeding area.

The return trip is much more hectic. It lasts from March to early May, but the birds are in a hurry to get to their breeding areas, and don't hang around so much.

Like any generalisations of this sort, this one will have plenty of exceptions, but the overall pattern is right.

Thanks for clearing things up.

Hi guys, I am not sure how long the 'migration season' is. I've always thought they leave the northern hemisphere round about late summer/early autumn (northern hemisphere) which would be around Aug/Sept? And then make their way back about now? So whatever migrants we see now are on their return leg and merely passing through?

Thanks Joe I'll see what I can find on Ebay.

You've got the chang....where are the pla?

Tight lines!

Thanks for feedback gents.

Did more googling and found marine batteries are available in Pattaya but they cost from 5k Baht onwards sounds like overkill for my use.

I'll go along with Scots' set up. Got a question though-does your solar cell do a good job of maintaining a decent charge while out and about (sunny day). What specifications should I looking for in that solar cell?

Btw, Cool rig with matching brolly, lots more comfy than my little crammed up inflatable.

I am eagerly awaiting delivery of an entry level trolling motor from the USA. Meanwhile, I would be most grateful if those of you who use one can offer some tips on choice of battery and charger that I would need. I did some reading online and it seems I should choose a "deep cycle" battery preferably marine grade. Evidently, the standard car batteries won't cut it.

I'd only be using my motor on a fresh water reservoir. As for charger I haven't a clue what kind I should purchase. Would be good if I can source the items in Korat which is the closest city to me.

Thanks for all replies.

edited to add: It is a 12V motor.

Just upgraded a few lures with 4x strong trebles. Problem was, the trebles cost more than the lures did here in BKK. 50 baht lures and 30 baht (x2) trebles. Bought the topwater lures in Chinatown because I have visited the factory where they're made in China- and the owner was very kind to me.

One other tip- I increased my landing percentages by a noticeable margin when I started sharpening my hooks a few years back. Commodity hooks out of the box just don't penetrate like a hand sharpened hook. If I can drag it across my fingernail and it doesn't stick, it's not sharp enough.

Good quality trebles are pricey, pack of 6 costs about 300Baht while lures I use are on the average 250 to 300 baht each.

I've upgraded my trebles on lures in the past. Bought a whole load of mustads cheap.

What's supposed to be even better is fitting a single circle hook. I don't fish lures enough to try it. Once a circle hooks a fish you'll pretty much never lose it. As there's a constant pull (fish moving away or lure being retrieved) the circle will engage. It'll take faith to try it but it'll work!

I am not aware of 'circle hooks' till your mention here. At my local tackle shop there isn't any and the only ones I found are with that big online store based in BKK. Think I'll order some just to see if they work. Thanks.

Don't be jealous now folks, I get called 'hansum man' all the time:

Also from Korat zoo-(Red-headed vulture).

Bee Eater?

27-03-14 (152).JPG

This could be a Brown-throated sunbird (male). Not a bee-eater for sure and there isn't a 'Plain-throated sunbird' far as I know.

Help with the name please guys. Trying to document all the birds we have in the garden.

28-03-14 (12).jpg

I figure this is an Olive-backed sunbird possibly female although the dark patch on the crown got me confused.

I was out fishing Lam Chae dam over at Khon Buri for Krasoob/Jungle perch a few days back and it was really hard work.

Very few bites and the sun was merciless. Nearing the end of the day I felt a vicious thump and was very pleased to see the rod bent nearly U-shaped.

Didn't last though-a few seconds into the fight and it all went slack.

The cause: Failed treble.

Lesson learnt, I'm upgrading every single lure to stronger hooks. You just can't trust those stock trebles.

You have a White-bellied Sea Eagle there, great bird.

I never felt threatened in Hala Bala, here is a link to my trip report (Mods, is it OK to link to a private, non-commercial site?): http://hannostamm.com/Thailand_hala_bala_2005.htm

Thanks Hanno for that report. Wonder how it is security wise these days-probably the leeches are scarier.

I hear Malayan rail babbler is quite easy there.

Ok I'll join the Hornbill Fun Club.

This was taken at Korat zoo through dirty plexi-glass. If you're thinking of visiting, it's in a sorry state.

I'm gonna fit 'em all in my bill!

I laid out some meal worms for a Taiga FC but this and his mate (outside the frame) beat him to it.

All cleaned out in under a minute.

Not sure what you mean when you said 'it hasn't worked'. Do you mean you got the code but it won't work or you can't receive the code?

In my case, I use an Aussie bank which sends a 6-digit code to my phone here in Thailand via SMS but the SIM must be Aus issued. My bank won't send codes to non-Aus issued SIMs. Perhaps it's the same with your bank.