Any Good Spots For Fishing In Samui?

[womble]

Pulled this leopard catfish out of Topcats recently. Not always my cup of tea in the snese that I guess I prefer natural lakes/rivers but still, it's a great buzz when you catch a nice one.

I may be a bit mistaken ,the world record cat that they have stocked maybe a NIGER CAT and not a LEOPARD CAT...as i first stated....it has a nick name.....something like alf or similar

Think it's the red tailed leopard called Harry. Even though it may be a world record in weight, somehow it doesn't feel fair to claim it simply because it is no major feat to land it from a lake so small with no snags. Personally I would be more proud of a fish half the size from one of the rivers in S. America where they originate from.

Having said that it is still great to have a lake here with so many large fish in it, unfortunatley for me having tried it a couple of times it's just not for me, I prefer catching fish in natural suroundings. Even if a lot of the time they are much smaller.

Went out casting lures today in Ban Rak I had 7 grouper, the mrs had 6, Everydaysthesame had 1 , all fish were small Hexagon grouper. We fished the sand flat near Sabai properties, really nice spot, it was high water at 8am, we got there at 3pm and the sand bank was just starting to show, I reckon that sand bank could be quite productive at high water, especially on springs, you'd need a little dingy to get out there though at that time. We were standing on the sand in knee deep water casting over the rocks that surround it. Sand flats that are close to rock and other features are normally very good as crabs and other food for fish from the rocky areas go onto the sand and fish patrol the sands at high water for easy pickings. I'm hoping to try again at high water and maybe be lucky enough to get a small queenfish or travally. I got bitten off by a fair sized longtom, only had 6lb leader on, swapped to 20lb but couldn't get any more bites so switched back to the lighter leader and the interest picked up again.

All fish were small but this was the most succesful lure fishing trip we have had in Samui so far. We were using small soft plastic grubs with small weighted jig head hooks, 6lb leader and 30lb fireline.

fair play ta ya man...keep up the good work....i went beach fishing here in dorset ,u.k the other night,after a force 7 storm...caught school bass upto 3lb using ragworm in the rolling waves 50 yrds out...good scrap...good eating....think id much rather be back in samui fishin where your fishin......how did ya cook ya grouper?

Try walking along rocky beaches two hours before and after high water and casting a dexter wedge lure. Study the beach at low tide and see if you can indentify any channels through the rocks. These often hold bass. I have caught Bass up to 8lb using this method, often hooking fish as close as 10m from the beach. Great fun on light tackle. And bass are a surperb eating fish.

Mmmmmmmm

[meatgrowler]

Pulled this leopard catfish out of Topcats recently. Not always my cup of tea in the snese that I guess I prefer natural lakes/rivers but still, it's a great buzz when you catch a nice one.

I may be a bit mistaken ,the world record cat that they have stocked maybe a NIGER CAT and not a LEOPARD CAT...as i first stated....it has a nick name.....something like alf or similar

Think it's the red tailed leopard called Harry. Even though it may be a world record in weight, somehow it doesn't feel fair to claim it simply because it is no major feat to land it from a lake so small with no snags. Personally I would be more proud of a fish half the size from one of the rivers in S. America where they originate from.

Having said that it is still great to have a lake here with so many large fish in it, unfortunatley for me having tried it a couple of times it's just not for me, I prefer catching fish in natural suroundings. Even if a lot of the time they are much smaller.

Went out casting lures today in Ban Rak I had 7 grouper, the mrs had 6, Everydaysthesame had 1 , all fish were small Hexagon grouper. We fished the sand flat near Sabai properties, really nice spot, it was high water at 8am, we got there at 3pm and the sand bank was just starting to show, I reckon that sand bank could be quite productive at high water, especially on springs, you'd need a little dingy to get out there though at that time. We were standing on the sand in knee deep water casting over the rocks that surround it. Sand flats that are close to rock and other features are normally very good as crabs and other food for fish from the rocky areas go onto the sand and fish patrol the sands at high water for easy pickings. I'm hoping to try again at high water and maybe be lucky enough to get a small queenfish or travally. I got bitten off by a fair sized longtom, only had 6lb leader on, swapped to 20lb but couldn't get any more bites so switched back to the lighter leader and the interest picked up again.

All fish were small but this was the most succesful lure fishing trip we have had in Samui so far. We were using small soft plastic grubs with small weighted jig head hooks, 6lb leader and 30lb fireline.

fair play ta ya man...keep up the good work....i went beach fishing here in dorset ,u.k the other night,after a force 7 storm...caught school bass upto 3lb using ragworm in the rolling waves 50 yrds out...good scrap...good eating....think id much rather be back in samui fishin where your fishin......how did ya cook ya grouper?

Try walking along rocky beaches two hours before and after high water and casting a dexter wedge lure. Study the beach at low tide and see if you can indentify any channels through the rocks. These often hold bass. I have caught Bass up to 8lb using this method, often hooking fish as close as 10m from the beach. Great fun on light tackle. And bass are a surperb eating fish.

Mmmmmmmm

I have had bass using the method you mention,ive always had results using a blue rapala j13 lure...i love to troll these lures behind my boat doin a few knots,weve had some great takes this way!......might be goin deep sea pollack bashin tis weekend....not mega good eatin...but the mrs should be able to spice em up!

[everydaysthesame]

got this one just off the pier in bang rak last week...

by the way, did anyone enter the samui fishing comp? was it any good? who won?

Edited April 6, 2007 by everydaysthesame

[meatgrowler]

got this one just off the pier in bang rak last week...

by the way, did anyone enter the samui fishing comp? was it any good? who won?

holy mackerel!!!!! that pier is producin some guffers! ,how many kilos was the beast every? how long to play it in?.......tad different from the mackerel that ive just been catchin off chesil beach.....theve just started showin.....string of 5 every cast...mmmmmm,barbecued fresh on the beach with salad and fresh bread.....good on ya every!

[yorkie100]

Hmmmm, major oil leak and thats me out of action for a while. Have to take the boat back to Chumphon(again,again,again) for another engine repair. The joys of owning a boat.

My dad says a boat is a hole in the water in to which you pour money

true and not true,after binnning my ropey my old johnson engine,a brand new mariner outboard was bought,problem free for 3 years already......end of the day,the fibreglass boat itself is basically a floating fishpond,trouble free!...always ensure ya engines good...regularly service!!!!.....i wouldnt fancy bobbing around off ko tao for few days powerless.....dont see too many rescue helicopters in thailand or r.n.l.i

Could U explain what r.n.l.i. stand for?

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, it's a U.K. Charity. It has to be a charity because even though we are an island community, like Samui, the British government doesn't see fit to fund an organisation that save thousands of lives at sea each year.

http://www.rnli.org.uk/

Edited April 6, 2007 by yorkie100

[everydaysthesame]

got this one just off the pier in bang rak last week...

by the way, did anyone enter the samui fishing comp? was it any good? who won?

holy mackerel!!!!! that pier is producin some guffers! ,how many kilos was the beast every? how long to play it in?.......tad different from the mackerel that ive just been catchin off chesil beach.....theve just started showin.....string of 5 every cast...mmmmmm,barbecued fresh on the beach with salad and fresh bread.....good on ya every!

sorry meatgrowler I couldnt resist a bit of forum fishin! haha

Caught this in the Andaman Islands last week to be honest. What an amazing place! We got 3 marlin estimated 350lbs, 450lbs and 700lbs (womble). Mine was the 450. Also yellowfin up to 110lb+ dog tooth tuna 150lbs many wahoo and king makerel, dorado, baracuda, Giant Trevally, big sharks too, amazing trip the place is like no where else on earth. BUT my record in samui is still 12llbs I am afraid

Edited April 6, 2007 by everydaysthesame

[everydaysthesame]

by the way meagrowler my favourite fish is mackerel freshly BBQ'd - delicious. used to catch em off brighton marina when i was a kid.

[womble]

Mmmm BBQ Mackerel.........

[meatgrowler]

by the way meagrowler my favourite fish is mackerel freshly BBQ'd - delicious. used to catch em off brighton marina when i was a kid.

My mrs has been filleting them,adding chopped thai chillis and black pepper,awesome grilled with a bit of french stick for brekkie!....wonder if i could airmail em to los without em going stinky?

[Rooo]

The fishing comp was great,albeit a bit tiring, 3 days & 2 nights on a boat hmmmmmmmmmm bit too much for these old bones.Great fish were caught , even a small marlin,many stingrays,barracudas & a great variety of other species.Live bait was plentiful , boats of all shapes & sizes went out.

My suggestion still stands, what about a Thai Visa Samui entry. You have all year to test the water so to speak & find the good spots.Entry is limited to 3 fishermen per boat & 2 crew members.

A presentation is held at Nathon pier on sunday evening & all the qualifying fish are put on display.

[meatgrowler]

The fishing comp was great,albeit a bit tiring, 3 days & 2 nights on a boat hmmmmmmmmmm bit too much for these old bones.Great fish were caught , even a small marlin,many stingrays,barracudas & a great variety of other species.Live bait was plentiful , boats of all shapes & sizes went out.

My suggestion still stands, what about a Thai Visa Samui entry. You have all year to test the water so to speak & find the good spots.Entry is limited to 3 fishermen per boat & 2 crew members.

A presentation is held at Nathon pier on sunday evening & all the qualifying fish are put on display.

I have been out commercial bass fishing with some mates off portland,good sized fish upto 10lb,fightin mega hard after taking the live sandeels,did have time to do a few drifts for the black sea bream{my fave eating fish}...only small at the moment upto 3lb....also had a crack near the shore for gulit head bream,again a few small,mackerel snapping at the baits on the drop.....all taste excellent when cooked thai style!mmmmmmm.......what have you boys been catching off samui and surround lately???????

[sandyfromoz]

has anyone tried saltwater fly fishing on Samui??

[BigC]

there are some good spots up near raja ferry. hard to find though and explain where it is. it is up near top cats.

there is the big rock in lamui. caught a few there.

all those rocky area's round lamui have got alot of fish. also you can catch crabs and fry them up if you get bored

[womble]

has anyone tried saltwater fly fishing on Samui??

I often fish small soft plastic lures around samui on a light leader of around 6lb. Rocky areas are best, but one area I have found that may have potential is in Bang Rak. During low tide you can see a sand flat that becomes exposed, it is surrounded by rock. Fishing over the rocks with just under waist depth produced around 10 small grouper, when I say small I mean small, too small to eat.

You could eigher use the same type of soft plastic lure on a fly rod or try a pattern similar to a grub soft platic lure with a long tail.

[jaidam]

Hi Womble,

Can you give any tips on catching Dodtooth tuna? Reliable info has it that there is a school of 30-40 of these beasts hanging around a pinnacle near Koh tao. Here is a photo of one of them. http://www.taatohdivers.com/images/r_pics/DogToothTuna.jpg

We tried there a few days ago and apart from a huge rainbow runner, of which we only caught the head after the sharks had done their bit, and a marlin which ran around a mooring line, nothing. We were trying with live plaa thu with metal leader. Lots of websites show pics of them caught in the dark.

Edited August 3, 2007 by jaidam

[womble]

Hi Womble,

Can you give any tips on catching Dodtooth tuna? Reliable info has it that there is a school of 30-40 of these beasts hanging around a pinnacle near Koh tao. Here is a photo of one of them. http://www.taatohdivers.com/images/r_pics/DogToothTuna.jpg

We tried there a few days ago and apart from a huge rainbow runner, of which we only caught the head after the sharks had done their bit, and a marlin which ran around a mooring line, nothing. We were trying with live plaa thu with metal leader. Lots of websites show pics of them caught in the dark.

Jigging works well, and livebait should work too, try using a bigger livebait, maybe a rainbow runner. Usually for jigging you want a bit of depth for daytime, maybe 30m+. When you jig make sure you do it fast, the faster you jig the more you catch.

A deadly method for dogtooths is night jigging. You need some powerful lights under the boat, this will bring in the dogtooths, jig under the lights, try all depths, i've had them follow and take right near the surface before. A good method is dropping it too the bottom, then pointing the tip of the rod at the jig and winding as fast as possible till it's at the top, then let it back down fast, and make sure you feel the line as they often take on the drop.

I've never heard of a dogtooth caught around this area, small ones in phuket, but never any this side. I guess all the reefs are fished out, they are the first thing to dissapear from the reefs unfortunatley.

I have loads of jigging gear (3 set ups) and also 2 x hydroglow lights + a shed load of jigs and all other terminal tackle needed. How far is the seamount from Tao, how long would it take to get there?

I might be up for a trip if I have time.

Edited August 3, 2007 by womble

[Wellington]

[Try the steps outside Tesco.......give it an hour, bound to hook one!

[meatgrowler]

[Try the steps outside Tesco.......give it an hour, bound to hook one!

Fishing good in dorset at the mo...were catching cod off chesil beach using black lugwom...mmmmmm cod and parsley sauce,whiting are also showing using squid strips..mmmmmmmm,and were getting 2 kilo squid off a pier using jigs with dead pout banded to them..mrs adores them....our local cod competiton ,1000 + anglers pay £15 each..winner gets £1000...it was won with 4 codling...lucky dude...second prize £500 won with 1 ,4lb cod...fish didnt show on the day

Whats being had off samui lately womble etc?...bashin out any lunkers?....back in december : ...love to try a day at sea...hint hint!

[Rooo]

[Try the steps outside Tesco.......give it an hour, bound to hook one!

Fishing good in dorset at the mo...were catching cod off chesil beach using black lugwom...mmmmmm cod and parsley sauce,whiting are also showing using squid strips..mmmmmmmm,and were getting 2 kilo squid off a pier using jigs with dead pout banded to them..mrs adores them....our local cod competiton ,1000 + anglers pay £15 each..winner gets £1000...it was won with 4 codling...lucky dude...second prize £500 won with 1 ,4lb cod...fish didnt show on the day

Whats being had off samui lately womble etc?...bashin out any lunkers?....back in december : ...love to try a day at sea...hint hint!

Caught some snapper the other day & 4 barracudas ranging in size from 7 to 3 kilos. Oh & a baby whitting,which is the first time I see here.

Edited November 17, 2007 by Rooo

[womble]

[Try the steps outside Tesco.......give it an hour, bound to hook one!

Fishing good in dorset at the mo...were catching cod off chesil beach using black lugwom...mmmmmm cod and parsley sauce,whiting are also showing using squid strips..mmmmmmmm,and were getting 2 kilo squid off a pier using jigs with dead pout banded to them..mrs adores them....our local cod competiton ,1000 + anglers pay £15 each..winner gets £1000...it was won with 4 codling...lucky dude...second prize £500 won with 1 ,4lb cod...fish didnt show on the day

Whats being had off samui lately womble etc?...bashin out any lunkers?....back in december : ...love to try a day at sea...hint hint!

Caught some snapper the other day & 4 barracudas ranging in size from 7 to 3 kilos. Oh & a baby whitting,which is the first time I see here.

Where abouts were you fishing?

[Rooo]

[Try the steps outside Tesco.......give it an hour, bound to hook one!

Fishing good in dorset at the mo...were catching cod off chesil beach using black lugwom...mmmmmm cod and parsley sauce,whiting are also showing using squid strips..mmmmmmmm,and were getting 2 kilo squid off a pier using jigs with dead pout banded to them..mrs adores them....our local cod competiton ,1000 + anglers pay £15 each..winner gets £1000...it was won with 4 codling...lucky dude...second prize £500 won with 1 ,4lb cod...fish didnt show on the day

Whats being had off samui lately womble etc?...bashin out any lunkers?....back in december : ...love to try a day at sea...hint hint!

Caught some snapper the other day & 4 barracudas ranging in size from 7 to 3 kilos. Oh & a baby whitting,which is the first time I see here.

Where abouts were you fishing?

Hi Womble,

Day time trolling around Koh Tan & Koh Mudsum for the barracuda.Night fishing there is better, depending on the water & the current.

[womble]

thought i'd revive this thread...............

I've been fishing recently on a kayak, casting towards rocks, only using lures, soft plastics and rapalas......

So far a a few small grouper, one decent grouper and one small queenfish (very tasty).

Regular bite offs from longtom, expensive on lures.....

Anyone else having any luck?

I might go out later today, full moon, tide should be running.......

[Rooo]

thought i'd revive this thread...............

I've been fishing recently on a kayak, casting towards rocks, only using lures, soft plastics and rapalas......

So far a a few small grouper, one decent grouper and one small queenfish (very tasty).

Regular bite offs from longtom, expensive on lures.....

Anyone else having any luck?

I might go out later today, full moon, tide should be running.......

Womble,

Went out yesterday,several bream,4 snappers,3 good sizegroupers & several jacks.Night time should be great, but further out.Good luck, let me know what you catch.By the way at night just get some live squid, works wonders.

[womble]

yeah live squid the way to go, I do like luring tho.....

live suid difficult from kayak, no squid light......

our boat still not fixed, so having to use kayak.....

We've been asking boat yard to fix for months!

Anyway going out in a mo, will post a report.

[womble]

So I went out fishing on the kayak........ 6 hrs, totally knackered, that burnt a few calories!

Tides were running fast, started of casting poppers on top, making big splashes casting to the headlands and white water, not a single hit.

After that switched to soft plastic 3" shads, on 20lb braid with 30lb flurocarbon leader.

First cast, bang! Reel screamed, then nothing, checked the shad, something with teath, lots of them. Put on a new shad, cast to same spot again, another hit, same thing happened as before, line screamed out, very fast, strike, but nothing. Check the shad, same as before, I know what fish this is, longtom, the beak is hard to get a hook into.

Anyway cast a few more but no more action. Decided to move on a bit further and cast a small deep diving rapala. Was casting for 20 mins or so and decided to move onto the next headland. Got there, cast into the white water and got a strong hit, struck, line started sreaming out of the 2500 size reel, felt like a good fish, very fast, probobally took 20-30 yards on 1st run, put a bit of pressure on, got some line back then another lightning run, couple more then it was done. Very fast runs, but the fish tired real quick.

Anyway turned out to be a 2kg (est) longtom. Good sport on light tackle, was nearly 1m long! I've lost a few lures to these buggers, so was quite pleased to land this one, decent size too. Nasty set of teeth and pretty lively so decided to return it.

I decided to swap back to soft plastics and moved onto a shallow reef, casting the plastics for around 15 mins and got a nibble, hooked it, turned out to be a tiny grouper. Returned it. Cast a few more times in the same area and got another nibble, hooked that one, turned out to be another small grouper which was also returned.

Decided to move back to the headland and deaper water where the current was running fast, hoping for queenfish, moved around the corner, cast to the rocks and first cast got a big take......Fish headed straight down taking some line out of reel. Put some pressure on, tightened the drag and managed to stop it getting into the rocks, short spirited fight and a decent Hexagon grouper was boated. Great, I won't go hungry tonight!

Anyway fished for an hour or so more, had a couple of small takes, but didn't manage to hook or land anymore.

All in all a fun day, the fishing is definatley better when the water is running faster.

Last week water was slow, some days went the whole day without a bite!

[Rooo]

So I went out fishing on the kayak........ 6 hrs, totally knackered, that burnt a few calories!

Tides were running fast, started of casting poppers on top, making big splashes casting to the headlands and white water, not a single hit.

After that switched to soft plastic 3" shads, on 20lb braid with 30lb flurocarbon leader.

First cast, bang! Reel screamed, then nothing, checked the shad, something with teath, lots of them. Put on a new shad, cast to same spot again, another hit, same thing happened as before, line screamed out, very fast, strike, but nothing. Check the shad, same as before, I know what fish this is, longtom, the beak is hard to get a hook into.

Anyway cast a few more but no more action. Decided to move on a bit further and cast a small deep diving rapala. Was casting for 20 mins or so and decided to move onto the next headland. Got there, cast into the white water and got a strong hit, struck, line started sreaming out of the 2500 size reel, felt like a good fish, very fast, probobally took 20-30 yards on 1st run, put a bit of pressure on, got some line back then another lightning run, couple more then it was done. Very fast runs, but the fish tired real quick.

Anyway turned out to be a 2kg (est) longtom. Good sport on light tackle, was nearly 1m long! I've lost a few lures to these buggers, so was quite pleased to land this one, decent size too. Nasty set of teeth and pretty lively so decided to return it.

I decided to swap back to soft plastics and moved onto a shallow reef, casting the plastics for around 15 mins and got a nibble, hooked it, turned out to be a tiny grouper. Returned it. Cast a few more times in the same area and got another nibble, hooked that one, turned out to be another small grouper which was also returned.

Decided to move back to the headland and deaper water where the current was running fast, hoping for queenfish, moved around the corner, cast to the rocks and first cast got a big take......Fish headed straight down taking some line out of reel. Put some pressure on, tightened the drag and managed to stop it getting into the rocks, short spirited fight and a decent Hexagon grouper was boated. Great, I won't go hungry tonight!

Anyway fished for an hour or so more, had a couple of small takes, but didn't manage to hook or land anymore.

All in all a fun day, the fishing is definatley better when the water is running faster.

Last week water was slow, some days went the whole day without a bite!

Great womble,I've never fished with plastic lures,have to try it one day.

[BigC]

i loves a bit of fishing,whether its sea,lake,river or pond.....i have sniffed all around the island with me travel rod lookin for tempting fish holding spots.....i like the small bridge by the airport that runs into big buddah bay...great fun catchin small perch like fish and then giving em to the watchin thais to eat...for the sake of a bag of kung for bait from the market opposite,you can av a couple of hours mini sport..

i have seen thais and farang on their bikes with rods and kit heading of to their special spots,i know sometimes its cool to keep ya fishing secret locations to yaself,but ive shared mine so come on spill the beans,maybe we could arrange a farang fishing match sometime,small trophy and chang could be arranged. p.s theres a newish fishing shop just opened at the end of my road{soi modyim}which sells most things needed,all well priced.....p.s dont mention topcats,down nr nam muang...mega pricey ,not much caught for 2200 baht inc bait for 6 hours....good selection of elusive fish though!thats about the same price youd pay at an elite carp lake in the uk for 24 hours...

you can rent a fishing boat for about 3000 baht in lamui near the gass station in the fishing shop.

3000 baht but that is between however many people you go with. so in theiory it could be about 700 shared up.

i have caught some whoppers out there. normally leave about 4 or 5 am

good laugh

[Rooo]

If anybody is interested in going out fishing, let's organise a day.

[jaidam]

Anyone fishing at koh Tao, king mackerel biting quite well around SW pinnacle. Unusually, they are liking Rapala magnums. I've had 5 strikes and 3 boated in the last week, just on the run out/back. Every time between .30 and .70miles north of SW pinnacle. This comes after 3 years of only one mackerel on the rapala. CD14 with a 70lb mono leader.

If you are on a dive boat heading there this week, well worth having a go on the way.

[BigC]

depends on the water and tides. i go out onthe boat sometime get nothing then other time i have to leave early cause all the bate is used up in about an hr with them jumping out the water at us.

there is a fishing shop opposite the gass station in lamui on the back road. normally go out with them lot normally have a bit of a laugh. 3000 baht shared between however many. if it is quite i just up in the water and snorkal