Fishing The Rimkok.

[stevehoward1969]

Is it legal to fish the river? Do you need a permit if it is legal.

And the main question is what would you be likely to catch?

[sunholidaysun1]

many fish the river with nets and sometimes you see the odd Thai with a rod.

I have never been stopped ,questioned, fined or anything when I have thrown the line in.

I think its ok to fish and if your lucky you may catch one . Try the local lakes, they seem to be

the places many Thais do fish from .

[harsu]

We only use the Namkok for boating, but have seen lots of fish spry in the shallows, some big catfish and little silvery fish - can you tell we are not experts? Most of the locals we see fishing are doing so in the ponds and monsoon drains, but we sometimes see people with rod and line on the river. I think the fishing season is January till May, but my advise is to go to the 'Fishing' sub-forum on here- you will find it under the main heading 'Sports, hobbies and Activities Forum', I'm sure someone there will be able to give you proper advise. Good luck.

many fish the river with nets and sometimes you see the odd Thai with a rod.

I have never been stopped ,questioned, fined or anything when I have thrown the line in.

I think its ok to fish and if your lucky you may catch one . Try the local lakes, they seem to be

the places many Thais do fish from .

[stevehoward1969]

Thanks guys. Have done plenty of pond and lake but just never gave the river a go before. Will go on a reccy this week and try and find a nice spot with a bit of tree shade. Any suggestions?

[kandahar]

Thanks guys. Have done plenty of pond and lake but just never gave the river a go before. Will go on a reccy this week and try and find a nice spot with a bit of tree shade. Any suggestions?

On one of our recent motorcycle rides, we went to, and beyond, the hot springs. At one point beyond the springs, we turned right and crossed the river on a little suspended bridge, made a left and went immediately into a little village with a nice little resort. As I fooled around on the river bank at the resort, waiting for lunch, I was watching a small back-water eddy on the other side of the river. The little calm backwater area was alive with nice sized fish jumping, chasing and carrying on. There is a big tree growing half in, half out of the river right there. It has caused a small sandbar to form, trailing out away from it and the water swirls in behind it and back up to the tree. Obviously a nice sized hole there. I saw more fish activity there than I have seen in all of the other parts of the river combined. So, if it was me, I would definitely head upstream and get further away from the densely populated areas and expect to find a greater population of fish.

[stevehoward1969]

Thanks Kandahar. Could you possibly pin that village on CR map and I will head out there. Sounds like a great spot.

Cheers

Steve.

[kandahar]

Thanks Kandahar. Could you possibly pin that village on CR map and I will head out there. Sounds like a great spot.

Cheers

Steve.

Open the pinned Google map.

http://maps.google.c...b6884458b352d35

Find "Motorbike Bridge" in the left hand column list of sites. Click on it. That jumps the map to that point. That is the bridge, designated by a picnic table icon.

Just above that and to the left is another icon, a house with a flag on top. This is listed in the site column list as "Guest house My Dream". I believe that is where we had lunch.

So, if you stay on the opposite side of the river from the guest house (Hot Springs side) and make your way down to the river bank right there, you will see the protected pool of water. Of course, you could take the better road out there on the north/east side of the river, cross the bridge and make your way upstream to the same place. Or you can wade across the river at the guest house. I suspect there are numerous good holes as you work your way upstream.

FYI- The hot springs are on the map also, listed in the site column as "Tourist Hot Spring".

If you hit the satellite view button on the map when you are looking at My Dream Guest house, and zoom in all the way, you will see a little dirt road/trail follows the river right there on the opposite side of the river. Good access to the river from that trail.

Don't take a sedan car to that point from the hot springs. Motorcycle or jeep is okay. If you're taking a car, stay on the north/west side of the river. Better roads.

Edited April 19, 2011 by kandahar

[villagefarang]

Fishing at the flood gates, Thai style.

[sunholidaysun1]

I usually drive about 10km past Dons Cafe all the way to the very end of the road. It brings you out at the National Park and hot Springs. Basically you follow the river . There are many areas you can stop at , with large Rock pools that you can stand on or simply shade yourself with the trees etc and fish by the river bank.

Just as you get to the National Park there is a soi by the tractor sheds that goes left and up , if you follow that soi , again many areas you can fish from on route to the Foot Bridge, its really not safe enough for a motorbike as the wooden struts are rotting and many gaps. I still cross the bridge with my bike but you have to take care.

Turning left on the other side of the bridge , then take the first small soi left again and you do come to My Dream Guest House, its a really nice quiet secluded resort. I normally stop there and have lunch on my trips out.

[stevehoward1969]

Thanks for all the info guys. I will check out the area on my bike first, choose a couple of spots and then plot the best way to get the pick up somewhere close.

Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

Steve.

[stevehoward1969]

Just got back from the reccy - soaked to the skin and frozen. Got as far as the hot springs before the heavens opened. Hid in there with a coffee until the storm cleared then due to not knowing just how much farther on the bridge and resort where I started off back to CR. Heavens opened again within ten minutes,stopped off at Dons for a beer and some texmex to chase the shivers.

Will head out that way again tomorrow if the weather is good. Did spot some places where access with tackle was simple but the river was wide and flowing fast.

The place Kandaha described sounds like the bomb so will try tomorrow.

Cheers

Steve.

[villagefarang]

The place Kandaha described sounds like the bomb so will try tomorrow.

This weather is supposed to last through tomorrow. You definitely don't want to do the dirt road from the Hot Springs to the Motorcycle bridge in the rain. Let it dry out first.

My guess is that this is the area that Kandahar is talking about. Taken just below the My Dream Guest House.

Edited April 19, 2011 by villagefarang

[stevehoward1969]

Wooah VF, that is how I imagined it to be. I would hazard a guess that thats gotta have river fish swarming at day break and dusk.

I was planning on staying on the hot springs road and trying to get to a spot opposite dream house. Hopefully my gps will get me there.

If that place has fish I can see me staying at the resort for a chillout w/end.

The lady at the hotsprings says there are fish in there but not cattys. She said what sounded like "blah cod" to me. Hope theyre north atlantic genus!

[kandahar]

I think that pic was taken from the guest house side, looking upriver. If it is, then that water to the right is very shallow. But to the direct left of the cameraman, across the river at the other bank, it where the eddy is.

Yes, Steve, it is a good thing you did not attempt the little road heading upriver from the springs during, or immediately after, the rain. That lengthy patch of clay will take a few days to dry out and you wouldn't want to be on it when it isn't dry. We would have to rent an elephant from the elephant camp to come get you and even the elephant wouldn't think much of that route when it is wet.

I can't say for sure, but I think the lower river in the city area is over-fished. But there is a lot more fish activity further upstream, so I believe it would be better. Had I had a rod, reel and my favorite Mepps Minnow lure on the day I was there, I would have waded and swam the short distance across the river to that eddy. The fish were definitely feeding hard while we were there.

The sandbar near the eddy is submerged, but you can observe where it is and see how it forces the water away from the bank and creates the calm backwater between it and the bank as the water passes it and then turns upstream along the bank until it reaches that big tree and its roots.

Edited April 19, 2011 by kandahar

[stevehoward1969]

Thanks Kandahar. Do you know if the hotspring road keeps close to the far bank at that spot?

Other than that I will see if the road out past the prison will take me to dream house. Sometimes my google map loads all items from CR map but a lot of the time it omits the resort and the bridge crossing.

[stevehoward1969]

Managed to boot up google maps this time and from what I can see is access to both the far bank and the dream house can be done by what looks like passable road.

Thanks Guys

Steve.

[sunholidaysun1]

From the hot springs national park to the foot bridge, most of the road has been concreted. On the other side of the bridge, turning back towards CR, there are stretches of road and track all the way to Raumitt Elephant camp/town, from Raumitt, its road all the way back to the city and it is a nice drive with a couple of little eateries on the way.

[stevehoward1969]

Cheers SHS1.

Will check out todays skies, think a trip in the truck is a safer and drier bet.

[kandahar]

Cheers SHS1.

Will check out todays skies, think a trip in the truck is a safer and drier bet.

I'm not sure what road SD took from the hot springs upriver to the bridge. The road/trail we took is not paved. I don't recall one meter of concrete road from that start point to the bridge. It was dirt, clay, and deep ruts with lots of nearly straight ups and downs and some places where we actually rode next to the road in the brush to by-pass ruts/gullies as deep as 18 inches. I think maybe he is remarking on the road from the first hot springs with the swimming pool, which is on the left as you drive upriver. We left the last springs on that route, which is on the right, sits right on the river bank and, as much as I can remember, is where the paved road terminates into that park. From that park on to the bridge, it is dirt. But perhaps there is another road, paved, that parallels that dirt track. And perhaps my memory is no good. Anyway, if you are thinking of going in the pickup on that dirt track past the last springs after this rain, I would advise against it. I suspect you would end up sideways at the bottoms of some of those sharp drops/inclines in the road.

[sunholidaysun1]

Cheers SHS1.

Will check out todays skies, think a trip in the truck is a safer and drier bet.

You cant take the truck over the foot bridge, dipstick.

[stevehoward1969]

Stick to the roads boys,stick to the roads.

From which movie?

[sunholidaysun1]

Stick to the roads boys,stick to the roads.

From which movie?

Gone with the Wind.

[stevehoward1969]

Just found out, after the missus pointed at the tv excitedly that blah cod are mekhong catfish.

If I hit into one of those Ill be happy.