Where/When to go deep sea fishing in Thailand?

[Kiniyeow]

My wife loves to go fishing and has always said she wants to go deep sea fishing but I have no idea when the best time of year for this is and which places offer the best tours. Has anyone had any first hand experience anywhere?

I live in Chiang Mai, so I plan on making it a mini holiday for us.

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[huuwi]

What are you after?

How many days you wana spend on board?

And what is your budget?

[captnhoy]

I've dabbled in it. Koh Tao was my best paid experience in Thailand. We caught fish doing day trips but not many - 2 or 3 per person would be a good day and that was 7 years ago. The fish were up to 2 kilos each and trevally or similar. Phuket is all fished out. They'll take you out for the day and you might get 2 or 3 baby tuna while they hide in the lee of an island to escape the wind. There are some Burma Banks charters out of Ranong. They only go in high season - Nov through Mar. It costs 24,000 or so per person for 5 days and you can expect 100 kilos of fish or more per person. These can be hard to book as the boats often fill with a group of friends and no room for outsiders. There is some fishing out of Samui but I've not tried it. Judging by the response here the sport must be more popular with Thais than farang. Oh, and I just remembered it is supposed to be good out of Satun - just what I heard, not tried yet.

[jacko45k]

I used to go out from Sattahip quite often, but like Phuket I believe it is fished out some what.

The best time seemed to be early in the year, sadly high season when it is busy. The Russians like to do this too.

Of course that is also when the weather s best.

[sputjam]

Thai fishermen encroach into neighbouring countries when fishing. Mostly Indonesia and malaysia.

[captnhoy]

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greetings Kini,

from chiang mai, i would recommend heading to cha-am/hua hin, u can google a few fishing trips. a fun trip the cruise/fishing boat. u run a line off the back while cruise does touristy stops in between.

then head south along the coast. there are many fishing village en route to prachuap khiri khan.

check out up close. many fishermen are quite happy to take you.

ban krut to bang saphan. many fishermen and also maybe u could line up with scuba boat if they are slow to head out into deep water

continue south to chumphon, there are many different fishing village aroung here. u may have to ask locals.

then head south/west to rayong and try this district and/or make side trip to burma/myramar. continue south as far as u are comfortable, then head back to gulf side.

so many islands for good fishing also.

when ever u run out of time, head back home en route to chang mai.

bon voyage'n'happy fishin'

Out of Chumpon it is Not Rayong - it is Ranong

[maderaroja]

Thailand can't even sink a submarine. Where you you expect to find the "deep sea?"

[BadBouy]

Thailand can't even sink a submarine. Where you you expect to find the "deep sea?"

Say What??????? Hope sleeping it off is all that's required!

[georgey]

As already asked, much depends on how much you want to spend, but also on what you consider to be “deep sea fishing”. In my experience, Thai waters on the East coast are very ordinary. On the West, while anything close to Phuket may be a waste of time, there is an exception in a small area close to Racha Noi & Yai (between the two, I think), where you’ll get some decent sailfish at the right time of year (Nov. - March), plus a few mahi-mahi & similar; it’s quite heavily fished though, due to its relative proximity to Phuket. Further North, off the Similans, you can get some v good black marlin fishing, along with some OK yellowfin. On a friend’s boat, we once got 3 smallish black marlin, up to about 125lbs, plus a few yellowfin up to about 25lbs, in one day, & this without a professional crew, & with not very good tackle/equipment. No idea what a charter costs, but probably not cheap (as its about 100km North of Phuket, I think); if you did want to do it, strongly recommend no more than 4 sharing (otherwise you just reduce to very small your own chances of actually being the one who fights a fish).

If you want to be fairly certain of catching a number of billfish at a reasonable cost, & don’t mind travelling a bit, I’d seriously recommend going to Rompin in Malaysia. Peak season is Aug- Nov, but did a couple of days a few years ago in low season, & we got numerous small sails on both days. Because the productive area is quite close to shore, & the boats the charter operators use are functional but not super-comfortable, the cost is very low compared to bill fishing anywhere else in the world. We used Rompin Bluesails, but there are a few others.

[sgtsabai]

georgey thanks for that info. Not to hijack the thread, it's been good, but about Rompin, is there website available? How about other species than sails? Accommodations, leisure hours? I love off-shore fishing, grew up on the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast fishing for reds, specs, and ling, along with a few others. I think a big problem with Thailand fishing is not only have the fish been over fished, but in general the old slow wooden boats can't cover the distances needed and can't move fast enough to 'hunt' the fish. I had, now lost, a video of a Thai guy, wish I could remember the connection, that had gone out of the Pattaya area in a twin outboard obviously built with fishing in mind. His group used jigging and had a good haul of decent size fish. I don't think they are all gone, one just has to be able to hunt and find. Thanks again for this thread and the posts, there are a few of us that do like to fish.

[huuwi]

georgey thanks for that info. Not to hijack the thread, it's been good, but about Rompin, is there website available? How about other species than sails? Accommodations, leisure hours? I love off-shore fishing, grew up on the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast fishing for reds, specs, and ling, along with a few others. I think a big problem with Thailand fishing is not only have the fish been over fished, but in general the old slow wooden boats can't cover the distances needed and can't move fast enough to 'hunt' the fish. I had, now lost, a video of a Thai guy, wish I could remember the connection, that had gone out of the Pattaya area in a twin outboard obviously built with fishing in mind. His group used jigging and had a good haul of decent size fish. I don't think they are all gone, one just has to be able to hunt and find. Thanks again for this thread and the posts, there are a few of us that do like to fish.

as you mention, thai boats to slow for you, so the other question springs in again, what is your budget.

rompin is a good spot, but i believe you have to bring your own tackle.

not to much night life, but good food.

[gamini]

I've dabbled in it. Koh Tao was my best paid experience in Thailand. We caught fish doing day trips but not many - 2 or 3 per person would be a good day and that was 7 years ago. The fish were up to 2 kilos each and trevally or similar. Phuket is all fished out. They'll take you out for the day and you might get 2 or 3 baby tuna while they hide in the lee of an island to escape the wind. There are some Burma Banks charters out of Ranong. They only go in high season - Nov through Mar. It costs 24,000 or so per person for 5 days and you can expect 100 kilos of fish or more per person. These can be hard to book as the boats often fill with a group of friends and no room for outsiders. There is some fishing out of Samui but I've not tried it. Judging by the response here the sport must be more popular with Thais than farang. Oh, and I just remembered it is supposed to be good out of Satun - just what I heard, not tried yet.

Yes from Satun go to Koh Lipe. Good fishing and a nice place to stay. Season Nov-April

[sgtsabai]

Budget is going to vary, long story-waiting an appeal decision that can go many ways by Veterans Affairs. If I'm able to go at all my budget will be mid range. I'll be able to afford up to 300 USD a day, maybe a bit more, for a couple of days, no 1,000 USD for me for fishing. I've got good tackle, need to add spinning gear for popping, jigging etc. I'll have that. I have good Okuma lever drag with about 400 yds. 50 lb. braid, small level wind reels Shimano and Okuma with about 400 yds. 30/40 lb. braid, one piece rods to match, + Okuma jigging rod. Lighter 2 piece rods for smaller fish. Pain in the butt flying with those rods. I get a lot of joking comments about having an RPG, rod case. I'd never make it in the door of an airport in the US without getting shot. A couple of days will satisfy me if there is no 'nightlife' available.

[georgey]

georgey thanks for that info. Not to hijack the thread, it's been good, but about Rompin, is there website available? How about other species than sails? Accommodations, leisure hours? I love off-shore fishing, grew up on the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast fishing for reds, specs, and ling, along with a few others. I think a big problem with Thailand fishing is not only have the fish been over fished, but in general the old slow wooden boats can't cover the distances needed and can't move fast enough to 'hunt' the fish. I had, now lost, a video of a Thai guy, wish I could remember the connection, that had gone out of the Pattaya area in a twin outboard obviously built with fishing in mind. His group used jigging and had a good haul of decent size fish. I don't think they are all gone, one just has to be able to hunt and find. Thanks again for this thread and the posts, there are a few of us that do like to fish.

The outfit we used is: http://rompinbluesailsfishing.com/

I'm sure there must be other species around, but we didn't encounter anything else over 2 days. I've caught Spanish mack & mahi-mahi (& of course bonito) off Tioman, so imagine these must be available off Rompin too. While we saw many Sails finning, & caught a decent number, it's nothing like the fishing off, say, Cairns, where, on a decent day you'll see loads of surface action created by a large number of species, & the birds to go with it.....but, the price is a bit different too!

In response to the post below yours, this particular company doesn't require you to bring your own gear, & in fact supplies decent-quality tackle (or at least used to).....

[huuwi]

Budget is going to vary, long story-waiting an appeal decision that can go many ways by Veterans Affairs. If I'm able to go at all my budget will be mid range. I'll be able to afford up to 300 USD a day, maybe a bit more, for a couple of days, no 1,000 USD for me for fishing. I've got good tackle, need to add spinning gear for popping, jigging etc. I'll have that. I have good Okuma lever drag with about 400 yds. 50 lb. braid, small level wind reels Shimano and Okuma with about 400 yds. 30/40 lb. braid, one piece rods to match, + Okuma jigging rod. Lighter 2 piece rods for smaller fish. Pain in the butt flying with those rods. I get a lot of joking comments about having an RPG, rod case. I'd never make it in the door of an airport in the US without getting shot. A couple of days will satisfy me if there is no 'nightlife' available.

Rompin is your best call, while life baiting for sails you can do bottom fishing or squid fishing at the same time, all done in day trips.

take some of your catch with you to the restaurants.

[impulse]

I get a lot of joking comments about having an RPG, rod case. I'd never make it in the door of an airport in the US without getting shot.

I used to carry my rods in a rifle case when I travel. Ask me why I don't any more....

Edited July 2, 2014 by impulse

[sgtsabai]

No need to ask. I left all my fishing gear in the states with my son (who already had enough for a tackle shop) when I moved permanent in 2010. Aside from the pure hassel of the size, length (one piece Ling rod, 2 piece surf rod, etc,) weight, (heavy-I forgot the schedule) I'd never have gotten through the door of a US airport in one piece. Here, not so bad, lots of funny looks and comments, I just smile and say fishing rods, also written on rod case. Still a pain in the butt traveling with the one piece rods. Aside from the 2 piece rods that join at the butt, I just don't trust 2 piece for medium to heavy salt water fish. Some good comments on this thread.

[impulse]

No need to ask. I left all my fishing gear in the states with my son (who already had enough for a tackle shop) when I moved permanent in 2010. Aside from the pure hassel of the size, length (one piece Ling rod, 2 piece surf rod, etc,) weight, (heavy-I forgot the schedule) I'd never have gotten through the door of a US airport in one piece. Here, not so bad, lots of funny looks and comments, I just smile and say fishing rods, also written on rod case. Still a pain in the butt traveling with the one piece rods. Aside from the 2 piece rods that join at the butt, I just don't trust 2 piece for medium to heavy salt water fish. Some good comments on this thread.

Best solution I've found for lots of rods is a hard sided golf case. Never gets a second look. And when it does go through x-ray, nobody gets upset that it's not golf clubs once they see it's just fishing rods. Carried 75 fly rods back from China one time in a golf case. Declared them at US Customs and they just waved me through- no duties.

I don't travel with any one piece rods. Mostly, I buy 4 piece nowadays. If it doesn't fit in the trunk of a car, I probably gave it away years ago.

Had an interesting exchange with Beijing Airport security once carrying on about 15 lb of Tungsten Carbide worm weights. I'll be darned, they look just like bullets on the x-ray. Had to show the guy the hole in the middle to convince him they wouldn't make very good bullets.

Edited July 3, 2014 by impulse

[sgtsabai]

Funny how traveling with fishing gear has gotten to be a hassle. Ah, beg to differ on the weights. Never worked with tungsten carbide, but leave the opening in the nose, fill the rest, hmmmnnn. Not worth the effort, I reloaded too long, too much already available. Because of weight I put fishing weights in carry on, along with reels. The rods are much easier replaced than the reels. Golf bag would work, but I don't have anything that breaks down that small. Just hoping I can make a trip.

[Kiniyeow]

So it appears that the best fishing times coincide with the tourist high season, bleh. I was hoping to get a good deal on rooms and fishing by going in the off tourist season. Oh well, no problem, I'll probably check out Cha-Am or somewhere around there. I'm with sgtsabai, I'm retired and don't have a tourist budget to spend on a fishing trip, so it will probably be just a day trip for the fishing part. Thanks all for the info.

[sgtsabai]

Kiniyeow, you can try Nov, early Dec and later in Jan or Feb. The winds start to pick up in March, but still have some good days. While the prices are still based on "high season", although there hasn't been much of one lately, at least for farang tourists, checking around for hotel etc. prices and seeing when they go up and back down can help. Good luck.

[BigFun]

Sorry for late reply but had to go back to the UK in a hurry...

I would second Rompin as the best in the area, at least that I know of, failing that the Andaman coast for deeper waters and better fishing, unfortunately I am on the Gulf side

Rompin is great for freelining a bait with a balloon for an explosive take and fight with some tail walking thrown in ususally. A few fish every day is quite possible although as with most fishing a blank is also possible

Boats are relatively affordable, big enough for 4 or so but taking turns in the hot seat and the fights are hard going. All fishing is catch and release as the sailfish is a protected species in Malysia thankfully. Other than the sailfish there are some other smaller species to be had with light jigging being a great way to catch.

For a great service, including AP pick up and an all inclusive set up then Patrick at lxffishing.com & [email protected] (+60193050726) will sort you out, at least they did for me . There is a facebook page for this service too with some nice pics to ogle . The owner is a very nice Zimbabwean/Austrian guy who has been in Malaysia many years and speaks both Malay and English

For a closer to home fishing experience the Burma Banks are good fishing although they might5 be busy now with a few Thai trips heading out from Ranong mostly...there are ads in most Thai fishing mags. Also Koh Lipe as mentioned also but the actual fishing grounds are the island near to it, Koh Adang, and further off shore.

As for freshwater fishing....well thats another mater entirely

I hope this helps some fishos out there!!

Tight lines!

[sgtsabai]

Thanks for the info. I will certainly follow up.

[nemofound]

I had a fiberglass tour boat for 4 seasons in Koh Chang. It was good fun (if not businesswise:) doing trips for tourists and even locals with my Thai captain. Koh Chang and especially Koh Kood offer fairly good fishing, the catch is mostly barracuda and king mackerel though. I like trolling so we were not so much into bottom fishing but that's certainly the easiest way to catch something there with a live squid or 'pla tu' for mackerel.

Never caught a sailfish which buggers me so I have to go back there with a new smaller boat to chase that dream next month. The sailfish season is short though late October until November but I've seen a sail jumping nearby Koh Kood in April so there might be some chance. Koh Chang is worth trying only at the moment there are no good trolling boats doing trips for tourists.

See the pi, there's certainly something bigger around to chase these 2 kilo barracudas.

Edited October 7, 2014 by nemofound

[tilegash]

If you'd prefer to join Thailand freshwater fishing tour, probably the best in the country is Siam Fishing tour. Also Bungsamran is recommended, it's already known for world records for the biggest catches.

[gray42]

I've been on quite a few paid fishing trips in the gulf (never in the Andaman). Biggest fish I got was maybe a kilo. At Koh Samui (my first trip in Thailand) I went on one of the trips they advertise everywhere around the island. They had pictures of big fish, so I brought my saltwater rods and prepared myself for some deep sea fishing. They were going for little reef fish the entire day. A big disappointment, but I learned not to go on those types of trips. At Koh Tao we went for the big ones but turned up with nothing. At Koh Chang in Trat we went out at night... biggest fish was maybe 3/4 kilo. The best fishing I've had has been in a tiny little boat with a friend at night pulling in decent sized barracuda all night. Also went out with another friend during the day and we hooked 2 big king mackerels, but they told me not to bring my own gear because they had it already and the leader lines were all rusted so it broke each time.

The best fishing I've seen (I didn't go on this trip) was when a group of 10 or so of my Thai friends went out to these oil rigs. It's a long trip, but they caught so many big fish I couldn't count them. The deck was covered in big (5-10 kilo) fish. I'm not sure exactly where these oil rigs are, but if I go on another trip I'm paying the money and going out there. It looked amazing.

Also 7 Seas Pro Shop (at Bungsamran) has a charter boat that goes out of Pattaya. It's expensive, but a very nice boat. They have videos on YouTube of people jigging and pulling up nice fish, but I'm sure it's seasonal and hit-or-miss depending on the day.

Edited November 3, 2014 by gray42

[Nawamins]

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