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March 2005
Thailand You’ll probably recall from previous postings to our web site the very considerable success that Club members – Bob & Vee Carlson and David Irving – have had fishing fresh and brackish waters in Thailand fishing with Jean-Francois Helias’ organisation. I’ve just had a note from Francois with some details of some other amazing fish caught by another British angler – Eric King from Christchuch.
Francois’ report follows, together with some images of the fish.
Because your website is accessed by British anglers, I feel I had to let you know of another tremendous angling achievement by a British angler by the name of Eric King - a lovable gentleman of 69 years old from Christchuch, Dorset.
The Giant Mekong Catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) seen in this image (under) was caught on March 4, 2005. It was weighted on certified scales at 75.50 kg - a 166 pounder.
This fish is the third largest we’ve recorded – the largest was a fish of 85 kilos, followed by one of 80 kilos.
Eric's 75.50 kg catch was 12.50 kilos bigger than the current IGFA All-Tackle world record, held since February 2004 by another of our UK clients, Richard Ainsworth, for a 63 kg Mekong giant catfish.
Unfortunately though Eric's fish cannot qualify for the IGFA All Tackle world record. His line got entangled by this huge cat, several times around structures. Therefore we had to touch his rod, reel and line to avoid losing the fish. This as such disqualified the fish under IGFA rules.
I must add that Eric is kind of "lucky" angler. He has caught with us on previous Thai trips some exceptional fishes including:
- a 18 kg (40lbs) Chao Phraya Giant Catfish caught on October 10, 2002, which established the IGFA All Tackle world record for this species
- a 40 kg (88lbs) Arapaima (Arapaima gigas)
- and more recently, in December 2004, a whooping 108lb (49 kilos) Siamese Giant Carp (Catlocarpio siamensis) – image under.
There’s one funny anecdote about Eric's big cat! He had been fishing with us the previous day and had already caught a whole host of catfish, including one of 41 kilos. He was physically pretty whooped after this session. Like Roberto Duran, he said "no mas!. He therefore asked us to fish only for Carp and predators that next day. Never say never.....and up came the big fish! It had taken Eric's carp bait that we had fished on the bottom, only a few metres from the bank.
If you're tempted to try these incredible freshwater fisheries you can contact Francois through his web site. Access by clicking here. To view full sized images of the fish pictures click within the thumbnail area below.
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| 166lb Giant Mekong Catfish |
108lb Siamese Giant Carp |
Ascension Island Fishing from his own boat - Shy 3 – Dieter Haselhorst was targeting world records, fishing 30lb class tackle for Blue Marlin and 6 for Sailfish. Fishing with his business partner, they raised 11 Blues in their 10 days fishing, releasing 4. Unfortunately none were large enough to challenge the existing record - a fish of 872lbs taken by Stewart Campbell from Madeira in 1995.
Dieter did however release an estimated 60lb Sailfish on 6 fishing Bait ‘n’ Switch.
The moment of the trip came when Dieter cast a pitch bait at a ‘fired up’ 300lb Blue. Having taken the bait though it came zooming back to the transom searching for ‘afters’. It was so close that having cranked the swivel back to the rod tip Dieter couldn’t, fishing a maximum 25’ length leader, come tight to the fish. He was therefore forced to set the hook by hand! Still an interesting challenge on 30 – a 10-1.
Dieter noted that they also had some excellent school Yellowfin Tuna fishing spin gear whilst anchored on one of the moorings, on the drop-off in 600’ of water.
South Africa Steve Collins fished with Trail Whittum out of Struiss Bay. Fishing stand-up tackle he released three Great White Sharks - fish of 350, 1200 and 1500lbs. He also lost a much larger fish in the 1800lb range. It got a tail wrap and, in flexing its body, ended up straightening the hook! Then there were the fish that dreams are made of. They had two veritable monsters up in the chum trail - one estimated at 2500lbs and one 'better than 3000lbs'! Unfortunately no hook-ups.
South Africa Greg Roskell had an eventful trip to Struisbaai during March alternating between fishing Traill Witthuhn’s boat, Rusvic 3, and surf casting at night.
What were the highlights?
Well firstly from the beach on 2nd March, and this is often wading out thigh or even chest high, he released an estimated 450lb Sand Tiger Shark, commonly referred to as a Ragged Tooth. I know it’s something Greg’s tackled on previous trips to South Africa, but that’s a big shark to get up close to. And there are reported instances of them attacking bathers. Greg was using a 13’ Abu beachcaster and Penn SSS Mag reel loaded with 30lb Iron Silk mainline. Quite an achievement!
Then on the 14th on what was the first drop down of the day on a bottom fishing trip Greg caught a 102lb Kob – or to resort to IGFA parlance a Southern Meagre. To put that into perspective the All-Tackle World record, a fish from Port Elizabeth, went 147lbs. So a very creditable specimen. Greg was fishing on the Samson Reef near Arniston in Struisbaai, using a cocktail of a whole Sardine and Tuna chunk as bait.
The real highlight of the trip though was undoubtedly the huge Great White Shark he released on 16th March fishing 130lb test on the 35 Mile Bank out of Struisbaai. It was conservatively estimated at 2200lbs and took a 30lb Smooth Hound bait. In that time that I’ve been maintain Notable Fish records I think that has only been shaded in size once by a Great White taken by Vic Sampson. That was similarly released whilst fishing with Traill.
Makos in UK Waters? Certainly during the fifties and sixties anglers very occasionally encounted Makos whilst fishing out from the ports on Cornwall's south coast. No where were they common but I guess most reports came from the Manacles Reef off Falmouth with skippers like Frank and Robin Vinnicombe. And then of course there was Joyce Yallop's record fish from Looe, taken whilst fishing with Alan Dingle.
But is global warming, coupled with increases in porpoise numbers, altering this? I've included a link to an article on a Diver's web site that describes circumstantial evidence of Makos attacking porpoise in increasing numbers off Britain's North Sea coastline. You can view the article which I believe was originally published in the Daily Mail by clicking here.
Springers from the River Tyne It's a couple of years ago now that Club member Mike Dicken moved with his wife Pauline to Belgium. But every year Mike makes the pilgrimage, back to his roots to fish the Tyne.
The river, when I first viewed it 35 years ago was heavily polluted with industrial waste, but the water quality has improved dramatically in the interim as this report will prove. This is Mike's report.
'I booked two days Salmon fishing on the Tyne - Bywell Syndicate waters - on 29th/30th March. Unfortunately the first day proved unfishable due to heavy rain, but on the 30th it had gone down a couple of feet. Not fly fishing conditions though so I was forced to fish my spinning gear.
I was accompanied by a syndicate member, a 70 year old pensioner. And after a discussion he elected to fish a Toby. I decided to use a Flying “C”. On my first cast I had a small brown trout followed, on the second, by a salmon which I lost shortly afterwards. About an hour later he hooked and landed a 19lb Springer, and shortly after that I hooked and landed a 16lb springer on 12lb line. The rest of the day was blank!'
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