Fishing in Lake Bungsamran for the Giant Siamese carp, Bangkok, Thailand,

I came to Lake Bungsamran at 6am on the dot, just as day dawned. It was a beautiful morning with little wind, the lake surface is like a mirror was broken only by the actions of a few large fish lurking in the waters of this world class fishing.

Khun Boon Song mixed bait, while he waited for my pole up, the first arrest of the party is still my heart beat much faster here. Khun Boom Song is one of the guides leading specialist carp who work here and he does not know the Siamese carp is not worth knowing.

The bait mixed it was a combination of baby powder, flavored pastry cream, sweet corn with some other secret ingredients (he calls his mega mix carp bait), all this was added in the basic mixture of rice bran. This mixture is a much more humid than the combination that we use to catch catfish in the Mekong.

Nothing happened for the first half hour, so Boon Song went to buy breakfast, he had not gone thirty seconds, then bingo, I had a bite, the fish and the line was crying coil, then it just stopped (probably hook detection). I finished the coil to the line of soft, I thought, perhaps illuminate the hook, the line suddenly tightened as the fish moved, I hit and immediately set the hook firmly in the mouth, the battle has been filled!

After the initial excitement of a hook in the fish I was seeking advice on what type of fish it was. From my previous experience, the catfish of the Mekong and Platydoras similar, they tend to run to the line of bait strip coil on a fantastic rate. Catfish Mekong and small scratches give long hard runs slowly in a curve "C" or during big "S-shaped '.

The Siamese Giant Carp tend to run deep and suddenly turn into a road near Zig Zag. It is difficult to believe that fish in the water is totally weightless and you fight against are just pure power.

My classic line, carved a "Z" and I suspected that I was a carp at the end of the line. I knew I had my time and playing the fish, unlike carp Giant Catfish Mekong has a very soft foot dragging and many remove the hook. I decided to return to something slip and I used a specific Boss Magnum 870 with lever drag, very fine adjustments consistent glide easily be achieved without hands on the rod and reel. They are easier to use than a fixed spool reel especially for fishing for larger specimens.

My objective at this stage, the band was the fish as quickly as possible and keep them as far as I could, Siamese Giant, we know it appears to give and roll, then at the last moment to make a table Flight for Freedom (There are many houses around the lake and a portion of the pier in two, many fish lost between media and law enforcement).

The battle was in ten minutes and I had progressed, the fish was tiring it was not alone, my arm started to hurt. After five minutes of fighting, made a sharp turn, which actually took my hand in water, it was a Siamese carp.

Carp made some sharp turns, and typical of these creatures, feigned submission, I had been prepared. I changed sides and place the fish to run under the bungalow where we were, I moved to the left, allowing light sleep and Fancy Footwork (new ballet lessons that I would be useful one days ) the last race to dump the snake and the snag was frustrated.

Carp made his last attempt to go deep, kicking mud cause lots of bubbles of gas that is trapped in the lake bottom, but this time he was so exhausted that I was, but the fish do not seem Tree Song, with the racquet in hand, I've never been happy to see him, he quickly set the bridge to get to the fish.

We got to the line of his mouth more and we have another broke the line of battle before it had apparently won.

The Siamese giant carp weighed 56 pounds to 25.3 kg which was quickly returned after a few more pictures for the album.