Fishing for Mekong Catfish

In recent years Thailand has been developing a reputation as a World Class fishing destination thanks in large part to its numerous well-stocked recreational fishing lakes.

There are a number of species stocked in Thailand’s lakes including the Mekong Catfish, Siamese Carp and huge Arapaima  - each species has its own attractions and fishermen tend to grow to favor one species or another.

My personal favorite is the Mekong Giant Catfish, ( the scientific name is  Pangasianodon gigas ) but more commonly its just called the Mekong Catfish in English and known as Pa beuk, Pla ma fai, Pla buk, or Pla hua kum hang hum in Thai.

Fishing for the Mekong giant catfish is illegal in the wild in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia  in fact Thailand is the only country in the World that allows fishing for private stocks of Mekong Catfish, this is helping to save the species as the lakes purchase the small fry from the government breeding program generating extra income that allows the breeding program to function.

Fishing lakes like the famous Bung Sam Ran Lake in Bangkok have this species up to 140 kg, most common size landed is around 18 kg although there are some fishermen and fishing guides that tend to specialise in landing the larger fish.

These fish are non-aggressive but very powerful as they evolved in the running waters of the Mekong River where the current flow can be high at times.

Attaining an unconfirmed length of 3 m, the Mekong giant catfish grows extremely quickly, reaching a mass of 150 to 200 kg in only six years. The largest catch recorded in Thailand since record-keeping began in 1981 was a female measuring 2.7 m (roughly 9 feet) in length and weighing 293 kg (646 lb).

Mekong Catfish Description

The Mekong Catfish is grey to white in colour with no stripes, is scale less and is distinguished from other large catfish in its native habitat by the fact it has no teeth.

It is also the only catfish to be without barbels in adulthood, although juveniles of the species are known to have small barbels as well as small teeth which they lose as they reach maturity.

It is thought that juveniles have small teeth and barbels because their diet includes small crabs, snails and insects and therefore is not vegetarian, this in itself would account for the barbels which are used to locate food on the muddy bed of its habitat and the small teeth needed to crush hard shells and bodies of these small invertebrates.

Habitat

The Giant Mekong Catfish is a freshwater fish that lives in the murky depths of the Mekong river tending to spend the majority of its time amongst the weed beds and vegetation on which it feeds, however, over fishing, water pollution from silt and mud being deposited into the Mekong river from large building projects upstream have caused this fantastic species to become endangered. This silt eventually leads to less oxygen in the water which in turn suffocates plant life which is the natural food for the Giant Mekong Catfish. Another problem is the blocking of its spawning routes by damming projects in the higher reaches of the Mekong river in China.

Feeding Habit

The Mekong Catfish loses it’s barbels as it reaches adulthood as well as its tiny teeth, it then becomes almost completely vegetarian feeding on algae, aquatic weeds, periphyton, and zoo benthos and any terrestrial plants that enter the river during times of flood. This does not stop them growing at an awesome rate, reaching weights of 150-200kg in only six years.

Tackle and Methods

As you can imagine, rods required to handle these immense fighting machines need to be very strong indeed.  If a long cast is not required then a a short “boat class” rod with as a heavy Test is ideal.

These type of rods, will provide you a great deal more control over your fish, they can also aid in casting when space is limited.

You will need a robust, strong reel for Mekong Catfish, one that will hold a capacity of 150 metres minimum 25lb main line. Mekong Catfish runs are usually very dogged and often downright unstoppable! And you need to fish with an open bail or free-running spool, otherwise your rod runs the risk of disappearing into the water!

25-35lb mono is a good line as there is no give in braid to calm down or stop these fish, with a 2/0-4/0 hook, and braided hook link similar to normal Catfishing.

Bait couldn’t be easier, Bread works best, either as a big ball on a method mix set up, or balls of rice made into a paste so it is nice and sticky.

If your interested in Mekong Catfish please be sure you check back here as we build out this site with Tips, Tricks and Advice about catching Mekong Catfish from the Experts.