Thai Trifecta |
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After 23 grueling hours flying from Atlanta to Bangkok, a traditional Thai massage sounds pretty good, and at less than five dollars an hour, I’m tempted to get a week’s worth. But I’ve come to Asia for an exotic angling adventure, so my jet-lagged body will have to make do with only a couple hours worth. The petite masseuse kneads me with a strength that belies her tiny frame. Two hours and 300 baht later, I’m off the mat and staggering out the door like a drunken sailor. “Khop khun kha,” she says, pressing her palms together and bowing in the customary Thai show of respect, though in reality, I should be the one saying thank you. The next morning at Bung Sam Lan Lake, I’m vigorously undoing all the massage’s therapeutic benefits, straining my back, legs and arms to winch in a 35-pound Mekong catfish. In the wild, this megafish grows to over 600 pounds, so by Mekong standards, the tow truck on the end of my line is just a baby. Converted from a swampland 19 years ago, Bung Sam Lan is today one of the world’s most extraordinary fisheries. Its meager 20 acres are stocked with striped catfish reaching 35 pounds and giant Siamese carp topping 200. We won’t be fishing from a boat here, but from comfortable chalets surrounding the lake, each with its own fan, sink, lounge chairs and fishing dock. Our group is an eclectic mix representing three other continents. Andy Rockwell, Jason Bundy and I represent Team USA. Fishing writer Fabrice Chassaing joins us from France, while his Kiwi counterpart Sam Mossman hales from Down Under. Our lead guide is Jean Francois Helias, a French ex-pat who’s made Thailand his home for the past 22 years. He has achieved 56 personal world records and was named the IGFA Angler of the Year last April after notching 17 records in 2007 alone.
Each guide prepares his own secret recipe of bread bait, formed to softball size around a wire holder. After tucking a small hook into the bait, the doughy sphere is hurled into the lake’s midsection. It doesn’t take long before the reel’s clicking tells everyone the party’s about to begin. Jason steps up to the plate and delivers a lip-ripping hookset. The fish is a gamer, and even with shouts of encouragement from his buddies, it takes Jason nearly half an hour to tame the 40-pound beast. By mid-afternoon, Andy hooks into the biggest Mekong of the day. Oblivious to Andy’s coercion, the fish freely roams the lake, taking the angler’s line and energy along with it. An hour later, the gargantuan briefly surfaces and Francois pegs it at a whopping 150 pounds! Just when Andy starts to make some headway, the fish tears under the catwalk of docks. There’s no finessing it out of the underwater pilings, and it’s only a matter of time before it breaks the line. Exhausted, Andy is close to tears. His guide, Kik, shakes his head and says, “Mai pen rai.”- the big one got away.
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