an Englishman now living in Thailand. Gilham has built what is now an award-winning angling resort, and his clients come from the world over.
Netting the monster
Stories and pictures by ANTHONY GEOFFREY
thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/9/26/lifetravel/4720210&sec=lifetravel
Refusing to be outdone, our determined angler goes back to Krabi to snare the elusive arapaima.
HAVING failed to land the arapaima during my visit last year to Stuart Gillham’s fishing resort near Krabi in southern Thailand, I vowed to return. And like Arnie Schwarzenegger’s Terminator character, I was back!
It is now quite easy to get to Krabi as Air Asia has daily services from Kuala Lumpur.
Arriving around lunch, I was met at the airport by Gillham, an Englishman now living in Thailand. Gilham has built what is now an award-winning angling resort, and his clients come from the world over.
Completed in 2007, his resort boasts a 3.6ha lake with underwater features spread across it so that no one swim (fishing station) is better than another, and this has made for fair angling. Natural filtration systems and sluice systems from natural streams ensure that the level and quality of water can be maintained throughout the year.
Huge haul: Lee Sin Wah from Malaysia (centre) with his arapaima weighing over 100kg. Resort owner Stuart Gillham and his son Sean are flanking him.
There is also a half-hectare holding pond where fish are quarantined and acclimatised before being released into the lake. No expense has been spared either in the construction of the fishery or in the quality of the accommodation and landscaping. A total of 14 high-quality, two-bedroom bungalows, all with full facilities and a large veranda overlooking the lake, have been constructed for guests.
There is also a 15m free-form swimming pool.
The Gillhams provide quality fishing tackle, which is included in their price. But if you bring your own gear, the resort staff will vet them before you can use them. I brought my Shimano Stella 10,000 reel loaded with a 22.6kg-braided line to test.
But first, I walked around, talking to the other anglers. There were two guys from Britain and a Malaysian lawyer, his wife and son. The English guys were there for three weeks’ fishing. The Malaysian family would have only two days’ fishing and was taking in some of the other local sites as part of their package.
Built on the edge of a stunning national park, the resort is only 3km from Thalen Bay, 5km from a beautiful sea kayaking centre, and 19km from the lively seafront town of Ao-nang, which boasts restaurants, clubs, and white sandy beaches. The Thai Tourism Authority has designated the whole area a family tourismdestination.
Briton Dave Arbour and his 50kg Siamese carp.
In the national park, there are many walking trails, hot springs and waterfalls with stunning emerald-hued pools. Elephant trekking, horse riding, whitewater rafting and, of course, golf courses are all close by.
I started fishing about mid-afternoon and, within 10 minutes, had landed a 30kg red-tailed catfish on the dead bait meant for arapaima. I thought my luck was on, and I would have my arapaima — but no. I also had palm oil seeds on the second rod. The bait proved attractive to the pacu, and I landed two within the next 30 minutes. They were not big, though; only about 7kg each.
Another two hours lapsed without a bite before I got a good 35kg carp. All the while, the English guy on the next swim was catching on a regular basis, much to my envy. As darkness descended (fishing is only allowed till 8pm), I packed up, showered and went for dinner. The restaurant serves a scrumptious mix of Western food and authentic Thai cuisine cooked respectively by an English and Thai chef.
My second day started out well at 7am with a couple of catfish and a couple of carp along with a really good-sized temoleh (Jallieni barb, a protected species in Perak). Then I hit my nemesis — the dreaded freshwater stingray! I knew it was that monster from the way it stopped after taking the hook and wouldn’t budge at all.
Could it be the same brute that I snagged last year which refused to surface no matter what? I was stuck with that ray for three hours before the line snapped. Thankfully, this time around, the hook slipped and the fish was gone.
By mid-afternoon, I was still waiting for my first arapaima when the buzzer on the rod holder began to beep. It was slow at first, and then it went wild. The fish, when it appeared, was a good-sized arapaima.
An arapaima garners instant attention from the staff, who would immediately inform Stuart or Sean by radio. Other anglers would then be told to quickly reel in their rods.
The fish ran, jumped, surfaced and snorted. The fight was on! About an hour and a quarter later, the boys entered the water with a huge landing net. The fish came close — and ran again. Another 15 minutes saw it coming close to the net again. It popped its head out of the water, spat out the hook, gave a disdainful look and swam off cockily. Fish 1, Anthony 0.
I was devastated. Stuart consoled me later, saying that 50% of arapaima escape before they are landed.
Whopper: Adam from Britain (centre) proudly showing off the 170kg arapaima he caught at Gillhams Fishing Resort in Krabi, Thailand.
“One guy came here for a day’s fishing and caught nine arapaima whereas another fished for a week and got none. But statistics show that if you fish for three days, your chances of landing one is about 80%,” he said.
That same day saw two more English and two Malaysian anglers arriving. The two Malaysians landed a decent arapaima on their second day. Alas, it was not to be for me — but I took that as a good sign. Giving it my best Arnie posture, I said: “I’ll be back!”
Here’s good news to the fly boys — Stuart now allows fly fishing. He said about half of the 30 species in the lake would take the fly. And don’t forget: many of the fish he has introduced into the lake are bigger than current International Game Fish Association world records.
Two world records have come from this lake so far, and the next one might be yours!
For more information, visit www.gillhamsfishing resorts.com
