Question:
Dear Stuart,
I am planning a trip to your fabulous looking resort next year, and I have read up on all the information on your website. It really is a good informative site. I like the fish library section and eagerly await each newsletter – they are a great read. I have all of the Big Carp mags with them in – how about a yearly annual with them all in?
Anyway enough of my waffle, boy will I drive you mad on my trip – my missus can’t wait for me to come over for some peace and quiet. Down to the question; I see you allow fishing between 7am and 8pm. Why do you not fish later, even all night? Also in your opinion what are the most productive feeding times for your monsters?
Ian West, Midlands, UK.
Stuart’s answer:
Hi Ian,
Thanks for your amusing email. From its content I presume the missus is not accompanying you. You won’t drive me mad; I will just put you with Sean for the trip. Seriously, thank you for the compliments regarding our website, and it is nice that you have taken the time to read it and ask your questions before booking. As for an annual on the Krabi newsletter – ask Rob Maylin, but I seriously don’t think he would cover his printing costs. Rob is a dear friend who helps me immensely by allowing my monthly ramblings, but put your magazines in a nice folder and keep them. Anyway now you have me waffling, so on to your question.
Why do we not fish later? Well Ian, we have to be out at 6am getting everything ready for the start at 7am. We do not finish putting everything away and tidying up until 9pm, now that is a 15-hour day, seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year for us. Sure we understand that you guys on holiday want to fish 24/7, but honestly if we thought the fishing would be better at other times we would change the fishing times. We used to allow out of hours fishing but it made the lads day to long and to be honest was not very productive, when it is really hot and still in the dry season we do alter the times to suit the fishes’ moods. Normally though after 8pm the oxygen levels are dropping and the fish go off the feed.
Many people have fished here all night in the past but we have never had a fish after midnight or before 5am. It takes three experienced guides to cage an arapaima, so that would be three guys on call. We have so many huge fish, and you could not manage them on your own, plus many of them have to receive an injection prior to release. Productive times are any time if it rains or if there is a wind blowing, otherwise by far the hottest times are between 5pm and 7pm or 7am to 10am. But trust me, arapaima feed where and when they like, the carp love wind and rain, the Mekong catfish love hot and still, and if the red tail catfish have just shed their skin they feed all day. So Ian, as you see you are always in with a shout, but nights really are not productive in the tropics. Thanks for your question, and hope to see you soon here in paradise.
