The Top 5 Places for Fishing in and around Bangkok

The Top 5 Places for Fishing in and around Bangkok

Posted by Mark Philip

Image by Cpl Robert J. Maurer from wikimedia commons

The diverse yet chaotic Thai capital of Bangkok isn’t necessarily the first place most people would associate with fishing. Admittedly, the Thai capital city is way more famous for temples, night-life, food, and even its heavily-congested traffic.

However, over the last decade or so Thailand (including Bangkok) has apparently become more and more well-known as a top fishing destination. And rightly so, as we shall indeed see.

Of course if you do happen to land in the heavily-populated Thai capital with a spot of fishing on your mind, you might first consider the unlikelihood of finding a decent pond, let alone a lake, in the city centre shopping regions.

You may find yourself unfortunate enough to encounter few fetid canals running behind or near some of these highly built-up areas — but you’ll need to head a little more towards the outskirts of town,  within a few miles of the metropolitan boundaries, where there are in fact numerous lakes, reservoirs, and ponds which are likely to facilitate some great fishing and angling experiences.

That’s not to say exactly that there aren’t any ponds ‘in’ the city – as it turns out there are quite a few – but most of the ones we could find were local-type affairs, with little by way of either English or even a website.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

So we’ve included here some of the fishing spots  that will likely prove to be more successful (in terms of catch – due to the high stocking levels) and rather more enjoyable too, whether it’s just for a single day or perhaps a little longer.

The warm and humid, tropical Thai climate is ideal for a wide variety of fish species from around the world, and as such facilitates all year round fishing.

Bringing your rod and tackle to Bangkok (or just hiring it when you get here – the more logical option) — is likely to provide more than its share of exhilarating moments for anglers of any level from around the world, as long as you don’t mind a little bit of extra travelling.

As Thailand is located deep in the SE Asian tropics, it comes as no surprise that here you may encounter some of the world’s largest fish. Some of these monsters include the Giant Mekong Catfish, the Giant Siamese Carp, Arapaima, and Giant Freshwater Stingray, to name but a few.

Well OK then, let’s at least name a few more of the fish species likely to be encountered in these waters for the benefit of any seasoned fishermen reading this: Barramundi, Chaopraya Catfish, Giant Snakehead, Hampala Barb (Jungle Perch)…and not to overlook the fact that most of the fishing ponds and lakes in Thailand have also managed to do rather a good job of introducing various other species from around the world which would include Alligator Gar, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Rohu, Pacu, and quite a few others.

Image by GV Fishing sourced from wikimedia commons

Anyone landing in the city of Bangkok will obviously realise that it has much more to offer as well as fishing, and it’s unlikely that people are coming here solely for fishing (why would they?).

In which case the absolute best bet for most budding fishermen or anglers in Bangkok is to enlist the services of a local guide and fishing expert. A quick search will reveal the fact that there are surprisingly more of them offering their services than you might at first have imagined.

These guides will more than likely take you to one, or possibly more, of the destinations in this post, and will provide transportation to the fishing ponds, which tend to be somewhat spread out towards the city’s outskirts and often take more than an hour to reach from the central regions of the city.

Many local operators offer fully customized full day and multi-day fishing trips, at reasonable rates which include equipment hire, bait, fishing license (variable according to the fish being caught), transportation, and sometimes food and drink.

With a wide array of fishing parks, ponds, and reservoirs in and around the city, it’s likely that anyone heading for Bangkok with a spot of top fishing in mind won’t be disappointed. Whether your preference is fly fishing or bait fishing, Bangkok and its surrounding vicinities can provide you with nothing short of an exhilarating angling experience.

So – here goes with 5 of the top places for fishing in and around Bangkok.

1. Amazon BKK Lake

In this post today we have included a couple of lakes and a couple of ponds, and BKK Lake obviously falls into the former category. Despite the name, this park is actually not exactly within the confines of the city, instead being in the bordering province of Nakhon Pathom.

Amazon BKK is a man-made, purpose built lake, although it is teeming with greenery and other wildlife such as white buffalo or deer, which could easily make you forget that you are just over an hour or so away from the thrall of the city.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

Needless to say, there are likely to be more than a few veritable monsters lurking in the depths of this spot, not least of all in the form of the Arapaima fish. Apparently the odds of landing one here are relatively high, although if that’s not possible you may well be compensated by way of either a Redtail Catfish, a Peacock Bass, a Chaophraya Catfish, or an Alligator Gar, to name but a few of the other possible catches.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

Location: 73/1, 5 Thung Kwang, Kampaeng Saen District, Nakhon Pathom 73140

Hours: 7am-6 pm

Contact: Facebook (Amazon BKK Fishing Park Bangkok)

2. Bungsamran Fishing Park

Bungsamran could well be considered an angler’s dream vacation spot. Imagine a lake that’s chock-full of many different species of fish, in an area spanning nigh on 30 acres, and with water more than 30 metres in depth.

With diverse species of game fish, both herbivorous and carnivorous, this is a veritable fisherman’s paradise, largely considered one of the best in the region among both locals and visitors. And the fish here are apparently big enough to break rods.

Here you may be lucky enough to encounter a Mekong Catfish or two, some of which weigh in at over 100 kg, with reports of occasional catches of beasts twice that weight.

Image by Floudon sourced from wikimedia commons

The downside of this (and pretty much all the other parks) is the anti-foreigner, dual-pricing policy where you can expect to pay anything from double to 10 times more than a local.

If you are OK with that and arrive without any of your own gear, then you are looking at around 3000 baht for a day’s worth of fishing.

You can rent your own air-conditioned bungalow here if you wish, along with a guide who will arrange the bait and equipment. In fact, all you need concern yourself with here is setting the hook and landing the fish.

There is also a basic restaurant on site, along with a convenience store and an internet café, which all makes this park ideal for vacation fishing if that is your thing, or simply for spending a day away from the city in somewhat more natural surroundings.

Website: http://www.bungsamran.com/

Address: Unnamed Road, Sala Daeng, Bang Nam Priao District, Chachoengsao 24000

Hours: Open 24 hours

Phone: 094 559 5112/027349272

3. Pilot 111 Fishing Pool

The facilities at Pilot are of a somewhat better standard than some of the more ‘budget’ fishing parks in Bangkok, if there is such a thing, which basically have a pond and some equipment/bait for hire.

Every pond here has its own ‘sala’ (a type of cabin or hut) in case it gets a little to sunny. There is a restaurant with menus in English & Thai, and beer is also available. Even the toilet facilities at Pilot are closer to Western standards.

It is also possible to rent air-conditioned rooms here which can accommodate 4 people, for approximately 2000 baht if you fancy spending the night after hauling in all those monsters.

The fishing facilities at Pilot 111 offer ponds for Barramundi, Giant snakehead, Pacu, Chao Phraya catfish, Asian Redtail Catfish, and Nile tilapia.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

There are also a few Amazon Redtail Catfish, Spotted Featherbacks, Shovelnose Catfish, Mekong Catfish and Burmese Carp, but this latter breed are apparently very rarely caught.

Each pond here has a different target species, and there is also plenty of scope for fly fishing which can lead to catches of Snakehead, Barramundi and Featherback fish. Apparently there is a good chance of landing any of these species plus many more, as the ponds are pretty well-stocked.

As Pilot 111 Fishing Ponds has become one of the most well-known, and with its slightly lower costs, it does tend to attract the ‘serious’ local anglers and fisherman, which might tend to put off some rank beginners.

Address: 111 moo1, Bangna-Trad km.39 Bangsamak, Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao, 24130

Tel: 086 316 8773

Hours: 6 am-6 pm

4. Palm Tree Lagoon

Palm Tree Lagoon is another fishing lake not strictly in Bangkok, but rather an hour or so out towards the slightly more rural Ratchaburi.

This is a relatively small lake by comparison to some of the others at around 3 acres, but it is stocked with many ‘monster’ fish species that fishing visitors to the tropics are often so enthralled by.

The lake is apparently stocked with more than 100 species of fish, both predatory and non- predatory breeds alike, with most of the well-known ‘local’ varieties being stocked alongside others from the Amazon and a few other regions.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

As with most of the larger lakes in this post, guides are available at Palm Tree to give advice and generally offer a helping hand in terms of bait, equipment, landing, and photographing the catches.

The main huge breeds of predator fish at this lake in terms of the Amazon breeds include Arapaima, Firewood Catfish, Pacu, and Tambaqui. The Thai predators include the huge Chao Phraya Catfish, the Thai Redtail Catfish, Freshwater Stingray, Featherback and Snakehead fish, to name a few of them. You also might find a few Alligator Gar, Black Gar, Giant Siamese Carp, and Barramundi. Whew!

There is a licensed, on-sight restaurant overlooking the lake which is open between 8:00 am and 10:00 pm serving both Thai and international food.

Address: Chedi Hak, Mueang Ratchaburi District, Ratchaburi 70000

Hours: 8 am – 8 pm

Phone: 087 379 4088

5. Jurassic Mountain Resort & Fishing Park

Again, this lake could hardly be considered as being in Bangkok, and in fact is the furthest out in this feature today, essentially being in the Cha-am district of Phetchaburi.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

However, just a couple of hours away from the Thai capital, this somewhat amazing location could in no way escape being included in this post.

Set among vast tropical landscaping that does indeed have more than a whiff of the Jurassic about it — so you might expect a few real monsters lurking in the depths here.

The resort is completely surrounded by mountain and lake views, and encompasses 4-star facilities, so Jurassic’s idyllic resort is ideal for anyone who fancies a spot of real fishing with slightly more of a vacation feel to it while in Thailand.

The resort is home to luxurious one and two-roomed private villas and suites. Swimming pools and Jacuzzis also abound, along with seating areas with fantastic views of the natural landscape. To top all that the resort is host to a top quality restaurant and bar which serves both Thai and International dishes alongside an array of beers and fine wines.

The lake in the resort is known a Jurassic Fishing Park, and first opened a decade ago as a result of a collaboration between two Thai fishing guide operations. The idea was to offer a fishing resort with high standards of management and service.

Jurassic has gone on to become an essential stop-off for anyone using the words fishing and Thailand in the same sentence.

Expect to find the usual suspects and more in terms of fish species like the various breeds of giant catfish such as the Amazon Redtail and the Chaophraya variety, Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Pacu, and a few giant carp.

Image from creativecommons.org

Address: 43/6 Moo Baan Kokesehti, Na Yang, Cha-am District, Phetchaburi 76120

Phone: 081 447 0298