Japanese angler Yoji joins the Fishsiam team at the Mae Klong River fishing for Giant freshwater stingrays.
Japanese angler Yoji visited the Mae Klong River near Samut Songkran on one of our daily fishing tours in search of Giant freshwater stingrays.
Arriving well in time for the morning tide the Japanese angler was soon positioned on a wide section of the Mae Klong River waiting for events to unfold.
With the river levels slowly rising a slow but determined take saw Yoji attached to his first Giant freshwater stingray. The fish embarked on a powerful run causing the rod to bend into its full curve and line to to be removed from the multiplier.
After the stingrays initial run slowed, the boat was quickly repositioned above the fish and pressure once again applied.
After several attempts the stingray was finally peeled off the bottom and brought into mid water.
Slowly the Giant freshwater stingray was brought up to the surface and teased over the waiting net.
After making the barb safe with a bandage the stingray was transported to the riverside for recovery and photography.
The Giant stingray was measured at a width of 1.45m’s and estimated to weigh in the region of 100kg.
With the tide at its optimum level another take saw the Japanese angler once again locked in battle with another Giant stingray.
The fish on this occasion was much larger and Yoji settled down for a much longer and protracted battle.
The large unseen giant stingray towed the boat for a considerable distance before coming to a halt and clamping onto the riverbed.
Continued pressure applied from different angles soon had the unseen River Monster moving once again only to repeat the process a few minutes later.
The battle continued for almost an hour before the Japanese angler finally managed to bring the fish off the bottom.
With the rod bent into full compression the angler slowly pumped the fish up to the surface.
Slowly but surely a dark mass appeared in the murky water under the boat. Yoji carefully brought the fish to the waiting net where it was quickly made safe and transported to the river bank.
The Giant freshwater stingray was observed to be a large female and was measured at a width of 2.2m’s with an estimated weight of 200-225kg’s.
After a few quick trophy shots the stingray was released back into the Mae Klong River and the days angling came to an end.
