Thailand Stingray fishing – 24 01 2013
US angler Daniel and his friend decided to try some Thailand stingray fishing at the Maeklong River.
On arrival at the Maeklong River the US anglers were soon being transported to Area 51 where the boat was positioned in a wide section of the tidal river.
With the incoming tide slowly pushing up the water level of the tidal river it was not long before water conditions looked perfect for a Giant freshwater stingray or two.
With large livebaits placed at various distances across the river the anglers waited patiently for some action.
After only half an hour one of the heavy duty stingray fishing rods suddenly burst into life as line began to pour from the large Okuma Mulitplier reel.
Winding down into the unseen Giant freshwater stingray saw the stingray fishing rod bent almost double as an obviously very large Giant freshwater stingray powered off with the bait on an upstream run.
As the stingray fishing boat was being pulled upstream by the unseen stingray the anglers held on tightly and slowly cranked line back onto the spool of the reel.
A ten minute battle followed which saw the stingray clamping onto the bottom on several occasions.
Each time the anglers prised the stingray off the bottom with the heavy duty stingray fishing gear.
After ten minutes had elapsed the Giant freshwater stingray released its grip on the bottom causing the stingray fishing rod to spring back.
Quickly winding line back onto the reel saw the angler back in contact with the stingray which he promptly winched up from the depths where it kited around under the stingray fishing boat.
Carefully the angler pulled the stingray towards the surface where it broke through the water and was quickly dragged over the waiting net.
The Giant freshwater stingray with a width of over 1.85m’s was estimated to weigh in the region of 200kg’s and was proudly displayed for the camera.
After photography was finished the Giant freshwater stingray was released back into the tidal river.
Quickly returning back to the productive area the anglers soon hooked another large Giant freshwater stingray which they played for several minutes, unfortunately the stingray would evade capture after the hook pulled!
With only an hour of fishing time left the anglers hooked one last stingray which was landed after a lively battle which lasted ten minutes. The Giant freshwater stingray on this occasion was estimated to weigh 90kg’s+ and was released shortly after photography.
With the tide now making its way back to the Gulf of Thailand the days Thailand stingray fishing trip ended and the guys retired to the comfort of their riverside hotel.
