A Grand Day Out ....

Ok, this may not be the ideal kind of day out for some (all) of you here, but yesterday I had a lovely time fishing of all things. I have never fished in my life but have listened to my friend tell me about how he spent many days back home in Isan, sat by the river, with sticks stuck in the mud, twine hanging and catching 'Pla too much'. I offered to take him on a boat trip and do some real fishing but he poo pooed the idea stating 'me no like boat, me sick' but he was keen to do a little fishing. Another friend suggested we all go to a fishing park he knew. There are a few around Pattaya some of which don't have many fish or have small fish, but the one we were going to had plenty big fish I was told.

I steadied myself for what I thought maybe a 5.00am wake up call to go fishing, but was relieved when 8.30am was suggested. Just 10 to 15 minutes from South Pattaya is Bay Tong (phonetically accurate) Fishing Park. A quiet Oasis, a large man made pond area with thatched huts surrounding it where you can sit in some shade. You can hire fishing rods, buy buckets of bread for bate, make a selection from the extensive fish menu and enjoy a few drinks.

The weather was hot and sunny but there was a lovely cooling breeze blowing around the small hut we snatched up (actually there was no need to snatch as we were the only ones there at 8.45am). A quick lesson from both my friends on baiting your hook and on casting your rod (could this be interpretted differently on a gay forum?) and I was off. If you or your friends do not know how to fish, they do have people there who can show you. My casting was, I am afraid to say, pretty woeful and brought much merriment to my friends who asked if they 'do fishing in England?' - cheeky buggers!

The first catch went to friend number 2 (the professional out of the bunch) but then his lucky patch seemed to dry up and me and friend 1 alternated in catching many fishes. Having never fished before, I must say I really enjoyed it (jing jing). There is something that is quite outdoorsy and manly about fishing, at least when you are doing it, that is more appealing than I expected it to be. Having your rod pulled (here we go again!) and the excitement of landing a real big one (say no more) is something we can all enjoy and relate too!

We spent over six hours at the park (the last hour did begin to drag a little I must admit as I had baited and cast enough for one day) and enjoyed myself immensely. Chatting with the boys outside of a bar, exchanging stories and listening to more 'life back home' and family details was quite a delight. Even the lady cook who made our fabulous crab, huge fried rice and seafood platter, hot and spicy full fish dish and scary looking Frog dish was a character - with a face like a weathered leather sofa, she chatted at me (rather than with me) in Thai, whilst I nodded thoughtfully and understood one word in 20.

You can't help but catch fish the pond is that well stocked. I caught 13 from little tiddlers to fish you would see on your dinner table shared between two or three, to some big buggers that needed a net to lift out of the water. I think my friends carried on fishing after I had given up the ghost due to the fact that I had caught the biggest of the bunch and they were determined not to have this ageing Farang friend later gloat all over them (as if I would). Friend 1 caught 15 fish and friend 2 (the expert) caught 10. We all had something to gloat about - I had the biggest, friend 1 caught the most and friend 2 had coached me, so he was happy he had taught me so well.

We kept many of the fish we had caught until the end of the day, when the two guys sorted through what they wanted to keep and threw the rest back. I'm not sure what each element of the day cost (purchases included several food dishes, drinks, cigarretes, fishing rods, six buckets of feed and 5kg's of fish we kept) but it all came to around 1,700 baht - not a bad price for something new and something I enjoyed so much.

Another first for me in Pattaya and a day I will remember, treasure and hopefully repeat.

[TrongpaiExpat]

I have a friend that lives in Pattaya that thinks that this fishing park is the cat's wiskers. He called it "gentleman fishing". They bate your hook, take the fish off your line and serve food and drinks.

I like fishing, salt water and fresh but personally the whole idea of a fish park of caught fish in a big man made rention pond is not my idea of fishin. He drags me there at every oppunity.

Still, some Thai boys have a ball and if the idea of a fish park is to your liking, go for it and take my friend so he leaves me alone.

I used to hire one of the non-speed boats for the day for something in the area of just under 1000 to 1,500 but recently they have been asking for a lot more and don't discount.

I like fishing a lot Fatman it's very relaxing, you will get hooked believe me. I have never been to a fishing park but it sounds like lots of fun. OK I suppose we have to mention our fishing stories, well mine was at three in the morning, yawn yawn, just when the last beer was finished, suddenly I had a fantastic bite, much excitement and bumps and cuts on the sharp rocks off "splash point" and I landed me a big silver salmon. The first ever. Boy did that fish taste good too, not like that farmed stuff, but lean and wild, simply grilled on the coals with lemon and salad, it fed seven people easily.

Mostly fishing is jut shooting the breeze and a form of meditation, fishing from the shore into the sea at night is my best. I am quite unlucky with fish except for that one time, usually it's tiny little buggers that I wouldn't eat, but others take em home and make a stew. For the Salmon, I hooked one of the tiny fish through the back and cast it in, so it swam away with the hook, then BAM, I got me the big one.

When did the beach pier dissappear in pattaya?

i used to love going there at around 2-3am to watch people fishing and cast for a few myself.

[Captain Swing]

It does sound like a grand day out. My friend loves fishing, but I've never heard him mention a place like that. Can you tell me how to get there? If we hire a baht bus taxi to take us there, are there any around to take us home? Thanks.

[TrongpaiExpat]

I am not a Pataya resident but I think it works like this, so far has for me anyway, every time.

Find an songtow, that's very easy, hire it to take you there, give him 100B, ask for his cell phone number and/or tell him to come back at 1800 for the return trip and promise another 100B.

Some do this for 60B(standerd fare) but the extra 40 might ensure the deal for the return.

Now, I expect the Pattaya residents to attack me on spoiling the driver's and raising the bar for the expats living there. If you can pay 100 for a beer in a bar and 180 for a cheeseburger you can fork out 100 to a driver.

By the way, the cheesburger at the Roadhouse BBQ, Surawong/Rama4 is 230B and IMHO not worth it but then I keep forgetting that I really don't like cheesburgers.

Fatman, I too think the best times in LOS is when one is with a few boys just drinking and shooting the shit be it fishing or sitting on the front porch. Nice story. I may have to try fishing.

Pete

It does sound like a grand day out. My friend loves fishing, but I've never heard him mention a place like that. Can you tell me how to get there? If we hire a baht bus taxi to take us there, are there any around to take us home? Thanks.

Sorry Captain Swing I have absolutely no idea how to get there and even if I asked my friends I doubt if I could repeat it - I have no sense of direction. Like Trongpaiexpat suggested above, we hired a baht bus to take us and asked him to come back after 5 hours or so. When he got back my friends were still busy catching the pla, so he sat down and helped himself to the remains of our left over food and drink. He was happy to wait around another hour or so. 100 baht there, 100 baht back.