Fly Fishing for Thai Mahseer

Thought I’d interrupt all the sailfish fishing posts with some freshwater action here – fly fishing for the golden and blue mahseer in Thailand.

Dare I say this is the trout fishing equivalent of Asia?

Let’s look at the similarities:

• Pristine rivers with clear cool waters
• Beautiful (mostly) undisturbed environment
• Big strong fish that readily take dry flies
• Easily spooked fish
• Fish that require good accurate presentation

Let’s go back to the environment for a bit. Or should I say ‘atmosphere’?

The beauty of freshwater fishing is surely complemented by the environment. Out fishing in the seas we are often enveloped by water and pretty much nothing else most of the time.

In the streams and river, and the hills and mountains, it can be magical. You can just stop fishing and take it all in. The sound of the animals, the fresh air, the running cascading waters and as one of my friend like to say, all the negative ions, They’re supposedly good for our body.

And then when you add in good fishing…i think that’s what they call bliss.

What is not similar to trout fishing then?

Well, among the glaring differences when trout fishing are you probably don’t have to worry about charging herd of elephants, stealthy marauding tigers, or mean stinking wild boars rushing at you, among others!

Also, some say pound-for-pound the mahseer is much more stronger than a trout.

Mahseer fishing requires you to trudge upstream making as little commotion as possible, and as you make progress keep a lookout upfront for cruising fish or fish waiting to ambush prey, plus likely fish holding places such as deep pools, fast waters, structures and sheltered margins along the edges. A fishing guide who is familiar with the river will point you to where the larger fish tend to hold, possibly saving you precious time which is invaluable when you have a limited time to catch a trophy fish.

The basic idea here is the further upstream you walk, the bigger the fish gets. It is the temptation of catching every fish that you encounter along the way that gets in the way.