Newsletter June 2017

Catches, entertainment and news from Thailand’s only exclusive syndicated sport-fishing venue

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Welcome once again to the Jurassic Mountain newsletter that gives you all the news, gossip, catch reports and light hearted anglers antics that relates to our exclusive Thailand fishing paradise for the month of June. A big thanks to all the new faces and returning guests who succumbed to the gravitational pull of our ‘Extreme fishing gem.’ It was our pleasure indeed to welcome you all to Jurassic Mountain Resort and Fishing Park.

June arrived and this is the month that I go on my yearly pilgrimage to Royal Ascot and this year I decided to take Neti along for her first ever visit to the UK. Unfortunately, the UK immigration decided in their wisdom to decline her visa because she didn’t quite meet with the criteria required. I find it very difficult to understand this decision because taking into account they seem to lay out the welcome mat for almost everybody else on the planet, their refusal to grant Neti a visa for just a two week holiday after all the necessary guarantees were in place confirmed once again what an absolute bloody joke the UK is when it comes down to immigration. Anyway, best not get me on that one so I’ll change the subject.

To help ease Neti’s disappointment in missing out on the predictably unpredictable weather that I endured whilst in the UK, I took her down to a place called Bang Saphan for a few days which is about a 3 hour drive from Jurassic Mountain. Put it on your bucket list folks. This place is pure paradise.

Miles upon miles of unspoilt sandy beaches where the crystal clear sea is literally only metres away from the few Thai guest houses dotted amongst the coconut palms that are fringed around the bay. Combined with Jurassic Mountain, Bang Saphan would be the perfect location for you to experience the ‘best of both worlds’ whilst here in beautiful Thailand.

Anyway, two weeks in the UK and two weeks away from Jurassic was more than enough for yours truly thanks very much and to be honest I couldn’t wait to get to Heathrow to prepare for the flight home. It was obviously great to meet up with friends and family but the thought of actually living back in the UK as opposed to living on Jurassic Mountain in Thailand not only filled me with dread but had no comparison whatsoever. So when that flight landed back on the ol’ Thailand terra firma and that taxi pulled up outside Jurassic Mountain’s gates where Neti and Alfie were sat waiting to greet me, it was then that I made my mind up that if I never saw or set foot in old England again in my life, I couldn’t care less. I was home!

THE WEATHER……

The June weather at Jurassic Mountain was basically very warm with long sunny periods and with the odd very welcome downpour to help cool things down. The rainy season has now begun in earnest and a thunderstorm or two thrown in is normal for this time of the year. However, we didn’t expect the hurricane that hit Jurassic in almost a blink of an eye this month. The skies became ominously dark and without warning, winds well in excess of 100 mph ripped through the resort that made every tree groan to their very roots. Luckily no damage was sustained although one of the palms looked very sorry for itself afterwards and as quick as it had started, it was over in almost the blink of an eye because within twenty or so minutes it was back to blue skies and chirping birdlife again and apart from that one palm tree, it was as if it had never happened at all.
FOOTNOTE:- Have you ever wondered why they name hurricanes after women?
Well, considering the fact that the house normally disappears with them …. this may well have something to do with it!

THE JURASSIC CARP CHALLENGE……….

I can now give you an update on the Jurassic Mountain carp challenge that’s being held here in July 2018. Of the twelve places that’s up for grabs, we still have a couple available so if you would like details of this week long competition where the angler who lands the biggest carp will receive a complete refund on all of their full board accommodation and fishing costs, please drop an email to enquiries@wordpress-1242400-4445492.cloudwaysapps.com

Whilst on the subject of competitions, our photo of the year competition has seen Eddy inundated with entries but true to his word, Eddy will acknowledge each and every one that’s submitted by posting them on our Jurassic Mountain Facebook page. I’ve seen all the entries to date and there’s some cracking shots among them. How the team are going to pick the winner out of that lot is beyond me but Eddy has an idea or two up his sleeve which will be revealed in due course so keep those photo’s coming to enquiries@wordpress-1242400-4445492.cloudwaysapps.com because it might just be you who wins this fantastic all expenses paid fishing holiday set here in our little slice of paradise!

JURASSIC TACKLE UPDATE…..

Angling enthusiasts and particularly those among you who take notice of which quality branded products are used at Jurassic Mountain will be interested to know that this month saw all our rod pods upgraded to the top of the range Solar P1 triple pod sets complete with Delkim bite alarms. Just one more example of the team adding further quality to your Jurassic Mountain experience.

THE GATES OF HEAVEN ……

Well, not exactly the gates of heaven but such is the beauty of the sight that awaits you when opening them, you’d be forgiven if you thought that the gates to Jurassic Mountain were to anything other than heaven itself.
This month saw them upgraded to electronically controlled and which are operated by key cards supplied to every guests. Again, just another example of further quality being added within our ongoing upgrading programme of anything and everything within the resort and there’s no signs of it stopping either.

A RED LETTER DAY……

During my time at Jurassic Mountain, I’ve seen literally thousands of anglers come and go with each and every one of them having different and varied stories to tell about their experience here. There have obviously been those who went home with nothing but memories of ‘the one that got away’ but in contrast there are those who not only bagged more than their fair share during their visit here but the many who got to land the fish of their lifetime too.
In the early days at Jurassic, double figures of carp being landed were a common occurrence. I myself managed to land nineteen on my very first visit to Jurassic but as the years have passed, the carp have not only got a lot bigger but also a lot more wary too. Hence there are days when you’ll find bites hard to come by and days where you’ll find yourself slap bang in the middle of a feeding frenzy. That’s the beauty of fishing a lake that is not only challenging but is unpredictable too. You never know for sure whether today is going to see the fish in hide and seek mode or whether the day will end up being the red letter day that everyone hopes for.
Take for example a guy named Mark Theobald from Louth in Lincolnshire who arrived this month on his honeymoon during a period of sustained activity from almost every swim on the lake. Mark must have wondered what he’d trod in that morning because his first day saw him bring an incredible THIRTY fish to the net. Yes readers, THIRTY fish and that’s the most that I’ve personally witnessed anyone land in a single day although there’s a guy who regularly pops over from Denmark that we named Jimmy ‘The Machine’ who came pretty close with a total of 26 fish landed in a single session.
Mark’s mega haul which came damn close to almost a ton of fish in a one day stint included Siamese carp to 90 lb, alligator gar to 66 , Amazon redtail catfish to 60 and he topped his holiday off later on during his visit when he landed his dream fish being a 200 pound plus arapaima that put the icing well and truly on the cake of his wonderful experience here.
In light of the tremendous thirty fish bag in a one day session, it gives us great pleasure in announcing that Mark Theobald is the Jurassic Mountain ‘Angler of the Month’ for June and fully deserved it is too.

So, as congratulations are extended to Mark on his mega result here at ‘The Mountain’, it is particularly pleasing to know that the Jurassic Mountain lake is one that you just never know which swim will produce the most fish on any particular day. Every swim has recorded double figure catches in the past which proves that it’s more to do with how the angler performs on the day rather than having to rely on a particularly favoured swim for your results. Our lake was designed precisely for this purpose and therefore ensures that no matter what peg you draw on the day, you’ll have exactly the same chances as any other.

Next month’s newsletter will see this subject touched upon in far greater detail along with our reasons why we carry out the draw system here at Jurassic Mountain too but one of the reasons being is that we believe it is simply the fairest way of allocating the swims and also provides each angler the opportunity to strut his stuff by persuading the carp to turn their backs on the other swims and put their noses into theirs ….. Just like Mark Theobald did when putting the net under thirty cracking fish from a swim that on the previous day yielded just three!

So please take note all those who may wonder if we have a certain swim or two set aside for friends and favours…. we haven’t!

RIGHT, let’s now take a light hearted look at some of the antics of a selection of the rest of the anglers who graced Jurassic Mountain for the month of June. My apologies are extended to those who visited us and who didn’t get a mention, it’s nothing personal, there’s just far too many of you for me to keep up with. Here goes …. .

Chris from Sheffield was another angler with 30 fish to his name although Chris’s tally came to the net over a three day period rather than just the one. Still, an average of 10 good fish a day is not to be sniffed at which consisted of one arapaima at 170 lbs and 29 carp to 80 lbs although the largest carp proved to be more than a slippery customer when wriggling free before the camera came out. Chris has just bought himself a house and some land up in Ratchaburi not too far from Jurassic Mountain. Yet another one who has decided to make Thailand the future place to call home….. And why wouldn’t he?

GRAHAM from Northampton took full advantage of the arapaima going on the feed and joined the exclusive Jurassic Mountain ‘first’ club. How to join this club? Easy! First time on the lake, first day’s fishing….first ever arapaima! It didn’t take long for Graham to find out that when the fishing gods smile down upon you, anything is possible at Jurassic Mountain.

ROD from Wellingborough in Northants is no stranger to Jurassic Mountain and no stranger to the arapaima either because he landed one during his visit here last year and here he poses with one of two more that he managed to land during his time on the lake twelve months later. On his final day when fishing on the waggler, a fabulous Chao phraya catfish snatched his pellet and proceeded to give Rod the fight of his week if not the fight of his life. Take a look at the size of the gut on this fish below. Definitely been eating more than just pellet.

IAN and his brother Kevin from Buckinghamshire had a one day visit to Jurassic that they won’t forget in a hurry. Four carp around the 50 lb mark were then followed by this magnificent triple figure specimen. Throw in the Amazon redtail or two that they landed between them and their Jurassic Mountain experience was complete.

NICK from Bournemouth fished for two days on a double ledgered pellet which produced fourteen carp, thirteen of them Siamese, one Indian carp and four catfish being two of each of the Amazon and Asian variety. One thing’s for sure…..he’ll be back!

IT’S always a pleasure to welcome back one of Tesco’s top men to Jurassic Mountain and this time Paul arrived slightly earlier than planned. So with a few hours left before dark, Paul got working on the pellet waggler which saw seven fish to the net including this nice Amazon redtail. Once again, when bites aren’t easy to come by, the pellet waggler seems to come up trumps for those who are prepared to work for them.

THIS was Matt’s first ever experience of fishing in Thailand, in fact his first time ever to Thailand itself and if he wanted a nice relaxing introduction into the Thai fishing scene, he came to the wrong place because he certainly didn’t get it here! Matt’s first day of his Jurassic Mountain experience saw him land 14 fish in total with Siamese carp to 75 lbs and Amazon redtails to 50 which not only provided him with an action packed first day but also set the scene for the remainder of his holiday here too ensuring that it will no doubt remain long in his memory. Glad you enjoyed it Matt and no doubt will see you back here again in the future.

LOOK at the smile on Gary’s face! Not only did he land some cracking carp during his visit here, including three over 100lbs, he also managed to land a beauty of an arapaima too. Gary’s wife Debbie ensured she got her face in the newsletter when she jumped in for the photo. Take a look at the photo below ……

ONE of Jurassic Mountain’s very regular visitors is Bangkok based broker Danny who was well pleased when his dad David turned up from England to say hello. Prior to fishing here they’d arranged a jaunt up to Kanchanaburi on the River Kwai where they stayed on a floating raft fishing for snakehead. Having enjoyed the Kwai raft experience where one or two fish fell to their lures, it was nice to get back to the relative comforts of Jurassic and the subsequent carp captures such as the one above proudly held aloft by the very proud father indeed of our good friend Danny.

GRAHAM Wall owner of French carp fishery Etang des deux Pierres has a particular liking for Jurassic Mountain and it was good to see him back here again showing off his angling skills by landing quality carp such as this cracking triple figure specimen. Magnifique!

JURASSIC resident Wayne enjoys his hobby of growing fish so much, that once they are too big he gets bored of them, which is obviously of great benefit to Jurassic. Wayne has now set his sights on growing Atlantic tarpon and it wasn’t too long ago that the one he’s seen holding above was just a few inches long. It won’t be much longer before Wayne gets bored of these too and scores of fighting size tarpon will have to be discarded into Jurassic! Well done Wayne, keep up the good hobbying mate .

GEORGE Auktun has been at ‘The Mountain’ for so long that he’s almost part of the furniture here. George is always on hand to share his unlimited amount of angling knowledge and give advice to those who require it so if you’d like to meet up with one of life’s nicest guys and a great representative for Jurassic Mountain itself, you’ll find he’s only a blow of your whistle away.

HERE’S half a dozen photos below picked from the many sent in that are entered in our photo of the year competition. There’s some really great shots amongst them and as I said earlier, I ‘aint got a clue how the team are going to pick a winner from the sackful’s that are coming in but pick one they most certainly will so keep them coming …… it could well be YOU!

AND FINALLY….

YOU may remember me writing about the personality carp that makes an appearance every time he feels like putting an angler to the sword. ‘Scarface’ as he is affectionately known made his customary appearance this month and it was our old friend, 75 years young Martin Beesley who had the honour of bringing him to the net. Being the captor of this fabulous fish is a major feat in itself but what is particularly exceptional in this case is that Martin actually landed this very same fish on his visit here last year and as far as I’m aware became the first angler who’s managed to bring this brute to the bank twice.

WELL readers, that’s about it for now, another month has come and gone and before I know it it’ll soon be three years of me writing this newsletter. Time certainly flies here in paradise that’s for sure.
I hope that you enjoy reading my ramblings through this newsletter and from the favourable comments received, I know a fair few of you do. However, there will always be those who think otherwise (that’s what makes the world go around) and there are one or two avid readers who have voiced their disapproval with certain aspects of the content on more than one occasion but I suppose the mere fact that they actually take the time to read it and invariably comment on it on a regular basis should be taken as a compliment in itself and therefore warrants no further comment from me.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING….

Talking of time flies, we’re now over halfway through the year towards Christmas and I’ve no idea where the months have gone. Christmas? Well if you fancy celebrating it here in Thailand, we’ve still got a few spaces available so why not forget about cooking that turkey at home and let us cook one for you here instead. After all, our Christmas dinners have become legendary in the culinary world and combined with the fact that there’s monster fish just waiting to be landed under blue skies and glorious sunshine ……. Surely there’s no finer way to spend Christmas!

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and I sincerely hope that it tempts you to sample the delights that Jurassic Mountain has to offer. Hopefully we’ll have the pleasure of your company in the future where you might just realise your dreams and catch the fish of your lifetime. However, in the event that the fishing gods decree that the monster fish lurking in the murky depths eludes you on the day, at least you’ll return home safe in the knowledge that you’ve just fished at what is widely considered to be Thailand’s number one fishing resort and the closest place resembling paradise that you could ever imagine possible.
Paradise? Jurassic Mountain exemplifies the very word so why not come and join me and see for yourself. It’s very easy to get here ….. but a damn sight harder to leave!

TIGHT LINES, SEE YOU ALL ON HERE NEXT MONTH.