Newsletter July 2018

Welcome to our latest newsletter where you’ll find what’s been happening at Jurassic in July!

THE JURASSIC CARP COMPETITION, Fishing in Thailand

10 anglers, 6 days, 1 aim … to catch the biggest carp and take home the prize!

The first week in July saw our carp competition take place with 10 anglers competing for 1 prize – the price of their holiday back in cash! All they had to do was catch the biggest carp during the 6 days of the competition. The anglers competing for this fantastic prize were Richard Whittle, Owen Whittle, Perry Noakes, Lucas Noakes, Phil Straw, Jake Casson, Richard Rogers, Ray Burton, Chris Battrick and Stuart Rule. Over the course of the week they were also joined by Martin Bowler and John Wilson who were there to offer help and advice to the anglers and also catch some predators for an Angling Times article.

Day 1 saw Jake Casson take an early lead with a Siamese of 80lb exactly but everyone knew there were much bigger carp in the lake and there was all to play for.

Fishing together Lucas & Perry Noakes hooked a nice fish at 55lb but it wasn’t enough to take first place but then they hit the jackpot with an 89lb specimen – they were in the lead.

Day 2 saw the heavens open and the first heavy rains of the season made it nigh on impossible to see from one side of the lake to the other. Some anglers reeled in and headed for cover but Richard Rogers and a few others carried on fishing and it paid off for Richard as he landed 2 fish but sadly neither were big enough to take the top spot.

The afternoon saw the sun come out and Stuart Rule hook into a good fish – we all knew it was going to be a contender for the lead and we weren’t wrong. Stuart was now in the lead with his 92lb fish. Alas he wasn’t destined to be there for long as Lucas Noakes (above) hit back with the first fish over the 100 mark – 111lb saw him head into the clubhouse at the end of day 2 with a smile on his face.

Day 3 had Chris Battrick landing a few fish up to 76lb – all nice fish but not big enough to feature in the top 3 yet alone take first place. If there was a competition for pulling strange faces however we all agreed that he would win it!

Day 4 and the action was hotting up with Jake continuing his run of good fish but none of his or the other anglers was big enough to knock Lucas off the top spot.

Day 5 was the day of the monsters; it was Richard’s first visit to Jurassic and early afternoon saw him catch 3 Siamese around the 60lb mark. Little did he know that his next fish would be a monster carp – all 135lb of it! This took him comfortably into the lead but alas it wasn’t to be for long because Jake wasn’t going to be beaten, hitting back with perhaps the biggest carp in the lake weighing in at 180lbs.

Day 6 arrived and although fishing was still high on the agenda everyone knew it was pretty unlikely that Jake’s fish was going to be beaten – it was all about enjoying the angling before heading home the following day.

Carp Competition Winner & Angler of The Month – Jake Casson

Having fished Jurassic many times and even having experienced a fight of over 12 hours (before the hook pulled) I was keen for any excuse to head back there for some carp fishing. This competition was right up my street so I set about booking it well in advance and even persuaded my friend Chris Battrick to join me. I was confident we’d see some very large carp being landed and weighed. I set about fishing it with my standard approach using exactly what Jurassic supplies with regards to rigs and bait. I know it works so why change it?

Ten minutes into the 6 day competition I landed an 80lb Siamese to set the standard then after this I consistently landed an average of 5-6 carp per day with many close to the magical 100lb barrier. I also managed 2 arapaima to well in excess of 200lb on pellet. It was only a matter of time before someone landed one of the lake’s monsters and I was hoping with my consistent catches that it would be me.

Then day 5 came along and I hooked something which I immediately knew was special. The fish was very slow and powerful and lacked the crazy speed of the smaller specimens. After 1 1/4 hours I finally had the beast in the net and it weighed in at a staggering 180lb. Mission accomplished and after some photos the fish was soon recovered and returned. Needless to say I was made up and proceeded to order a large Chang to celebrate.

With one day left I knew that the lake still had potential to throw up something bigger so I never let my guard down and carried on fishing it hard until the final whistle. I was rewarded with yet another near 100lb fish on the last day along with the usual 70-80lb class fish. All in all a magical 6 days fishing with great company with the likes of angling legends John Wilson and Martin Bowler being present.

Jake Casson July 2018

Carp Match – Martin Bowler
The sights and sounds of a visit to Jurassic are now familiar but no less pleasing and last month I once again swapped my life in Wiltshire for the lake where dreams come true on a daily basis. Nestled in the shadow of the mountains Jurassic has become a second home with familiar faces and arm aching battles. This visit however was to be a little different as my own angling ambitions were put to one side. Firstly and most importantly there was a carp match taking place for the duration of my stay and it was great to see the lake and resort buzzing with camaraderie as everyone was happy to help each other and share the craic whilst still being competitive!

The results and outcome are documented elsewhere in this newsletter so I won’t repeat them but instead highlight Angela Rosiello who, like many who came with their partners, had I guess no intention of fishing. Jurassic however has a way of casting a spell over everyone so it was no surprise to find Angela with a rod in her hand away from the competition. Owner Eddy and I pointed her in the right direction for a catfish and what a great moment when she landed her first one. For me this was the highlight of the week – sorry Jake but even a 180lb carp can’t beat your first fish! Well done Angela and I hope there’s many more to come.

John Wilson also came to visit and as normal while trying to put an Angling Times feature together we pulled each other’s leg. Yes, we caught but as is very often the case, sharing a laugh was the highlight of this leg of the journey. John is the reason I’m involved in the Thai fishing scene so it will be a shame to see him leave. Selfishly however when he’s back in the UK we can have more trips together and I can give him some more stick!

July report from Tom, our Fishery Manager

July has seen the water temperature slowly continue to drop and the weather has been stable meaning there have been less fluctuations during the week. The weather has been mainly cloudy with occasional sunny spells as the full days of solid sun have passed now. Conditions have been comfortable for anglers as the predominantly south/south westerly winds, averaging 4-8mph, provide a welcoming light breeze across the lake.

Siamese carp have been the most popular fish gracing the nets this month, and with the carp competition having taken place this has been no surprise, pushing the Amazon redtail into second place. During the carp competition the total number of carp caught was 171, averaging 28 per day.

The overall average weight of fish caught in July was 48lbs.

Stuart Rule, who visited with family and friends for the week before the carp competition, caught his biggest ever Siamese carp at 112lb the day before the competition began. Hopefully he’ll be back next year to get a new PB.

Ron and Christian enjoyed a good run of arapaima between them during their 4 1-day sessions. On their last day they fished in swims 6 and 7, which are adjacent to each other, and both hooked into an arapaima at the same time around 6pm. We attempted the first arapaima brace shot seeing as such opportunities don’t occur very often – think it came out quite well!

A look back over the month
You might be forgiven for thinking July was all about the carp competition but when all our competitors went home we were again welcoming friends old and new to Jurassic.

Dubai lawyer Sam is a regular visitor to Jurassic and his latest trip saw him fishing a lum feeder and being rewarded with a colourful tambaqui.

Our carp competition winner Jake not only caught the biggest Siamese carp in the lake but also tempted a very large arapaima suggesting that he would be a contender in any predator competition we held!

Second time visitor Stuart ticked another species off the list with a very impressive pacu.

Builder Ray from Leicestershire headed to Thailand for some quality time with his family. As well as landing some specimen carp he caught a species that he was previously unaware of – a striped catfish.

Christian from Germany has visited us before with his son Ron but this time they were joined by his wife and daughter for some quality fishing and family time. Their last visit saw them working together and landing one of the biggest Siamese carp in the lake – but on this trip however they were targeting arapaima. Early on their first day Ron lost an arapaima only a metre from the cage, understandably disappointed he rebaited his rod, recast and within minutes hooked another one! This time he played his catch to perfection before it graced the net and was ready for photos. During the course of the day they caught 7 arapaima between them, landing 4 with 1 exceeding the 200lb mark. Their next session saw a quiet period and as the tilapia moved into the edges, indicating that the predators had left the area, Christian moved the dead bait rod into deeper water. A strange take saw him lift into what appeared to be nothing until he wound down and discovered that the fish was heading towards him at the speed of a bullet! A hard fight below his rod tip brought a new species for him into the net – the tambaqui.

Jeff is a regular visitor to Jurassic so being familiar with the lake he was soon catching Amazon redtails along the edges. As the rod went off yet again he was expecting another catfish but quickly realised it wasn’t and after a long and exhausting battle a good sized Siamese carp ended up in his net. A good memory to take back to his home in Bali.

Elizabeth and Chloe spent a few weeks travelling around Thailand and with the former’s partner being a keen angler but sadly unable to make the trip with them they decided to visit Jurassic for a few days and check the fishing out. Fishing together in the same swim our Fishery Manager Tom and his team of gillies were happy to provide assistance to get them started with the tackle and techniques required. They took all the information on board and working together landed 12 fish in total including a good sized arapaima. Their verdict on Jurassic – “This was by far the best day we have had so far on this trip and we are planning to come back”.

Physics teacher Phil is a regular visitor to Thailand and although he has been visiting the country for many years this was the first time he wet a line here. Before work commitments took too much of his time Phil was an avid river angler and the day he spent with us was just about catching some fish with no particular target in mind. He hooked a lovely dark Siamese carp on the pellet rod during his day with us and if this doesn’t convince Phil to get back fishing nothing will!

Steve and Matt grew up in Essex together and have spent many a session on the banks of the rivers Severn and Avon in search of barbel. Nowadays Steve lives in Singapore whilst Matt remains in Essex and they regularly visit Jurassic, this was their 6th visit, to spend time fishing but also this year to celebrate Matt’s 30th birthday. Just as they were about to reel in and have dinner they encountered a double hook up which resulted in a brace of Amazon redtails and a great memory for the two friends.

Alex, Natasha and their two children Taylor and Oli returned to visit us for a 3 day fishing trip. Originating from Bournemouth the family now live in Hong Kong and Alex regularly takes the lads fishing on the rivers during his free time. On this trip they wanted to target the predators in the hope of landing an arapaima. As their second day was drawing to a close Alex spotted one surface about 20 yards from the bank so he recast and seconds later the rod ripped off. Mission accomplished and a lovely family photo the result. Really nice to see the youngsters enjoying their fishing and hopefully we’ll see the family again.

Having started the day in deep water and only receiving a few indications Steve moved one of the rods into the closer shallower water and very soon caught his first fish of the day. Repositioning the second rod and scattering pellets over the top Steve finished the day with 11 fish including a striking dark Siamese carp that put up a good fight.

Mark’s first visit to Jurassic was nearly a year ago and having had a number of carp over 100lb he was keen to land an arapaima on this his latest trip. With the sun high in the sky he recast one of his rods and started to rebait the other when he received a screamer on the pellet. Lifting into the fish it continued to strip line from the spool and Mark knew it was something he hadn’t caught before. With a good bend in the rod and the clutch set he started to gain line as it kited on a long arc out in front. A long tapered dorsal fin pierced the surface and the fish was identified – a Chao Phraya catfish, not the arapaima Mark had been hoping for but a catch to be proud of nonetheless.

Martin Bowler has always had a proactive influence within the angling community. During the carp competition and having completed his Angling Times article with John Wilson he kindly spent some time with Freddy Rule (son of Stuart) and Angela (Rick’s partner) to demonstrate how to target the Amazon redtail. In a few hours they caught some nice fish between them and learned how to handle them in a safe manner. Thanks Martin!

Tony from Essex stayed with us for 7 days to celebrate, belatedly, his 50th birthday. Having arrived late in the night his first day saw him fishing for the afternoon only but after a good night’s sleep he was up bright and breezy for his second day. The sleep obviously paid dividends as he landed his first arapaima of the trip. In total he caught 3 arapaima during his trip as well as a number of other specimen sized species – not a bad way to celebrate your 50th!

After seeing one of our day session anglers catch 15 fish in a swim before departing early Leigh felt that the swim still had potential. Relocating for the last few hours he managed a few bites before dusk – one of which was a cracking Siamese carp that gave a good account of itself before heading into the net.

If we haven’t included you in our round-up and you would like to share your experience of fishing/staying at Jurassic please email enquiries@wordpress-1242400-4445492.cloudwaysapps.com

Classics on the Menu!
As much as we all enjoy traveling to Thailand to experience the culture and different foods on offer sometimes our guests want a classic English meal so why not have pie, chips, peas and gravy delivered to your swim along with some Heinz ketchup or HP sauce? Our menu offers a range of both European and Thai food and so you don’t have to stop fishing it can all be delivered to your swim! Just ask the gillie in your area and it will be freshly cooked and brought out to you.

A predator’s snack!
The water hyacinth beds provide a stunning habitat for an array of different species some of which become prey for the predators in the eternal circle of life. The small fish species seek sanctuary beneath them whilst snails and other species settle upon them unaware of the dangers which lurk beneath.

You can see the frog sitting patiently waiting for food to cross its path oblivious to the arapaima patrolling below waiting for the frog to make a mistake.

July’s Video Round-Up

Tom and his 2nd Siamese over 100lbs in a storm! https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1759713897457950/

Christian’s tambaqui https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1745245635571443/

Elizabeth & Chloe land their first arapaima https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1759713897457950/

Tony’s catfish https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1759707714125235/

Carp competition highlights https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1753408424755164/

Freddy – Amazon redtail https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1745234988905841/

Ron’s 3rd arapaima https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1745229508906389/

Phil’s tambaqui https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1745223632240310/

A recap of action from June https://www.facebook.com/JurassicMountainResortFishingPark/videos/1724226884339985/

If you would like to submit an article for inclusion in a future newsletter please send it to enquiries@wordpress-1242400-4445492.cloudwaysapps.com

TIGHT LINES, SEE YOU ALL ON HERE NEXT MONTH.

Jurassic Mountain Fishing Resort
43/6 Moo Baan Kokesehti Tambon Na Yang, Na Yang, Cha-am District
Phetchaburi 76120 Thailand

For all enquiries/bookings contact: enquiries@wordpress-1242400-4445492.cloudwaysapps.com

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