Over 200 anglers boarded 60 boats on November 5 to sail off into deep water and take part in the 8th annual Jomtien Fishing Games. Under the starting gun of Pattaya deputy mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, the assorted armada of craft set out at 5 p.m. with 19 hours of fierce fishing competition ahead of them. The boats had to return to the starting point by midday on the following day in order to avoid being eliminated.
The contest was divided into 5 categories with the awards being decided on total weight of catch and best samples of the different types of fish landed.
Foreign tourists marvel at the assortment of different fish on display.
The Pattaya Zeus team led by Sarawut Bunma was one of the first to reach the shore and displayed an 18.9kg common snakehead plus other large fish that created quite a buzz amongst the wide-eyed spectators.
Later that evening a party was held to present awards to the winners. Praphan Chaikaew won the scale fish category with a grouper weighing 5kg; Chatree Siewhong was awarded first place in the catfish class with a fish weighing 17.9kg; the total fish weight category winner was Amnaj Chimmanee with a catch of 268 fish; and two special prizes for rare fish went to Khwan Jomtien for a walking catfish and Morakot Sihoya who landed a yellow-pink conger.
Chonburi MP Porames Ngampichet was on hand to present prizes to the winners and congratulated all who took part before officially closing out the Fishing Games for this year.
Sarawut Bunma from Pattaya Zeus team shows off the team’s prize catch.
