A full complement of eight stalwart members set out from Khram Marine on May 5 with high hopes but some reservations weatherwise. Our concerns were justified as an hour and a half later we had to take shelter in the lee of one of the islands waiting for a seasonal squall to abate.
When we recommenced fishing the wind and the waves created difficult conditions and coupled with a swift moving tide resulted in many tangled lines keeping the captain and boat boy busy with the anglers fuming, waiting for their lines to be freed.
A very successful fishing day enjoyed by all.
Nevertheless, all but one finished a difficult day’s fishing with average catches of 6 plus kilos of the usual pla dang, grouper, yellow tail and cod together with 5 of the big greys around 2 kilos each. Yours truly had the worst day in over 2 years with only 4 kilos, whilst Jeff Doutch had the best catch of the day.
One or two drinks with snacks on our return to shore soon restored our good humour.
On May 10, six of us departed at 07:00 from Khram Marine on a day that contrasted favourably to the previous trip. The seas were light, the skies blue and there was little wind. Our spirits were high and we were eager to start. Fortunately, the fish contributed also and we had plentiful catches by the end of the day – perhaps the best catch this year.
I caught 4 big greys around 2 plus kilos and plenty of the usual variety of other fish but was easily beaten by the champ of the day Khun Daeng, who with Sollie, took home over 15 kilos. The photo shows some of the 12 big greys caught with Daeng the Champ on the far right.
Four regular members, a newcomer, Dave Dildine and a visitor on holidays, Tony Moore participated on our trip on May 19. Winds were quite strong and there was a 2 metre swell with choppy seas. All coped well with the conditions.
Fishing was quiet initially, but picked up considerably mid-morning and we all had above average catches of pla dang, grouper, cod and yellow tail. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Our trips during the last 2 or 3 months have comprised 6 to 8 participants. A consensus of anglers consider less than 8 anglers on each trip is preferred as this reduces the number of tangled lines we encounter. Accordingly I intend to limit the participants of future trips to 7 anglers. This may result in an increase of Baht 100 to Baht 200 in booking fees in later months as a trip of 6 participants is break-even on current fees.
Five trips booked for next month are as follows: 2 June, 7 June, 14 June, 23 June, and 28 June. Please contact me on 081 862 6279 for bookings. As participants will be reduced from 8 to 7 anglers on future trips, priority in bookings will be given to PSC members on a first booked first served basis.
