October Squalls & Doldrums

Salutation and felicitations me fishy friends.

Once again October brought the usual thunderstorms and squalls but apparently not enough rain to sustain us through our “High & Dry” season, while Thai logic still allows water-guzzling hotels to continue to be built compounding the problem. There are stories about a contract to pipe water down to Phuket from up north, so fingers crossed everybody, let’s hope the job does not go to the same company that built the Chalong underpass.

Also as usual fishing between squalls fishing has been excellent for the exceptionally few charters that went out due to the tourist figures which continue to decline in the wake of an ever-strengthening Baht and a load of bureaucratic nonsense coming out of the immigration dept.

It also appears to have had quite an effect on Thai Airways, our national carrier, which when I arrived some 20 years ago was, without a doubt, No.1 and is now in deep in the doldrums.

Check out the flags on Fish Eagle >>

On a lighter note, I thought I would relate the story of Craig, who some may remember from the Mai Pang Bar, Mr. India Soy, Chalong. Craig along with his pal “Sang Som” in his pocket, decided to join the Gypsies and myself on a fishing trip on one of their long-tail boats.

On the way out we were trolling a line which foul hooked a sea (Krate) snake, the most poisonous thing in the sea whose venom would put land snakes to shame, under normal conditions, I would have just cut the line, but Gypsies being Gypsies, Kung wanted his hook back and gingerly laid out the snake in order to retrieve it. Whereupon Grail to the horror of all who witnessed it, grabbed the snake by its head and tail and bit it near in half, stating “I’ll bite it before it bites me” . The look of horror on the Gypsies faces was unmistakable and the story does not even end there.

As we arrived in the area where we intended “bottom” fishing we were all given hand lines and being the guest Craig got his line first and a short time later as I was about to drop mine Craig decided to light a cigarette and wrapped the line around his hand. I said “ Hey man that’s not clever” to which he replied "I’m Australian, I know all about fishinnnnnnnggggg" as he  was unceremoniously ejaculated from the boat, quickly followed by two of the Thai crew who had to swim in the wake of the departing Craig.

After extricating our hapless fish fumbler from the line, which we assume had a Giant Grouper on the other end, our intrepid angler was brought back coughing and spluttering and when he finally caught his breath long enough said, “WTF are you all laughing about, I nearly drowned.” To which I replied “I know all about fishinnnnnnggggg” at which the whole boat, including Craig, burst into peals of laughter, a day never to be forgotten with Craig, The Gypsies, “Sang Som” and myself.

As I don’t have a picture of the Giant Grouper but here’s a pic of my last Giant Trevally and also a fantastic run of Sailfish (top) from “Fish Eagle” (above) obviously getting in some practice, in order to defend her PST Competition crown next month. Proving once again Phuket, at this time of year, is up there among the best on the planet for Sailfish.

Tight lines to all, especially to all the combatants in the PST competition (21/24 Nov.) hope to see lots of you there.