Important notice, updated 23rd July 2013: Pattaya Fishing Park has closed and re-located, the land has been sold, the lake has been drained and the fish removed to a new location also called Pattaya Fishing Park. The first 3 photos on this page are of the old Pattaya Fishing Park after closure. Further down the page you’ll see the original post from the old Pattaya Fishing Park, I decided to leave it intact as a historical reference.
New location of Pattaya Fishing Park
You can find the new Pattaya Fishing Park on this New Pattaya Fishing Park map. I believe the new Pattaya Fishing Park venue is stocked with the fish of the old Pattaya Fishing Park.
Original post from September 2009.
Pattaya fishing park, just 7.3 kilometers south of the Pattaya Thai junction on Sukhumvit highway offers some of the best fishing to be had in Pattaya. There are numerous fishing parks in Pattaya, the majority of which i have yet to fish, but if you speak to the regulars at Pattaya fishing park, they will tell you they have tried virtually all of the well known fishing parks around Pattaya and most can not compare to Pattaya fishing park.
Set on about a rai of land, Pattaya fishing park has 2 banks which are easily fishable, if you don’t mind rummaging through the undergrowth you could also fish from the far bank, so for the David Bellamy’s among you that is 3 banks which you could cast from.
The first bank, so typical of most of the fishing parks in Pattaya, is concrete with a shelter running along it’s entire length, as you can see from the photo above there is seating with tables inside the shelter, making this the most popular bank to fish from, you can just relax and drink your beer and eat your food while you wait for a bite. I have found there is usually a nice breeze blowing into your face on this bank. there is a path along the bank to your left if you wish to fish from that bank but there is no shelter from the sun, and like I said, the far bank is accessible but overgrown.
Good old bread is the bait of choice at Pattaya fishing park, it comes in a bucket as shown in the photo above and costs 35 Baht per kilo.
If you hire one of the fishing rods provided by Pattaya fishing park it will usually come set up and ready to go. The photo above shows a typical rig used at Pattaya fishing park, this consists of the feeder which runs freely on the main line, a hook length of about 15 centimeters is tied on to a swivel, just above the swivel is a bead through which the main line is threaded, the feeder will rest on this during casting. In the photo you can also see the hook on the left, this looks like a size 10 or 12 with just a small barb, but minus the nasty spur which can do so much damage to the fishes mouth when unhooking. Other methods such as float fishing or float leger can be used, you will often see these methods used by people who have brought their own fishing gear with them.
Baiting the hook..The catfish at Pattaya fishing park just love bread, and quite a large piece of bread flake is placed on the hook, it works best if you select a piece of bread with crust on it, thread it on to the hook and pinch it with your thumb and forefinger.
Next, you mould some bread onto the feeder and squeeze it tight, it helps if the bread is moist. Your baited hook is also included in this ball, this prevents the bait from falling off the hook during the cast.
As you can see in the photo above, make the ball about the size of an orange, in the photo you can also just see the hook tucked into the ball.
Pattaya fishing park has guides, so if like me, you are too lazy, out of practice, lacking confidence or maybe you have not done much fishing, then the guides at Pattaya fishing park are most helpful and never far away, they will do everything for you, including bait your hook, cast out and strike into the fish when you get a bite.
Into a big one, The catfish at Pattaya fishing park don’t half put a bend in your rod, My mate pictured above had a good day “again”. We usually make a competition out of it, “I usually lose”. The big man caught fish at 19kg, 18kg, 15kg, and I believe he had a tiddler of about 7kg.
My biggest was 18kg, plus one at 10kg and a couple at 7kg. I have to admit I caught my 18 kg fish on his rod.
The photo above is a beaten fish ready to be netted at Pattaya fishing park. usually you will be fishing a good distance out, especially if the guides are casting for you. After casting out the rod is lied on the bank with the drag slackened off, your bite indication is literally a “screaming reel” or in some cases a beer bottle is placed next to the rod and a bight of line passed over it, in this case your bite indication is a falling bottle and then a “screaming real”.
After the initial run they usually make a slow but powerful pull, bring in line while you can but be prepared to lose it again in the give and take battle.
A cat fish being brought to the net at Pattaya fishing park, once you get their head out the water and the fish is forced to breath air it is often game over but these catfish at Pattaya fishing park don’t always know when they are beaten, try and keep them up, given the chance they will make a last powerful lunge, this is where the majority are lost, literally at the net.
The guides at Pattaya fishing park are usually on with the landing net, if they are not it’s because they are landing a fish for someone else, this place has been non stop action on each of the 4 or 5 visits we have made, this visit to Pattaya fishing park we only stayed 3 and a half hours and caught 7 or 8 fish between us, that’s not a bad days fishing when you consider the smallest was 7 kg.
Great care is taken to prevent any suffering to the fish at Pattaya fishing park, they are returned to the water as soon as possible, first they are treated to a spray with antiseptic to prevent any infection after the hook has been removed.
A proud man holding a 19kg catfish at Pattaya fishing park, I believe this is a ‘Mekong catfish‘ or a ‘Striped Catfish’ please use the comments box if I need correcting.
You beat me this time, but there will always be a next time.
Getting to Pattaya fishing park.
Pattaya fishing park is 7.3 kilometers south of the Pattaya Thai “South Pattaya Road” junction on the Sukhumvit highway. It is on the left side and just set back from the highway a few meters, the placard “Pattaya fishing park” is on the roadside but it is easy to miss, if you get to the Alangkarn Theater you have gone too far, turn around at the next “u”, Pattaya fishing park is straight across the road at the first “u” turn you come to in the opposite direction.
More about Pattaya fishing park.
- Price per day including rod at Pattaya fishing park is 400 Baht (cheaper if you take your own)
- 1 kilo of bread bait is 35 Baht.
- Pattaya fishing park has guides to assist you.
- Main fish species is the Catfish.
- Rods for hire.
- Pattaya fishing park has fish stocked to over 40 kilos.
- Food and drink available.
- Open every day from 10a.m. – 11p.m.
Please feel free to add any information you have about Pattaya fishing park, including fish species and fishing methods, use the comments box or if you have a Pattaya or Thailand related fishing story or photos you would like to submit for publication on this site, please email us using the “contact form” button on on the top menu.
Published on 1st September 2009.