Deep-sea fishing

[beachbound]

We will be in Thailand for the month of June, and we are interested in doing some deep-sea fishing. Just wondering if any of you have had any experience with fishing charters.

[Topper]

We will be in Thailand for the month of June, and we are interested in doing some deep-sea fishing. Just wondering if any of you have had any experience with fishing charters.

I've literally never heard of deep sea fishing charters in Thailand....I'm guessing most of the waters around Thailand are fished out.

[Stretchy]

Friends of mine did some in the south of Thailand. They hired a boat for a day with a Thai guy in charge of the boat.

[Topper]

Friends of mine did some in the south of Thailand. They hired a boat for a day with a Thai guy in charge of the boat.

Did they catch any fish?

[Stretchy]

Yes. They had a great day.

[Bob Mason]

Lots of charters available but they tend to be very expensive. I would suggest that you give them a miss as safety is an issue and the risk of heat stroke is very high if you are not well protected from the sun. For those who are not familiar with fishing at sea on a boat, reflected sun light is dangerous too. Definitely not recommended.

[DrWilly]

Lots of charters available but they tend to be very expensive. I would suggest that you give them a miss as safety is an issue and the risk of heat stroke is very high if you are not well protected from the sun. For those who are not familiar with fishing at sea on a boat, reflected sun light is dangerous too. Definitely not recommended.

Yes. They had a great day.

fortunately they ignored the fun police

[beachbound]

Much appreciated
Google shows several excursion companies in Phuket, and Pattaya.
just wondering if anybody had any personal experiences with any of them.

[Stumpy]

I have chartered and gone out fishing a few times. Wasn't too expensive, shared cost with 3 other friends and was a lot of fun. Big cooler of beverages, some food. You didn't mention where in Thailand you will be. The fishing down south was much better then up towards the eastern seaboard. Caught some really nice fish and we did catch and release.

Good Luck

[beachbound]

I have chartered and gone out fishing a few times. Wasn't too expensive, shared cost with 3 other friends and was a lot of fun. Big cooler of beverages, some food. You didn't mention where in Thailand you will be. The fishing down south was much better then up towards the eastern seaboard. Caught some really nice fish and we did catch and release.

Good Luck

thank you, Stumpy. We’re actually going to be in Phuket, and Pattaya at some point, during the month.

[Bob Mason]

My friends and I are experienced boat anglers in the UK and we have fished the North Sea in winter for cod, wreck fishing for conger and ling in the south west, and tope, ray and huss fishing in the Irish Sea.

The principal difference between fishing boat hire in the UK and Thailand is that the UK skippers rely on regular bookings made by repeated customers. This ensures proper maintenance of the boats backed up by government ispection and high levels of safety. It is in the interests of the UK boat owners to provide a good product. In Thailand they make money out of tourists who will never be seen again. Maritime safety standards are low in Thailand and, even though I would like to go out on a boat there, I would not do so. A friend has relatives who own a commercial fishing fleet, small boats, in Phuket and I could probably rely on them. I would not, however, take a chance with some guy in Pattaya.

You should note that it would appear that few of the other posters in this thread appear to have any experience of fishing from a boat themselves and their replies are based on guesswork.

I would advise you to exercise caution. You may wish to read about scams relating to jet skis and imagine that there is every chance that you will be dealing similar types when you charter your boat.

[DrWilly]

Not the same at all.

[Stumpy]

thank you, Stumpy. We’re actually going to be in Phuket, and Pattaya at some point, during the month.

We did one out of Phuket. The way we coordinated that one was I asked at the resort counter we were staying out if they could refer us to a charter. She called a guy who came in about an hour. Brought us pics of his boat 30 ft open bow, what he offered and areas he would take us. We chartered him for a day. Met him at dock and were out on the water at 6am. Very nice boat. Fully equipped. Price was 10k baht for the day which included food. I tried to dig up some pictures but unable to find. Now being a fisherman it wasn't a "Deep Sea" outing. It was a sport fishing but was in deeper water. Being from California we always consider "Deep Sea" 200ft or more. Most our fishing was probably 75 to 125ft.

Also. We brought all our own gear. He supplied the boat.

[hallelujah]

I've done it off Koh Lipe and Samui. I was with non-anglers, so we just got a cheap day out fishing for tiddlers and got half cut with a load of bevvies that we took on the boat.

However, on Lipe I regularly saw people out on sport fishing trips and returning with decent size sailfish and marlin. As Stumpy says above, it was very easy to organise and cheap compared to the US/Europe.

We just asked at a travel agent on the street about a fishing trip (a lot will advertise them) and we went from there. They'll have a range of options to suit your needs.

[PAG]

I haven't personally used it, though know of several people who regularly have. "Sea Eagle" in Phuket is quite well known. I 'Google'd' it, and there's a variety of means of contact. You might find this YouTube video informative and useful to relate to your needs: