An Isaan Pond

[Topper]

..............

[Topper]

Get them dogs off rice and switch to cornbread!

Tonight I caught this thing, no idea what it's called but it looked a bit like the UK's chub.

It's some sort of fish..just trying to help out.

[DrWilly]

I can’t help feeling that you’re stealing good food from the wife’s dinner plate!

[hallelujah]

You seen this, Mendy?

Angler lands record-breaking pike with ‘once in a lifetime capture’

I imagine you're familiar with the lake.

[Joe 90]

The perpetual pike!

It's been fed, caught and released umpteen times.

It's even got a bar stool named after it in the local Worzal public house.

[Mendip]

^^ Yes Hal, I saw that.

I used to fly fish for trout on the Bristol Waterworks lakes, mainly on Blagdon but also on Chew Valley a few times. Both lakes were exclusively for trout fly-fishing 40 years ago but then coarse fish somehow got in, mainly perch and pike. A pipe connects Cheddar Reservoir (where I once caught a 20lb pike) with Baldgon Lake, and at the time they reckoned coarse fish fry entered Blagdon Lake from Cheddar Reservoir through that. I'm not sure if Chew Valley and Blagdon Lakes are connected or not, but they're not far apart.

Anyway, Brostol Waterworks eventually realised that they couldn't control the coarse fish and started to allow pike and perch fishing through the trout closed season, which back then was mid October to early April (I think the coarse closed season starts mid March?).

People started catching big pike and perch after a few years and I think the main reason the pike are believed to grow so big is that they feast on the stocked brown and rainbow trout which are very high in protein. That 47lb trout must have eaten a small fortune in trout.

[hallelujah]

There are a few committed lads who I regularly see on the canal at home fishing for pike and, funnily enough, one of them looks the spit of the fella in the photo, so maybe it's him.

They're a pest as far as I'm concerned (pike, not the chaps ) 'cos as soon as they move into your swim, you know what happens. The biggest I've seen landed was about 15lb and that put up a fight, so I would like to have seen him getting that one in or even yourself with the 20 pounder.

Not for me, although I occasionally get the odd little jack by mistake on worm or maggot, but I'd say most anglers I see these days are either fishing for pike or carp.

[Mendip]

I've got in a few fishing trips since I returned from work and caught a nice pla nin the other night, which I gave to the wife for Easter.



I also caught this... and I keep forgetting the Thai name of these fish. It was around 3lb and fought hard, and reminded me of a chub in the UK.

This one went back quickly, before the wife had one of her 'intuitions' that I'd caught another nice fish, when she invariably arrives at the pond demanding food...

The daughter took the pic, and was sworn to secrecy (which will cost me, of course).



Something else I keep secret from the wife...



Just as I was starting to think to myself how healthy the pond has been lately, Yogi alerted me to something during my morning circuit around the garden...



Yes, the middle section of a nice pla nin, minus head and tail. This can only mean one thing... there is a big bloody pla chon in the pond!!!



I caught one of about a pound on one of the wife's Isaan bugs a few weeks ago and thought at the time that so long as they remain about that size and just eat the pla nin fry, no problem. In fact even a bonus as they help control the fry numbers.

But something big attacked this pla nin. Bloody snakehead again, I can't believe it.

I really can't go though all that again... I may just let nature take it's course this time.

[DrWilly]

I don’t think Ootai wants to go through it again either.

[Mendip]

To be fair, Ootai's a workshy whinging Aussie!

It was me who had an infected big toe nail prized off by the doc. All Ootai had was your general blood infection that was easily cured by antibiotics.

[Mendip]

We've been hitting 40 degrees most days lately, no breeze, airless and often a bit hay without direct sunlight, especially in the afternoons. Perfect conditions for another fish die-off.

I've kept the waterfall on 24/7 these past few days after noticing some big pla nin swimming around on the surface gulping in air.. Early morning is the very worst time for water oxygen levels but all through the night is bad in these baking hot, airless conditions. I've been busy lately but have been trying to explain the mechanics of photosynthesis to the gardener but to be honest I'm not really getting anywhere... the waterfall needs to go on as early as possible in the morning since the green algae won't start photosynthesising until the sun comes up... so O2 levels are at their lowest around dawn, the maximum amount of time since photosynthesis stopped.

But anyway, easier to just leave the bloody thing on all the time, of course. The electric bill is already through the roof since I broke out the aircon remotes last week, anyway!



Despite the scummy appearance of the water, I've not seen any dead fish yet... or at least no dead fish that have died from oxygen deficiency...



Last night I noticed, with my shit eyesight, this green-coloured fish, wallowing in the shallows on the far bank. Something didn't look right, it kept turning over and then breaking the surface and disappearing again, just like a distressed fish.



I went over to investigate... and it was a bladdy mango... but a big pla nin that had been eating it swam off as I approached.

I didn't know pla nin ate mangoes!



My guess is that this damn squirrels first nibbled on the mango, liberated it from the tree, and then the tilapia took over.



The chickens finished the job... one mango and lots of meals.

And there's plenty more where that one came from.




This morning was another matter.

After seeing the daughter off around 6:30am I sat having a morning coffee, chuckling to meself because Anna had somehow managed to get her cone trapped between the planks on the jetty.



But... what was that drifting around like a half surfaced submarine, a few yards out and above Anna in the pic?

It was a lifeless pla duuk, a big one as well.



I netted it out and the catfish was easily around 2kg, a nice meal. The underside had two big bites taken out, eviscerating the poor thing. This is the unmistakable signature of the bloody snakehead, pla chon. They attack the soft underbelly of my pla duuk around the vent, and for the sake of a couple of mouthfuls of food, kill these lovely fish. I'd been wondering why I'd stopped catching any pla duuk lately, and this is obviously the reason why. I think that the bloody snakehead go for the pla duuk first because they're easy prey.

The poor pla duuk... a picture of it's underside was too graphic for the forum. It didn't look great and there was a waft of corruption about it... but maybe that should be expected after even a short time following death in this heat? The gardener showed no interest at all, fussy bugger.



I'm really pissed off about this, but no way will I risk my big toe nails again. Why can't these bastard pla chon just eat the pla nin fry and leave my big fish alone?

[malmomike77]

^ I'm looking forward to the pond clear out pt2. I still think you should have left a heavy duty net, that thick green gardening net across the whole of the pond bottom and then you could raise it and get the big ones - control the pla chon size.

[DrWilly]

To be fair, Ootai's a workshy whinging Aussie!
.

No such thing, perhaps you’re mistaking him for a Brit?

It was me who had an infected big toe nail prized off by the doc. All Ootai had was your general blood infection that was easily cured by antibiotics

Given the state of your hobbit feet I think it’s a bit unfair to blame the pond for that!

[Looper]

Anna had somehow managed to get her cone trapped between the planks on the jetty.

That was a sitter tee'd up for Yogi




Missed opportunity right there

[helge]

I didn't know pla nin ate mangoes!

We see that a lot in Scandinavia

Normal

[DrWilly]

You see mangoes in Scandinavia?

[helge]

Yeah; We call them Whooosh Melons

Back in School yet ?

[Joe 90]

That was a sitter tee'd up for Yogi

Hou wrongun

[Joe 90]

I'm really pissed off about this, but no way will I risk my big toe nails again.

I urge you to reconsider!

What's the point in having a pond with Snakeheads running riot?

Where did they come from? I may have missed you emptying your pond thread, but you obviously missed one

[helge]

Where did they come from? I may have missed you emptying your pond thread, but you obviously missed one

Nope

He got soft and put a couple of them back in there.



Noah from Korat

[Joe 90]

Nope

He got soft and put a couple of them back in there.



Noah from Korat

Oh dear!
.
You're too kind Mendy.

Get rid of the horrible fvvkers for good!

Just wear your protective footwear and you'll be alright!

I reckon those Jesus creepers would be up for the job.

Once you've finished your walk in shower, naturally.

[DrWilly]

That was a sitter tee'd up for Yogi




Missed opportunity right there

Who says he missed it? I bet Bendy recorded it .

[Bettyboo]

Mass murder of fish and animal porn... This thread is terrible...

But, I am learning something because I didn't realise that mangoes grow in Scandinavia or that plaa nin are common in Scandinavia, so I was particularly surprised that one sees a lot of plaa nin eating mangoes in Scandinavia...

[malmomike77]

But, I am learning something because I didn't realise that mangoes grow in Scandinavia or that plaa nin are common in Scandinavia, so I was particularly surprised that one sees a lot of plaa nin eating mangoes in Scandinavia...

I think he's referring to Hua Hin or little Scamdinavia

[Bettyboo]

^ ooh, thank you - that does make more sense.