An Isaan Pond

[Buckaroo Banzai]

You're not making any friends here, you know!

In fact, the only reason I let you on this thread is that your jokes are so good...

Thank you !! I think. LOL
Someplace I have seen this interesting definition of politics.

"Politics is the art of telling someone to go F themselves in such a way that they say Thank you"
Your above reply was a perfect example of that definition

[Buckaroo Banzai]

^ I am only kidding Mendip
But I get you, people always misunderstand me.
As the song says,
" I'm just a man who's intensions are good
Oh lord! please dont let me be misunderstood,

[Mendip]

This morning Lola alerted me to a deceased catfish in the pond by the waterfall. It was probably around 1kg and would have made a nice lunch under different circumstances.



There were no other dead fish so I don't think this is the start of another mass mortality. I think it more likely that one of the white storks that visit the pond so regularly had speared it. The wounds on its back certainly suggested so.



I would normally save such an unexpected delicacy for the gardener, but the pla duuk was smelling way past its best and I didn't even want to risk giving it to the chickens.

Over the wall it went... which with hindsight was a mistake as now it'll stink out that part of the garden for the next few days.

[malmomike77]

Is it time to start aerating your pond?

[Reg Dingle]

^ After last year's fiasco with his tench foot and fungal arse crack leading to his mate with the car faking his own death, I'd imagine he'll be getting the gardener to do it or taking precautions this season, rather than risk being blacklisted by Thrifty.

[malmomike77]

^

After last year's fiasco with his tench foot

[Mendip]

^^ An obvious photoshop... those plants aren't indiigenous to Thailand.

Mike, the pond is well aeriated these days with the waterfall going on almost every day. I've tried on many occasions (but failed) to explain that it's most important on still, overcast days, especially early in the morning, however some battles I will never win.

I don't think the oxygen level was this pla duuk's problem. Last time the tilapia died first and I don't rhink we lost a single cat fish which can live in very low O2 levels. I'm hoping it was a stork that attacked this catfish and not a snakehead which are undoubtedly back in the pond.

The pond could do with a good clean out but I don't think I'll get the time this year. Maybe ootai will offer to help out as I think he really enjoyed it last time.

[malmomike77]

I've tried on many occasions (but failed) to explain that it's most important on still, overcast days, especially early in the morning, however some battles I will never win.

you mean someone doesn't switch it on?

I don't think the oxygen level was this pla duuk's problem

No, i was referring to the algae, its very green

[Pragmatic]

Is it time to start aerating your pond?

I believe catfish don't require oxygen in their environment. They take oxygen from the atmosphere. Which reminds me of when me and the missus came across a catfish wriggling away on the pavement in Nang Rong in the middle of the day.

[Reg Dingle]

I believe catfish don't require oxygen in their environment

Looking at the state of Mendy's foot and green toenails after the last pond clean, I reckon that poor nurse wished she could breathe through her skin too

[Stumpy]

And to think, Mendy offered to set me up with fish from his pond with a dead floater and his dogs always swimming in it....

Think fish are off my menu.....

[Bonecollector]

The hideousness of that image will haunt my memories forever.

[Bonecollector]

How the fuck did you pull that off Dingle 5555 classic A+



You actually remind me a tad of Hunter S T 5555

[Mendip]

I reckon that poor nurse wished she could breathe through her skin too

A useful skill for many a woman.

^ Edit. Quite the compliment, I appear to have list some weight!

[DrWilly]

That’s what you noticed about that pic?

[cyrille]

What's that rash near his left nut about?

[DrWilly]

That’s proof of examining the picture way too closely to notice a minor detail like that…

[Mendip]

I blame Dirk Diggler for this.



There must be worse way to spend a Friday evening, although I'll be fukked if I know what they are.



There was a good turn out to watch the new sweetcorn bait in action.



Even Maya shook off her sickness to come and watch, and amazingly enough sat right next to Anna in companionable silence.

Watching a float in the rain brings back so many memories of the countless hours I fished as a kid on the rivers in Somerset... although back then I had pther humans for company instead of dogs.



Yogi's a real chip off the old block, but don't worry, I hosed the table down today.



My lucky fishing hat wasn't working... or could it be that sweetcorn is a bollocks bait?



And then it stopped raining... and lo and behold a bite!



Major excitement...





My first sweetcorn-caught pla duuk, or catfish. It was about a kilo and fought well.



This fish would have made a fine barbecue lunch for the wife, but she's pissed me off this week so I put it back. I always use barbless hooks and they come out easy with little trauma. This pla duuk lived to fight another day.



In fact I did have several bites using sweetcorn as bait but kept missing them. I would say that the main advantage of sweetcorn is that it stays on the hook better than bread. I had the brainwave of using a sweetcorn and bread cocktail for bait and then I started catching the small pla nin again.



The big pla nin and pla tabtim are still proving elusive so I think another change in bait is in order. I think it must be that they've been caught on bread before and remember. And also that they just don't like sweetcorn.

Maybe I'm just training the next generation of pla nin to stop going for bread as bait?

I didn't see any fish n chips n peas in the dinner thread.

Yeah, well... watch this space.

A good fisherman always has a contingency plan. I've found some slightly freezer-burnt, Cash On Delivery (as the wife called them) fillets in the bottom of the freezer.

[malmomike77]

^ Are you out of wine glasses?

ref bait i used SPAM but i know Katie would be horrified by such abuse of the delicacy

[Mendip]

^ Are you out of wine glasses?

Whatever gives you that idea?

As for bait, have you seen the price of SPAM in Thailand? Maybe Reg Dingle could get me multi-box at his fancy supermarket and post it over?

I think tonight I will try worms. With all this rain we've been having they should be easy enough to find. Or maybe some maggots out of the compost bin?

[DrWilly]

I would have eaten that pla duk!

[malmomike77]

As for bait, have you seen the price of SPAM in Thailand? Maybe Reg Dingle could get me multi-box at his fancy supermarket and post it over?

Fish balls

[Topper]

In Kentucky, our bait of choice was vienna sausages or chicken livers.

[Mendip]

^ We usually have chicken livers aplenty... I'll raid one of the wife's mysterious plastic bowls in the fridge.

Vienna sausage?

I'm pretty sure that tilapia are mainly vegetarians so I'm not sure if this will work, but then again they go for worms and rise to flies so maybe they're not that fussy... apart from when it comes to bread.

[Topper]

I'm pretty sure that tilapia are mainly vegetarians so I'm not sure if this will work, but then again they go for worms and rise to flies so maybe they're not that fussy... apart from when it comes to bread.

I've caught tons of catfish on the two. You need something stinky..