Location: https://goo.gl/maps/QFdPxhgrQ22t2K1r9

GPS: 14.354344118793742, 100.41894680413948

Price: 50 baht/day, 30 baht per bag of bread

Open: 06.00-18.00

Nets: free on the bank (very good nets!)

Species: sawai, Siamese carp, Mekong catfish, Chaophraya catfish, alligator gar, giant gourami, rohu,

Tackle: 10-25lb line rated rod

A quite unique and special fishery, and one of my favourites. My friends and I had no idea this place existed, until a kind gentleman called John (who has his own lake in Esaan) told me about it when I met him at the Bung Pla Buk carp lake. It is a real gem of a find as when we went we had the whole lake to ourselves and caught a very good variety of species; all for 50 baht a rod!

This lake is set back from the road, but if you see a used car dealership on the road then you are in the right spot. Then you have to go through the lake owner's property to get to the lake at the back. The owners here are very friendly and even gave us free beer when we went.

Although there are loads of sawai here (a cast a chuck at some points), if you switch up your tactics and baits there are loads of different species to be caught. I have a feeling that the predators, such as alligator gar, Chaophraya catfish and giant gourami, haven't been caught in years as the Thais go for the sawai, Mekong and Siamese.

This is just up the road from Bung Pla Buk, so well worth a day here if you are in the area. Fishing on the bottom with bread flake on a light feeder and sliced bread on the hook works well, but fishing closer in produced more carp. As for the predators, something a little more meaty on the hook and waiting patiently for a bite did the business.