I've been meaning to post this thread for awhile as I've done a decent amount of fishing around the world now and would like to share some of my experiences with you guys on here and hopefully some of you will also drop some intel on fishing hot spots out there. Myself I am basically a fishing fanatic, I don't consider myself to be advanced but I have been fishing since I was a kid, it really isn't difficult to learn and can be done all over the world. Actually, I've taken some side trips just to catch some fish and be on the water, its such an exhilarating experience hauling in a big catch, in some cases, I even prefer it to sex! Anyway, here's a list of some of my favorite fishing spots I've been to over the years:
Thailand: I didn't know I could fish in Thailand until I went and I was blown away by the fishing there, not only was it great fishing on the ocean and in lakes, it was super cheap. The first spot I went was on the island of Koh Tao where for about $50, I was picked up at my hotel, taken out to sea all day , fed lunch and brought back home. I didn't catch much that day, about six red snappers but the captain of the boat hauled in a king mackerel and a good sized marlin, which was very impressive. The best part was that he cut off a massive portion of the marlin for me to take back to my hotel where I had it BBQ'd for free on the beach. Also, the hotel and a lot of other places in Koh Tao have huge seafood markets and buffets, all for cheap.
This is a similar boat to the one I went on:
Chiang Mai: Again, I had no clue that I could fish up there in northern Thailand but they have lakes with massive Mekong catfish, just ask at the hotel and they'll organize to pick you up, fed you lunch and take you back. I spent an afternoon there and it cost about $50, in four hours I caught about about eight fish, the biggest weighing 20 kilos (about 40 lbs), I was surprised at how much of a fight the catfish put up, my forearms were very sore for a couple days after. They have a full canteen and tackle shop on site and they also serve beer.
Mexico: Last year when I was in Guadalajera for Mexican Independance day,I decided to hit up Puerto Vallarta and I ended up going out for a morning on a small boat with two local guys, the boat was nice and the gear top notch but the price was expensive at $250 for only four hours. The morning started slow but then I landed two dorados (mahi-mahi) and about three yellow fin tuna, I tooksome mahi-mahi filets to a restaurant near the dock and they cooked it up for me. Good experience as it was the first time I ever tasted mahi-mahi and its now one of my favorite fish to eat.
Colombia: I only went fishing here once in bahia Solano on the Pacific coast, it wasn't great as the guy charged me $250 and the gear was absolute shit but I still managed to pull in a few dorados and tuna. The next day another fisherman took me out for some line fishing by hand for about $30 and I caught a few tuna like that and ate them on the beach, that was a much better time. I look forward to doing some trout fishing in the rivers of the interior, apparently there's some decent spots.
Mahi Mahi
something very funny happens in this video at the 0:10 mark)
Canada: Of course this is where I've done the most of my fishing, growing up on the east coast, I fished a lot in rivers and lakes but never deep sea as I didn't have the funds, I definitely look forward to doing that in the future as NS has some epic tuna fishing, they get 700 pounders down there!
The Giants of Nova Scotia:
Vancouver Island: This was my latest fishing trip and it was one of the most memorable, I can't wait to go back to BC. It wasn't cheap as I paid the guy $110/hour, so the morning ran me $440, but I maxed out my tags and got five nice sized cohos, chinooks and pinkies. I fished out of Telegraph Cove, a very nice spot, the Upper Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places I've been, the natural surroundings and wild life were amazing. When I went diving out there I saw several bald eagles and hump back whales, sea lions, otters and although I didn't see any, there's tons of grizzlies up there. My guide was a 69 year old who grows dope in the off season and rolled fatties the entire time we were on the boat.
BC Salmon (he lands it at 4:45)
Alberta/Saskatchewan:
Lots of decent walleye and pike fishing up here, I've caught lots of both, the walleye put up a decent fight and they're good to eat, the pike don't fight too much and I've never eaten it. There's a lodge near Fort McMurray called Winifred lodge and I know guys who go there and recommend it.
[u]Winifred Lodge, Northern Alberta: http://www.winefredlakelodge.com/
That's about it for the major fishing spots I've been, hopefully there's some other RVF guys out there who are into fishing as much as I am and can recommend fishing spots around the world to us. As I mentioned above, its a great past time, you definitely get a major rush after fighting a fish for a half hour or more then finally landing it, especially when you get to eat it, that is a very rewarding experience, feeding yourself with your own hands.
One down side to fishing trips are that they're expensive and often I'm alone so have to pay for everything myself, if any fellow RVF guys are serious about fishing, I'd be interested in organizing fishing trips and if someone has the patience to teach me to fly fish that would be awesome too.
Thailand: I didn't know I could fish in Thailand until I went and I was blown away by the fishing there, not only was it great fishing on the ocean and in lakes, it was super cheap. The first spot I went was on the island of Koh Tao where for about $50, I was picked up at my hotel, taken out to sea all day , fed lunch and brought back home. I didn't catch much that day, about six red snappers but the captain of the boat hauled in a king mackerel and a good sized marlin, which was very impressive. The best part was that he cut off a massive portion of the marlin for me to take back to my hotel where I had it BBQ'd for free on the beach. Also, the hotel and a lot of other places in Koh Tao have huge seafood markets and buffets, all for cheap.
This is a similar boat to the one I went on:
Chiang Mai: Again, I had no clue that I could fish up there in northern Thailand but they have lakes with massive Mekong catfish, just ask at the hotel and they'll organize to pick you up, fed you lunch and take you back. I spent an afternoon there and it cost about $50, in four hours I caught about about eight fish, the biggest weighing 20 kilos (about 40 lbs), I was surprised at how much of a fight the catfish put up, my forearms were very sore for a couple days after. They have a full canteen and tackle shop on site and they also serve beer.
Mexico: Last year when I was in Guadalajera for Mexican Independance day,I decided to hit up Puerto Vallarta and I ended up going out for a morning on a small boat with two local guys, the boat was nice and the gear top notch but the price was expensive at $250 for only four hours. The morning started slow but then I landed two dorados (mahi-mahi) and about three yellow fin tuna, I tooksome mahi-mahi filets to a restaurant near the dock and they cooked it up for me. Good experience as it was the first time I ever tasted mahi-mahi and its now one of my favorite fish to eat.
Colombia: I only went fishing here once in bahia Solano on the Pacific coast, it wasn't great as the guy charged me $250 and the gear was absolute shit but I still managed to pull in a few dorados and tuna. The next day another fisherman took me out for some line fishing by hand for about $30 and I caught a few tuna like that and ate them on the beach, that was a much better time. I look forward to doing some trout fishing in the rivers of the interior, apparently there's some decent spots.
Mahi Mahi
something very funny happens in this video at the 0:10 mark)Canada: Of course this is where I've done the most of my fishing, growing up on the east coast, I fished a lot in rivers and lakes but never deep sea as I didn't have the funds, I definitely look forward to doing that in the future as NS has some epic tuna fishing, they get 700 pounders down there!
The Giants of Nova Scotia:
Vancouver Island: This was my latest fishing trip and it was one of the most memorable, I can't wait to go back to BC. It wasn't cheap as I paid the guy $110/hour, so the morning ran me $440, but I maxed out my tags and got five nice sized cohos, chinooks and pinkies. I fished out of Telegraph Cove, a very nice spot, the Upper Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places I've been, the natural surroundings and wild life were amazing. When I went diving out there I saw several bald eagles and hump back whales, sea lions, otters and although I didn't see any, there's tons of grizzlies up there. My guide was a 69 year old who grows dope in the off season and rolled fatties the entire time we were on the boat.
BC Salmon (he lands it at 4:45)
Alberta/Saskatchewan:
Lots of decent walleye and pike fishing up here, I've caught lots of both, the walleye put up a decent fight and they're good to eat, the pike don't fight too much and I've never eaten it. There's a lodge near Fort McMurray called Winifred lodge and I know guys who go there and recommend it.
[u]Winifred Lodge, Northern Alberta: http://www.winefredlakelodge.com/
That's about it for the major fishing spots I've been, hopefully there's some other RVF guys out there who are into fishing as much as I am and can recommend fishing spots around the world to us. As I mentioned above, its a great past time, you definitely get a major rush after fighting a fish for a half hour or more then finally landing it, especially when you get to eat it, that is a very rewarding experience, feeding yourself with your own hands.
One down side to fishing trips are that they're expensive and often I'm alone so have to pay for everything myself, if any fellow RVF guys are serious about fishing, I'd be interested in organizing fishing trips and if someone has the patience to teach me to fly fish that would be awesome too.