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As is the case with all marine activities, Phuket offers an incredible
wealth of big game fishing opportunities. The Racha Islands, just
off of Phuket, offer year round fishing within easy reach of the
island, perfect for day trips. For those looking for a little more
adventure, there's always the Similans. Most famous as a dive destination,
the Similan Islands see an awful lot of big fish action in the blue
depths away from the coral reef and for those who really want to
get away, there are the Andaman Islands off the coast of India.
Wild and unspoiled, these primeval islands are almost untouched
by commercial and sport fishermen alike and offer a once in a lifetime
chance to do battle with some of the classic fighters.
Racha Islands
The proverbial hop, skip and jump from Phuket will bring you to
the lovely Racha Islands. Also known as the Raya Islands, these
two small spits of land are almost entirely untouched by human hands.
The smaller of the two, Racha Noi, has no human settlement of any
kind except for the Muslim fishermen who beach their boats and eat
lunch here. Racha Yai, just to the north, has very limited development
and only one resort. The lack of human pressure makes the Racha
Islands an excellent venue for sportfishing and great catches are
had here all year round.
The cast of charcters at Racha is a big as an Adnrew Lloyd Webber
musical. Billfish, Black Marlin and Sailfish all congregate here,
often in huge numbers. Several varieties of tuna are commonly reeled
in such as yellowfin, dog-tooth, skipjack, and longfin. During the
monsoon season, most boats fish the leeward eastern side of the
island and here wahoos are the star players, with barracuda and
tenngiri filling in gamely as suuporting actors.
Koh Rok
Located about 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Phuket, this tiny island
is named for a small furry creature that inhabits it. The island
features some lovely beaches and is also home to monitor lizards.
The real attraction for the sport fisherman, however are the multitudes
of sailfish that can be found here. During the late afternoon and
early evening the action heats up and free jumpers can be seen in
amazing amounts. Multiple hook-ups are the norm here and anyone
who wants to bag a sailfish would do well to put this on their itenerary.
A short cruise south lands you at Hin Daeng, which is a fantastic
dive site that also provides some excellent fishing oppotunities.
The Similan Islands
Consisting of nine jungle clad rocks sitting in some of the most
beautiful seas in the world, the Similan Islands are worth a visit
just to experience their incredible natural beauty. Against this
amazing backdrop anglers have the chance to test their skills against
almost every species of pelagic game fish that inhabits the Andaman
Sea. There is a five km (3 mile) no fishing zone surrounding the
islands to protect the delicate coral reefs, but beyond that the
gloves are off and it's man versus fish.
The action here is truly world-class and charter boats have reported
unbelievable catches of sailfish, wahoo, giant trevally, dog-tooth
tuna and tenggiri. The distance means that the only real practical
way to experience the Similans is on a multi-day liveaboard trip,
but this gives you the opportunity to have some very good action
while bottom fishing at night. For one of the most challenging experiences
in deep sea fishing, head 25 km (16 miles) west of the Similans
to a seamount called Thonmai. The black marlin are encountered here
as much as anywhere in the world and they're not alone. If you catch
a good tide at this hot spot expect non-stop trolling action with
yellowfin tuna, wahoo, skipjack and barracuda.
The Surin Islands and the 1,000 Metre Drop-Off
80 km (50 miles) north of the Similan Islands you'll find the Surin
Islands. Although this area is most famous among divers as a whale
shark hotspot, it offers excellent angling action as well. This
is a great spot for popper action on giant trevally and trolling
for sailfish. The sailfish action is particularly good in the late
afternoon, when multiple hook-ups are not uncommon. An overnight
cruise from the Surin or Similan Islands brings you to the 1,000
metre drop-off, and this is the place for marlin fishing. Blue and
black marlin hits are regular occurances throughout this highly
productive area. The drop-off also includes a number of sea mounts
which attract bait fish and the big ones that prey on them. Trolling
and deep jigging often produce some excellend dog-tooth and yellowfin
tuna. The drop-off is out of range of one day trips but there are
plenty of charters that offer multi-day
trips to the Similans, Surins and the drop-off.
The Andaman Islands
For the serious sportsman who's looking for a challenge in some
of the last primal waters in the world, the Andaman Islands offer
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Consisting of 329 islands located
650 km (405 miles) from Phuket, this archipelago provides some of
the hottest angling action in all of Asia. The islands have almost
no human population; in fact, they were almost completely isolated
from the world for the better part of the 20th century. Aside from
a few stone age tribes in canoes, the only fishing in the area is
sportfishing and the lack of human pressure means that the density
and size of the fish population is astounding. This is the place
to hunt for that 1,000 pound marlin. Huge sailfish, broadbill swordfish,
massive dog-tooth tuna and Godzilla-sized giant trevally are the
main events in the Andaman Islands. These islands really deliver
that man-versus-nature thrill that hard core fisherman are searching
for. You might be there for a week and never spot another vessel
of any kind, much less a fishing boat. The waters teem with big
animals and divers have reported seeing three metre (10 foot) long
dog-tooth tuna. Landing one of those big boys would get you in the
Guiness Book of World Records.
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