Phuket Fishing Guide, Thailand

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. (Read more about Racha Island...)

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. (Read more about Similan Islands...)

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. (Read more about Surin Islands...)

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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