I was fortunate enough to meet the president of MFC, Adam Trina, who arranged for me to take a tour of his fly tying factory in Chiang Mai.  The factory employs over 200 fly-tiers producing flies sold world wide.  As a fly-tier myself, it was illuminating to watch how flies are tied commercially.

After the factory tour I met my fishing guide Bobby from NG River Guides.  I had arranged for a minivan and driver who drove Bobby and I to Mae Sariang, which is Bobby’s home town and is located near the River of Shadows.  The road trip to Mae Sariang was about 4 ½ hours from Chiang Mai and travels through several towns and farming communities.    The last portion of the trip climbs up mountains and has over 1600 corners, making for an exciting start to this adventure.  After arriving at Mae Sariang, we transferred our supplies and equipment to a four wheel drive truck for the final stage of the journey, where the destination was a Karen village high in the Valley of the River of Shadows close to the border of Myanmar. The precipitous road to the Karen village was long and torturous for both man and truck were one wrong move or mis-judged corner could plunge you into the valley below.

When we arrived at the village we were greeted by the Head Man who had arranged a home stay and hot water shower for me, which was much appreciated by this visiting fisherman.  The bathroom was rustic but adequate with squat toilets.  While I took my shower, Bobby was busily preparing the evening meal consisting of rice, pork, eggs, chicken and stir-fried vegetables, all of which was delicious.

This was followed by tea or coffee, dragon fruit and other local fruits for dessert.  The food was served on a table that was 6 inches off the floor which made it difficult for me, as sitting cross-legged on the floor is not something most North Americans can do with ease, especially an older fisherman like myself.  I was kindly given a small bench to sit on which helped tremendously.

After the meal everyone in the home was serenaded by 3 charming village children singing songs of their cultural heritage with musical accompaniment, a wonderful way to close my first day of the fishing trip.  Bedding, which was provided by NG River Guides, was very comfortable and I didn’t wake up until the roosters started crowing at 4 AM!  Shortly after this, the village began to come to life while I lay there and thought of fishing for Gold Mahseer on the River of Shadows.

After breakfast and thanking the Head Man for the kindness the village showed us, we walked from the village down to the Mae Ngao River were I discovered that I would be spending the next 2 days fishing the river on a bamboo raft.  We loaded the raft and discovered that it wasn’t stable enough with the 4 of us on it (the 2 pole men, the guide and myself) and the equipment.

Additional bamboo poles were attached to the raft. Remarkably this was accomplished in only ½ hour using riverside bamboo and skilled machetes use by the pole men to complete the work.

The Mae Ngao River is about 20 meters (60 feet) wide at this point with many large boulders which the pole men had no problem negotiating while poling down the river.  Bobby explained what was required for fly presentation: casting to a likely looking spot with a short drift through the lie and then re-casting to the same spot once or twice.  So started a lovely day drifting down this beautiful river, casting as close to the bank as possible. My first fish was a Blue Mahseer, a little fish of 1 pound full of fight and beautiful colors.
During my first days’ fishing, I managed to catch 10 or more fish ranging in size from 1-8 pounds, although the river is known to have fish up to 15 pounds!  I also caught a fish called a Burmese Trout, which looks similar to a North American trout.  Some fish would run hard and fast down river when hooked or duck back to their original lies and would be almost impossible to move.

Most of the fishing was done from the raft but there were many places were I wet-waded the river, fishing long deep pools, corners, submerged obstructions, rocky banks or shaded overhangs.  Accurate casting was required to place the fly at the edge of overhangs without getting hung-up on the vegetation.

Stopping for riverside lunches, the pole men would cut boughs for me to sit on.  I was then served a large split bamboo plate filled with rice, pork and chicken.  Cold drinks were also provided with local fresh fruit for dessert.

The second day was a wonderful repeat of the first, highlighted by an exciting section of the river where the pole men negotiated white water rapids and showed incredible skill maneuvering our completely submerged raft through the roughest part, with Bobby and myself hanging on for dear life!

I discovered that the river is divided into protected and non-protected zones.  The protected zones are leased from the Karen communities by Montana Fly Co. and are the zones that I fished.  The non-protected zones are fished by colorfully clad villagers using hand nets and fish traps set in the river.

I can’t say enough about the quality of the guiding and the pole men’s skills which made the trip down The River of Shadows both safe and enjoyable.

The third day I wet-waded the La River, a smaller river located northeast of Mae Sariang.  The La River has 2 different species of Mahseer, the Cave and the Thai.  Here the fish were more wary than on the Ngao River, so far more cautious wading and careful casting are required.  This river has a light sandy bottom and fishing is always done up-river.  As we crossed the road bridge into the small Karen village, we stopped to look into the water and saw more than 100 fish in the 6 ½ -13 pound range, holding below the bridge.  Reason enough to bet my blood surging!

Entering the village, we found the villagers very friendly and at lunchtime Bobby and I were treated to a delicious meal in one of the villagers’ homes. During the days’ fishing, I caught Blue, Gold, and Cave Mahseer, the largest being 2 1/2 kg.

So if you are looking for a different fly-fishing experience, the Mae Ngao and La Rivers would be great choices, ones that I would recommend whole heartedly. If you decide to take the challenge, contact NG River Guides at:  www.thailand-fly-fishing-guides.info or email ngfishing123.

Trip Report and images supplied by;

Clive Jackson

Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Thai fly fishing guide Bobby Kaotakol is a popular figure within the Karen communities, and works tirelessly to help the village communities.

These are available for group kayak tours on the River Yuam, fishing and relaxing. NG River Guides also provide kayak fishing for Giant Snakehead on local dams and reservoirs.  See Kayak Fishing page for more details!!!

Yesterday, adventure beckoned and we set forth in the 4X4, spirits high and camp beds wisely stowed under a tarpaulin in case of a shower. An hours drive, and we reached the turn-off onto a dirt road that climbs high over a series of mountain ridges. Seemingly endless teak forest vistas give way to patches of agriculture, and eventually, the road descends into the most beautiful little valley.

Hidden Valley - Karen Village & Mountain Stream

A picturesque Karen village is situated on the bank of a delightful mountain stream. Does it have fish, you ask? Well, indeed it does!

Some pools have a lot of Mahseer!

Close up and personal, this is a lovely piece of water – a classic mountain stream, noisy and boulder-studded, with water deeper than you’d expect in places!

Ok, so what's in here then?

Catch anything? Ah, yes… its pretty water, and the fish are not unwilling… There are gorgeous fish in here, no doubt about it! Their behavior mimics that of big Brown Trout. They sit on similar lies, and take nymphs / dries with reckless abandon.  Fishing upstream with a #6 Royal Wulff dry indicator, and a #16 nymph, and #6 to #8 weight rods, long leaders in clear water…

Fly Fishing in Thailand - A Spectator Sport?

The main difference is that fishing through a Karen village section means you’ve got a fascinated audience – the locals had never seen fly fishing demonstrated before!

Fly Fishing in Thailand - A Spectator Sport?

The rice paddies evident in the first image offer stunning pastoral scenes

Rice Paddies almost ready for harvest.

Wherever we go, there are always kids – and this is the last week of the school holidays, so the arrival of strangers in the village attracted lots of interest. Keeping the noisy small boys well behind you is important – they just don’t understand the need for stealth when fishing!

Growing up in a remote village is not all bad...

We spent the night at the house of the village headman – ate and drank with the gentlemen of the town and retired to the sound of gentle rain on the roof… Next morning, we left for home, with the headman for company as far as the highway. At his suggestion, we enjoyed an unexpected detour to a sink-hole / cave and underground stream…

Big colorful hole in the ground...

Now this WAS a surprise – the rock colours were not apparent in the gloom!

Crystals on the Rocks

Goals: explore the Moei, 2 nights camping, catch a fish, get some photos
Weather & Temperature: Hot and sunny throughout the day. Heavy morning mists, cool overnight.

The Salween River flows approx 2400km from the Tangula Mountains of the Himalayas, in the Tibetan plateau. Running southward through Yunnan Province of China, through eastern Myanmar’s Shan & Kayah States, along the Thai-Myanmar border, through the Kayan & Mon States before emptying into the Gulf of Martaban, in the Andaman Sea. Even in Dry Season, its a seriously large river!

To reach the river from Thailand, access is via Highway 1194, a trip of approx 48 kms from the town of Mae Sarieng in Mae Hong Son province. Destination is the village of Ban Mae Sam Laeb, located on the riverbank above the high water level. At low flow, there is a natural boat harbour that is crammed with a variety of vessels of all sizes, shapes and colours.

Primarily, these are the “long-tail’ boats, powered either by small Honda outboards, or full-sized car / truck engines! Steering a 30 ft, heavily laden long-boat with a tiller-bar attached to a 6 cylinder turbo-charged truck engine is a man’s job!

For those with a sense of adventure and a thirst for a new experience, there’s also the opportunity to fish the lower reaches of the River Moei, a tributary of the Salween. From its confluence with the Salween, the Moei is also the border between Thailand and Myanmar, for over a 100 kms towards Mae Sot.

Access to the Moei River is via long-tailed boat, and camping trips in this sensitive border area require the services of an English-speaking Thai who also speaks Karen… That helps soothe any potential issues with military authorities – Thai Army on one side of the river, and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army on the other side… a big handful of cheroots, some edibles, and a few baht go a long way to making friends along the river. There are a couple of large UN refugee camps in the vicinity, and cross-border incursions by DKBN personnel are not uncommon further south, near the big refugee camps at Mae Sot.

This DKBA soldier may have a really, really old carbine (.30 cal M1) but the odds are it works disturbingly well, and he probably knows how to use it…

The Moei is big freestone river, clear and fast in places… ideal for big Mahseer (Thai and Golden)

In other sections, long, slow lagoon-like pools are very deep and sure to hold some big catfish…

The landscapes are stunning. Late March is not the best time for photography due to smoke and haze, but nonetheless, its real pretty country. The sunrise through the morning mists is surreal!

During this trip, there was an extraordinary amount of boat traffic, apparently due to significant relocation of refugee from the smaller camps, out to Mae Sot / Bangkok… not exactly sure what was going on, but I was astonished by the volume of people on the move! Apparently, this was something out of the ordinary, and the boat activity was certainly not conducive to good fishing!

Camping out – many of the most vivid memories of my life revolve around camping trips! I can still clearly recall the first such outings, camped on a riverbank with mum and dad, now 50 years ago! I still get as much pleasure in being far from civilisation now, as I did back then.

However, this particular trip offered sensory experiences so totally different to the New Zealand wilderness adventures I’ve grown up with. Not least of which was Bobby’s flair in the camp kitchen – I’ve always been the chef on every camping trip I’ve ever been on since I was a kid…

But kebabs? Damn, Bobby – that’s very, very cool…

By the time he’d produced Tom Yum Kai (spicy chicken soup), fried chicken and Pad Pak Ruam (stir-fried vegetables) and rice to go with it, I was speechless and in awe at being in the presence of a Master!

Add to that the presentation – the serving dishes were created by the Karen boatman whilst dinner was cooking, quickly manufactured from a handy piece of bamboo! Oh, such simple pleasures, far from home. Bobby and I have the same philosophy on eating and guided fishing… We can’t guarantee to always catch a fish, but there is absolutely NO excuse for going to bed hungry, or eating baked beans out of a can!!!