2010 Northen Thailand Hampala Barb (Sebarau) Trip - About Hampala Barb and Reason Why The Target Fish

Hampala Barb (大鱗裂峽魮) belongs to the family of Cyprinidae (if this word unable to give you any clue on what it is and you find problem on how to read it out, you are perfectly normal). Cyprinidae is a huge umbrella where lots of fishes we are familiar with are categorized in; such as Rohu, grass carp, gold fish and so on.

Cyprinidae is toothless and so is hampala barb. You will find hampala barb quite commonly in streams and dam waters in Southwest of China, Vietnam, Borneo and Sumatra of Indonesia, and Malaysia. The first time I have a hampala barb on my palm was a specimen about 500g, from a river approximately 15 ft width in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan of Malaysia. I had good look at it and was impressed then with the silverish body, the speed they swim and later, the way they take the bait. Official record size of hampala barb caught on rod and line is 70cm, with weight around 5kg or more. It is interesting to observed that female hampala barb is having wider body than male and therefore heavier when compare inch to inch.

I understand from web source that diet of hampala barb consists of insects, smaller fish, crustaceans and fresh water plants. Along with growth of its size, however, the diet habit with gradually transformed to mainly fish prey, and therefore more towards the habit of predator for an adult hampala barb.

Hampala Barb spawn around February of each year and research has found that the rains brought by monsoon plays an important role on deciding the timing of spawn. The size of hampala barb at sex maturity is 160cm and this fish swim upwards into river waters during spawn season.


So why Hampala Barb is the target fish?

I think each angler got their own preference on fish or fishes; as an example, I love the fighting style of mackerel and diamond trevally for the way they sprint and the speed they peeled the lines, particularly for diamond trevally.

Hampala barb is a fish with character, a fish that give any angler an impressive bait-taking. Often hampala barb will chase a moving lure, overtakes them, and make a fast U turn right after they snatched the lure in its mouth, and thus scream your reel and rush your adrenalin, all this happened just in fraction of second. In fact, the lure biting style of hampala barb is very much similar to mackerel.

Though without any teeth with them, an escape hampala barb sometimes gives an angler a shock with a curled hook, a straighten hook or a smashed lure.

Not a quality control issue here but another damaged lure by Hampala Barb

Though they are toothless creature, the palate of hampala barb is able to exert strong crushing power on prey in its mouth.

A smashed diving bib left after the escape Hampala Barb

Obviously, an U turn hampala barb hit the lure right at the diving lip

Straighten treble hook at the tummy

Dr. Kelvin with a beautiful Sebarau, the way Hampala Barb named in Malaysia

If you compare pound to pound, hampala barb fight much stronger than giant snakehead. What is impressive about the run is the explosive rush, follow by speed that is beyond proportionate with the size.

Hampala barb feed approximately every 12 hours but at times you will see free swimming hampala barb with a prey in its mouth, hinted so by exposing small portion of the prey's tail at its mouth. The feeding character is spontaneous, seize over for no obvious reason. It is a fish that you will respect and could not get enough with, a fish that you will laugh at your self when you loose in the game with them.