2010 Northen Thailand Hampala Barb (Sebarau) Trip - The Outfit

Since the fishing is gonna be a lure casting trip, most likely I will prepare 3 outfits; 2 outfits with 20lb class (or thereabout) and 1 no. 25lb outfit.

Twinpower C3000

I have make not more than 100 times casting with bait caster in my life so far but got uncountable castings on spinning outfit. At the moment I have Shimano Stradic 3000 and a 16lb Procyon in my arsenal, meaning I need to get another outfit within the 20lb class. For that 20lb spinning reel I need to stock, the targeted reel is Shimano TwinPower C3000 loaded with YGK PE2 line, with 30lb good abrasive resistance mono as topshot. As for the rod, I am looking at a fast action G Loomis spinning rod. One of my fishing buddies proposed IMX SJR 722 to match with Shimano TP C3000 but I am yet to find time to have a visual check on it. However, I am skeptical about the rated poundage of SJR722 if it can withstand the brutal sprint of hampala.

The rod for hampala barb has to be fast action, so as to react faster with fish strike. For better castability, the rod has to be reasonably long with strong tip but compromise to the need of carry them to Thailand on airplane. For longer spinning endurance, you will need a lighter rod, obviously a graphite rod with little fibre mixture. My personal liking would need the rod to come in 1-piece, sensitive, with minimum number of guides and printed with "lok-chiak" if it is a custom rod.

Dec 4th, 2009
Ordered a St. Croix fishing rod just yesterday, type number: TIS66HF, you can have a look at the rod at http://www.stcroixrods.com/product/tidemaster-inshore. Yes, it is a saltwater fishing rod, I think american made freshwater fishing rod is cater more for sensitiveness and for saltwater fishing rod, the rod poundage is under-rated.

Collection shall be March, 2010.

As for the 25lb class outfit, it is meant for snakehead if we see them rising. I have no clear idea as yet on what outfit to prepare but would just grab me PE2.5 jigging rod with caldia kix 4000 if I am still running poor of idea till then.

2010 Northen Thailand Hampala Barb (Sebarau) Trip - The Lure Preparation

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.

2010 Northen Thailand Hampala Barb (Sebarau) Trip - The Timing

For some reason, sebarau bites actively when it is wet; meaning raining season and more so when the weather just entering wet season after long hot months. Perhaps the new cold stream water carries oxygen or food or whatever, need to learn sebarau language to know the reason behind.

Raindrop chart of Chiang Mai

I am therefore planning to make the trip at end of May 2010. I exchange my plan with Thai charters regarding the timing and was warned on the temperature during that time. I was also made to know that the rain will probably come late and bites during trips with 2 weeks gap could be different drastically. I checked on the temperature of Chiang Mai and gotten this nice chart:-

Now, I am hesitate on the end May timing. The graph shows temperature of approximate 34 deg C and that is not something angler can withstand happily. I am avoiding to have the trip on June because I have other plan on that time, which is where 2010 school holidays gonna fall in.

2010 Northen Thailand Hampala Barb (Sebarau) Trip - The Preparation I

Hampala macrolepidota, Hampala Barb, or Sebarau as local call it (photos from fishbase)

Probably I heard too many stories about mama Sebarau that make an angler ecstatic, and I am making a trip to experience them on line.

There are considerable number of dam waters in Malaysia that you can find Sebarau; Temenggor, Bersia, Kenyir and so on. But all these areas share a similarity; an above 2kg specimen on rod and line is absolutely rare nowadays. I thought if getting them in Malaysia is difficult, then I shall move to where they present in abundance, or at least I think they are.

So where shall the quest of Sebarau heading?

I was informed that there are good spots for Sebarau in Kalimantan, Thailand and Vietnam. I set a target size of 4kg-ish Sebarau, or jungle perch as Thai called it, and start sending inquiries to fishing charters in Thailand and Indonesia. I consistently make my intention very clear; I want to get a 4kg-ish Sebarau on lure, even at the expense of longer travelling.

About a week later I got response from fishing charters from Thailand and Indonesia and it seems that a Sebarau at size of 4kg is not too illusive to pursue!

I went through the location and evaluate the logistic required for Indonesia and Thailand, and decided to make it to Northern Thailand.

So what is there in Thailand huh?

When I was checking the actual location of fishing spots in Thailand, I Google Earth them and along the process doing that, I was impressed with the potential of freshwater fishing in Thailand. There are considerable number of dam in Thailand with fishing charters offer great fishing trips, including a Hampala Barb trip.

Fishing spots primarily are dam waters, few of them are like;

Bhumipol Dam (since 1964), in Sam Ngao District, Tak Province

Tak Province, Thailand

Sirikit Dam (since 1973), Uttradit Province

Uttradit Province

Khao Laem Dam (in West Thailand)

Srinakarin Dam, Kanchanaburi Province, West Thailand

Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand

Cheow Lan Lake (or Chiao Lan) at South Thailand, came after Ratchaprapha Dam in 1986.

From photos and tourist writeup, Chiao Lan lake is very scenic spot, the not-to-be-missed tourist area.

What the Thai Charter got to say about chance of catching a 4kg-ish Sebarau on rod and line?

From the response of fishing charters, I came to understand that most sebarau catches in Northern Thailand are in the range of 1 to 3kg-ish, and a 4kg specimen is "inconsistent to come by". Nevertheless, one of the charters said this "we have spot for your target fish" and the other charter proposed to extend my fishing trip to 5 days, covering bigger area and fish for longer duration.

I got limitation on the logistic of reaching these fishing spots. The low cost carrier company in Malaysia namely AirAsia provides route to Chiangmai, and practically the fishing spots have to somehow reachable within few hours on the road from Chiangmai.

Location of Chiangmai, the landing point of AirAsia in Northern Thailand

Charters that promised to come back to me with a customized trip itinerary are yet to revert to me and I shall see how the program been worked out.