Mekong Catfish

	Scientific Name	Pangasius gigas
	Other Names	Giant Mekong Catfish. Pla Buk. Pla Beuk
	World Record	56.50 kg / Terry Robert Mather, England Feb. 2003, Bung Sam Lan Lake , Thailand

Description

One of the strongest fish in the world. Often described as an underwater steam train. Dark-bronze back, silvery light and deep curved belly. Flat and wide head with very low-set eyes and no teeth. Unlike other catfish, the Mekong Catfish has no whiskers.

Habitat

These fish prefer slow moving deep rivers or now introduced into lakes. They can be found on clean sandy or gravel bottoms

Feeding Habit

Mekong eat mainly fish, crustaceans, and vegetation. They feed mainly at night where they have a tendency to move into shallower water and can be found and seen around river banks and lake margins.

Age and Growth

These fish grow slowly at first, Juvenile have small whiskers and teeth which surprisingly disappear when they mature into adults. Unfortunately these fish in their natural habitat the Mekong river are in decline and have been added to the worlds endangered species list. Work is now being carried out to breed these fish in ponds and introduce back into the river system. Last year the fisheries board restocked over 10,000 juvenile fish back into the Mekong river. As conservation is key to Angling Direct Holidays we make sure the we only use fisheries that do not take its fish

from local resources and therefore having a negative impact on the environment.

Tackle and Methods

Bread and bait substance often in combination with a bait ball. Couple with very strong tackle. These fish grow very large and fight very hard and long. Unfortunately these fish on trips have smashed more rods than we care to remember. A strong 30 to 40lb class rod and either a fixed or multiplier reel capable of holding 300 yards of 25 to 30lb line or braid.

Related Species

Listed below are similar related species that customers have searched.

	White Catfish		Channel Catfish
	Wells Catfish		Chao Phraya Catfish
	Gray Eel Catfish		Blue Catfish
	Flathead Catfish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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