Fishing without getting too wet

Pattaya may well be rightly touted as a seaside resort with a vibrant nightlife, but it also has an abundance of what is a very Thai style of daytime entertainment: very firmly land-based fishing parks.

OK, if you happen to be a ‘real’ fisherperson, these parks are akin to a professional footballer playing a bunch of six-year-olds. Yet they offer a great way to get the children involved in the so-called ‘sport’ of angling. Most of the fishing parks in and around Pattaya vary in quality and size, but they all offer a very basic fishing rod for hire, bait, refreshments, and generally Thai take-away style food.

As far as cost is concerned well that’s pretty much up to you in the sense of how long you’re going to spend in the park and the number of fish you catch. And, of course, the park’s policy regarding this.

Each park has its own rules and regulations. Some, for example, insist on you keeping whatever you catch and pay a fee based on the assessed kilos of the fish you have caught. Others are happy enough to let you decide what you want to keep, if anything. Still others don’t charge a fee for the fishing as long as you’ve spent some money in the park on food and drink. 

So, where are the fishing parks in Pattaya? The majority seem to be mainly concentrated on the eastern side of Sukhumvit Road, although there are a few in the north Pattaya and Third Road areas and down in Jomtien.

One of the best known is Jimmy’s Fishing Park near Soi 28 on Soi Ngern Plub Wan. It has three sizeable lakes and stocks about eight varieties of fish with many in the smaller lakes weighing up to eight kilos. In the bigger lake the fish can be even heavier.

What will you pay? There are a few on the rudimentary side where the fee can be as low as 50 baht for a day. Others, as mentioned, may waive the fee if you’ve indulged in food and drink. In the main the costs seem to start at around 300 baht and average at around 500 baht per person for a full day. Of course, you can bring your own rod and reel and will save you a little money, but given the hours you can while away in what is a usually quite relaxing pastime the costs are hardly prohibitive even if you take long the entire family.