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Random Quote: Honey... I'm going shark fishing on the breakers... Wanna come?
I have been diving off coast of Thailand...noticed a number of Panga type boats fishing. I would check because of the tsunami ,damage to the coast is slow to be rebuilt.
The best fishing is off Phuket, sail fishing can be pretty good close to a couple of the offshore islands. Normally plenty of skipjack tuna and bonitos, plus assorted small game fish like king mackerel, wahoo, dorado, rainbow runners and the like. Fishing has definitely improved since the Tsunami- a lot of sport fishing boats went out of business and the commercial fleet is limited by high fuel costs. Most charters are very basic and geared towards taking tourists fishing, you definitely get what you pay for in terms of crew ability and boat capabilities. The adage "if you pay peanuts you'll get monkeys" is true in most charter fishing situations but especially true here.
Can I offer a couple of thoughts? You're on vacation, in a new country in an entirely new culture-- a whole new world. Are you sure you want to spend a day sniffing boat diesel on a deck just like the ones back home?
Thailand offers a boundlessly diverse marine ecosystem, teeming with life large and small. Bag the rod and reel-- bring a mask and snorkel to the Similan islands and I promise you'll see more exotic fish in a day than you're likely to see in years of fishing.
I can say for certain that ciguatera is not a problem in the Phuket area. The locals happily consume fish like red bass (a kind of snapper) which are toxic in other parts of the Pacific. I have to say the skipjack tuna at Phuket have much darker red meat than the skipjacks at Madeira, probably because they feed heavily on anchovy, which is a very oily baitfish. Quite often you'll have them regurgitate anchovy and tiny squid in the boat.
Just came back from Thailand, fished the Similan Islands aboard the Blind Strike, new boat, new gear, good crew and most important of all very good time. Also outside the fishing you can have really good fun! Have a look to www.thebigblues.com for more info
Let me see, the last time I was there we went hunting not fishing and we jumped from 18,000 feet NNE spent three weeks there, did not find what we were hunting.......and we never entered Cambodia.....yea right.
Sorry another life....just hearing the words sometimes triggers old memories...
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TB Hawks
Ocean Hookers Fishing Team
Key West 1720/90 Yamaha
Let me see, the last time I was there we went hunting not fishing and we jumped from 18,000 feet NNE spent three weeks there, did not find what we were hunting.......and we never entered Cambodia.....yea right.
Sorry another life....just hearing the words sometimes triggers old memories...
Read your post TB and instantly pictured LBJ, (thanks a lot )
Still remember that speech where he stated, (not verbatim) , " We do not now, nor have we in the past, nor do we plan in the future, to deploy US troops to Cambodia".
Apparently you are one of us older baby boomers. God Bless Our Troops.
Thailand 
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