Thai Freshwater Stingray (Himantura chaophraya)

epic six hour battle

Jean-Francois putting his back into..?

Prolog..
Dear Jim,

Here below my signature is a short text relating helluva fight (lasting 6 hours) that we had at the Bang Pakong River with a 198 lb Thai Freshwater Stingray (Himantura chaophraya) on April 28, 2004 .

Himantura chaophraya is a rare species pretty much endangered, to not say critically. In a recent exchange of mail following our catch of this 198 lbs Freshwater Stingray that I had with George H. Burgess, Director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, George wrote me:

"Your Himantura chaophraya definitely is a big one, one of the largest I've seen. Congratulations on the catch and kudos for letting it go. As you are likely well aware, elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) as a group are in considerable stress worldwide as a result of overfishing and habitat loss. Freshwater elasmobranchs are particularly susceptible because they are located so close to humans and thus our fishing pressure, pollution and development. It is important that we all work to educate those that are unaware of the plight of these magnificent creatures and to set good examples in our practises."

Being well aware of these above facts and as a dedicated conservationist practicing catch & release on a regular basis, to release unharmed our several captures of giant freshwater stingrays in recent months was the most important matter to me and my pro guides team. Each of our stingray catches caught in recent months was safely released after a short photos session.

The positive aspect of fishing for the Himantura chaophraya – apart of the joy that any catch of a rare and elusive fish species can bring to a sport angler – is the opportunity to take lots of photos of such a particular rare species of stingray. The current existing photo material for the Thai giant freshwater stingray is very little to be found. Pics of the Himantura chaophraya on the net or through any other material are only a very few. Our fishing sessions were done not only for the exciting challenge of trying to success catching the nowadays scarce and elusive Himantura chaophraya but as well to be able to offer later the very best of these photos to worldwide authority biologists with whom I am corresponding on a regular basis.

To share later these pictures with some fish biologist friends was to me in itself as agreeable as the reward felt for each of our catches. Now I want to share them with a few more friends. And of course if there is one fishing website I am thinking of as a good home for these pics it is yours.

So I hope you like this text enough, as well as some of the very best photos I'm gonna send you next, to feature it all on your great site Jim.

As usual my text will need some good editing.....

Kind regards,

Jean-Francois Helias
Fishing Adventures Thailand

Our Six Hour Encounter With 198 lbs. Of Wings And Pure Leverage

Philippe Pletincx, my Belgium friend and return client, had already landed a 30 kg stingray an hour before hooking up the 198 lb Stingray. So to be fair with my two angling guests whom we were guiding, when this second bite happened at 6.30 pm, I gave my peronal 30-60 Graphite USA Custom built rod to Dave Garber, an American angler from Minneapolis. Dave had been fishing with us for 9 consecutive days around the country. It was his very last day fishing and was going to leave the next day at 4.00 am as he had to go to the airport catching his 7.00 am flight back to the USA. When the second bite happened at 6.30 pm I thought he would have enough time ahead of him to land the ray. We had initially planned to have a van picking him up at 1.00 am to transfer him back to Bangkok. But prior to this second bite, Dave had changed his mind asking me to leave earlier, around 8.00 pm instead. It was his last night in Bangkok so he wanted to have a nice Thai cuisine dinner and a good night rest.

Phillippe Pletincx with a 30kg (~66 lb) freshwater stingray

After Dave had pumped the stingray for one and a half hour we already knew by then we were going to get into a marathon fight that could last several hours. There was no doubt in our minds that it had to be a big size specimen. Thai Freshwater stingrays are said to reach a max. weight of 1000 pounds (max. published weight). But according to locals, nowadays bigger specimens to be found at the Bank Pakong River are around 550 pounds. We did not have a clue about how big the ray we had hookep up could be, neither we were certain we would be able to land it. Some Thai friends of ours fought giant freshwater rays for 14 - 16 hours without being able to land them. We also have friends who landed last year a 200 pounder after a fight lasting 18 hours and ... two broken rods. Now Dave was gone. We had to take over and go on with the fight. Philippe, Kik and Noi, two of my team guides, and yours truly would be taking turns, helping taming the ray by giving our best personal share of pumping. We were not aware at this stage that the pumping session would be lasting for 6 long hours.....

Compared to our local friends, our advantage was to use much better fishing gear than what they were using to catch their 200 pounder stingray. Though we did not have the best gear of all for this kind of big size specimen. My 30-60 Graphite USA custom built rod was a largely good enough weapon "to go to war" with this big size ray but my personal 8000 Twin Power Shimano loaded with 80 lb Fins Braided line was kind of light for the size of our opponent. When the ray decided to stuck on the bottom we could not move it a single inch. When it was crawling slowly on the river's muddy bottom we could not lift it at all, neither reeling in a single yard of line. And when it decided at last it was time to exercise a bit by starting swimming then the ray would be tracting our 2 wooden boats with a total of 7 people on them (2 captains, my wife Lek, two of my team guides: Kik & Noi, and yours truly) like if we were a bird's feather floating on a stream.

got my eyes on you

Several hours had already passed by. Everyone of us was starting to wonder how long we would have to go on with the fight before seeing the ray giving up. The atmosphere on board was nice. I was often cracking jokes as usual. But my message to all was clear. I was not going to miss the opportunity to land such a rare and big size specimen of Himantura chaophraya. There was no way I would give up the fight, whatever could be the weight of the ray underwater, and whatever would be the amount of hours we would have to fight it. If we had to lose the fish because of a broken line then it was fine with me. But as long as the braided line would stand the punition it was taking I wanted each of us to go on with the fight. I had booked the 2 boats until 7.00 am the next day. The next clients we had to guide were booked for April 29, starting fishing at 7.30 am. So we had still another 36 hours to try landing the ray. I told both captains that if we could not land that ray before 7.00 am then I would be paying their day session fees to keep their boats. I told as well my 2 faithful team guides, Kik & Noi, they would also get their due guiding extra fees if we had to work extra time. We had coffee and cold drinks, we had food and cigarettes, and we were a nice bunch of good friends, all dedicated anglers, having a great time together and working as a team to try taming this heavyweight monster.

This recent fight with that 198 lb Freshwater Stingray was a pure tremendous moment of sportfishing and of true friendship that I will never forget. A catch of this weight is of course to any angler a very sweet one to remember. But even sweeter to me was all the good feeling we all shared together through a perfect well done team work.

This 198 lb stingray catch finally gave up the fight at half past midnight. It got released safely later, after a short photo session by the river's bank.

..gather around the "table"

Through the 18 years I have now spent fishing here in Thailand, I have fought and landed several hundreds specimens of the Mekong Giant Catfish (my personal biggest being a 140 pounders), a species which pound for pound is without a doubt one of the world's hardest fighting freshwater fish. According to fishing writer Tony Davies-Patrick, my personal giant carp catches record makes me today "the most experienced Siamese Giant Carp expert on this planet" as he wrote in his last book "Globetrotter Quest, A Worldwide search for Carp and other Giant Fish". Let's say more humbly that I had the chance to experience numerous battles with record size specimens of the rare and elusive Catlocarpio siamensis (my personal biggest weighting 108 pounds), the "mother of all carp", a terrific and powerful "submarine with fins". If I had to compare any of these two terrific Thai aquatic warriors and the Freshwater Stingray for their respective power, strength, and endurance, there would be no need for me to think twice. I would have no hesitation to say that when it comes to fight what worlwide anglers call "big ones", then the "Himantura chaophraya" is without a doubt "the real thing"!

The tired but jubilant team

When remembering today about the amazing tug of war we had with this "barn door size" stingray , I find myself in total admiration about the unbelievable strength it displayed during six hours before giving up. It is absolutely out of this world. We hooked up this 200 pounder at the Bang Pakong River. It then tracted us for miles like you cannot imagine, taking us next to the Nakorn Nayok River, then to the Prachinburi River, then back to the Bang Pakong River again, to be finally landed at the Nakorn Nayok River. That's what we can call being taken for a ride...

Jean-Francois Helias

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