Last week I had the privilege to host Jean-Francois Helias on a one-week fishing adventure in Laos. This was a very unique opportunity we had since he was not coming to guide me but rather to explore new waters with me. Since he had never been to Laos before I was able show him around and in turn I was able to learn from probably the best Snakehead fishermen in the world. It was a win-win situation. You might have seen Francois on National Geographic or some other TV program before.
I always want to see the tackle box of accomplished anglers. Here is what a Snakehead box should look like.
Day 1
The first day on the water we were focused on Snakeheads and we did a lot of experimentation. We had only one confirmed sighting of a Snakehead the whole day. We then realized how low the Snakehead populations were in Nam Ngum due to over-fishing. We heard that the locals were harvesting the Snakehead fry for food. The devastation to the reservoir this has caused was clearly evident. Snakeheads are very vulnerable to overharvest during the spawn because the baby snakeheads stay together and can easily be caught with nets. You guys in the Midwest need to be thankful for the “Catch & Release” ethic that is widely practiced on your waters.
Despite the poor Snakehead fishing, we were still able to catch a few Hampala and Eye- Spot Barbs. The following Eye Spot Barb was a new lifelister for Francois.
I caught a nice Hampala Barb in the 4+ lb. range.
This one inhaled the spoon.
We stayed at this really nice resort on the lake which had brand new bungalows.
Day 2
This was a tough day on the big lake. We actually blanked out today but at least had a few strikes.
We fished the rock islands extensively but nothing.
Our boatman took us to a place on the lake where they raise the Redtail Cats for sale in the market. This guy caught them in the lake and then he keeps them in his fish pens until they get big enough to sell. The interesting thing was that usually these Cats have a solid red tail but the dark water in this lagoon made them almost all black in color but they are the same species.
Day 3
This day I learned another aspect that makes one a great angler. It is something that you usually wouldn’t think about but it is connecting with local knowledge. Francois is quick to make friends and searching for good fishing locales is his passion. Since the day before was so tough for fishing, we made friends with a local who was eager to help us find a new fishing spot to try.
With the help of our new friend we arrived to new place on the river. A new lifelister made its appearance—the Sicklefin Barb.
Back at the lake I tried for an hour and picked up another new lifelister—the Redtail Barb.
Day 4
This day was a travel day so we did little fishing but still ended up with some new species.
Here is one of the many Banded Loach species.
And a Golden Swamp Barb…
Day 5
This day started by taking Francois to my Mahseer spot. We found out this 500 meter section of river was a fish sanctuary. We started by going to the village chief to ask for permission to fish there. We explained that we wanted to release all the fish we caught and were not interested in eating them but only for pictures. After hearing our intentions he kindly gave us authorization to fish there. We paid him some money anyway just to show our appreciation. We didn’t have to but it makes all the difference when you do this. The generosity we shared with this village has opened up doors to us. As we explained our passion for new species, they were over eager to help us reach our goals.
We started out with a couple nice Poropuntius laoensis specimens. I cannot even find a common name for this species yet.
The Village Chief and Chief of police came down to check what we were doing. Making friends with them was the most valuable move we made.
Francois with a nice Silver Mudminnow.
We caught several Stracheyi Mahseer in this size range.
A new lifelister—Brown Puffer
These kids followed us around everywhere. They were so curious to see what we were doing. We bought lunch for all of them.
More fish…
We caught fish on both doughbait and these fruit berries that the kids went and got for us.
This was my personal best Mahseer.
Here is the next IGFA World Record fish caught by Francois. The first world record fish from Laos.
Francois caught the biggest Mahseer of the trip here.
We had such a great time fishing and afterwards we had dinner with the Village Chief and other village officials. Francois very generously gave a large sum of money to help this poor community out, specifically the school. They were so thankful to receive such a gift. I was impressed by what I had seen. I think our fishing privileges there are secure.
Day 6
Francois with a nice Mahseer, Carp, and Koi.
I found this other gorgeous spot just up river but it was out of the protected fish area and I only had one good bite.
I ended the day with another new lifelister—Spiny Barb.
This has been a very cool experience. I learned so many things, some of which I am not allowed to even share on the internet. It was nice to just talk fishing every day with someone as knowledgeable as Francois. I ended the week with 7 new lifelisters and a pb Mahseer.
Thank you for sharing 
