The other day I caught a whole smorgasbord of Barb species. One of the most enjoyable things I do after a trip is to identify the species caught especially when they are new lifers. They were all caught using the same method: sight-fishing free falling small pieces of doughbait on a small hook. I found this really cool pond that holds the largest variety of species that I have ever seen over here.
There is something about a falling bait that attracts fish. I have witnessed this on species back home too. Falling bait can work on tough biters. If nothing takes the bait, I let it sit for a moment and then do the fall from the top again. Falling bait triggers some species to bite and is deadly.
All of the following specimens shown are large for their species. They are fun to catch and ID and all can be caught in an afternoon at this pond I found. This is not a paypond either but a small natural lake.
Swamp Barb (Puntius orphoides)
Max. size: 8 inches
There are 8 Puntius species over here and are tough to ID. They will also make their way into rice paddies.
Beardless Barb (Cyclocheilichthys apogon)
Max. size: 7 inches
This species likes ant eggs too.
Longfin Carp (Labiobarbus lineatus)
Max size: 7 inches
This species feeds only once the bait hits the bottom. The very long dorsal is a give-away to ID. . I have seen the Longfin make a large migration when the rains come.
Siamese Mud Carp (Henicorhynchus siamensis)
Max size: 8 inches
This species schools close together. They feed at mid-water levels as the bait is dropping.
Dusky Face Carp (Osteochilus lini)
Max size: 6 inches
This is a very drab looking Barb, has barbells and primarily feeds on the bottom.
Silver Sharkminnow (Osteochilus hasselti)
Max size: 12 inches
The pink marks behind the gills are the unique ID marks of this species. This is the biggest of all these species here. They are commonly netted in the thickest of weeds here. I was told by a Thai fisherman that I could not catch these with hook and line but he was wrong.
-Mark