With a beer in hand, myself and my good friend Paul, decided to place a bid on a week at TopCats via the ‘Anglers Against Cancer’ auction on Facebook. A few hours later the auction ended and we were informed that we had won! So, the planning began

This was our first trip to TopCats and after the long journey to get there, we were not disappointed. We were met by Simon, the owner and as we found out during the week, an excellent host. We had a quick tour of the venue, then we were shown to our accommodation.

The bungalows are very well presented and more than comfortable for the week. In particular, the aircon is an absolute blessing and daily cleaning with fresh towels and water was very much appreciated (although this was just one of the many welcome touches of luxury that made the experience even more special for an unaccustomed and self-confessed fishing bivvy-tramp).

Next day the fishing began and our guide set to work preparing our bait and equipment. The rods went out and it wasn’t long before the first screaming run. The day continued with several fish landed and a total of 6 different species of fish being landed in the first day!

Throughout the day, our guide Art, was always on hand to help with the fishing and landing these monster fish. I can honestly say all the guides were spot on with their knowledge of the lake, their help and advice and also a few laughs thrown in for the perfect Thai fishing experience.

The restaurant staff were also exceptional, breakfast and evening meals could be had in the covered seating\bar area or orders could be taken at the swim and delivered – so no need to bring the rods in. The food itself is very good quality, exceptional value, well presented and more than enough on the plate.

The fishing continued for the week and lived up to expectation with several of my target species landed including a lovely Arapaima, a large Mekong catfish, the ‘tough to catch’ Alligator Gar and the unusual Ripsaw catfish. I lost count of how many fish and different species were landed in total but this was kind of irrelevant in the end as this turned out to be a trip of a lifetime, certainly for myself and I imagine for many others who visit TopCats.

Thank you all for an amazing week and your hospitality,  see you again soon…

Matt Emery