MONSTER fishing outside of Bangkok!

For my birthday, Aubrey surprised me with something I hadn't done since my days in Michigan-a fishing trip. She arranged a full day of fishing after researching the best fishing company in Thailand, Kiwi Fishing Bangkok (http://www.kiwifishingbangkok.com/index.html). About 45 minutes outside of Bangkok, their Bung Sam Ran location offers a lake stocked with giant Mekong catfish just waiting to take your bait and challenge you to a fight. Kiwi showed us to our bungalow (complete with a bed, fan, and TV for Aubrey) and we got down to business. Kiwi, from New Zealand, has been catching whoppers his whole life and was an incredible guide. He carefully explained the equipment and the basics of catching these enormous fish. We affixed the bait to the hook (a Kiwi family secret recipe) and cast into the dark water. About five minutes later, I had my first monster hooked. This is only the beginning of the catch, however, because these things fight you. The beast I had hooked on my life fought and pulled and fought some more. Finally, after about 30 minutes of sweating and reeling, I brought my prize to the surface. "That one's just a baby", said Kiwi. The baby turned out to be 20 kg or 44.2 lbs! We fished from 10AM until 9PM straight, with only a break for lunch! Aubrey even got in the fun as she hooked a 20-pounder. The time flew by, mostly due to always catching huge fish and Kiwi's hilarious banter. Kiwi's wife, Kat, came out to show us how fishing is really done. She cast her line twice as far as I could and easily reeled in some big ones. As the sun set, Kiwi brought me a homemade birthday cake to end my perfect day of fishing. But I had only caught nine fish? My goal was double digits! No worries, said Kiwi, let's hook one more! I did, and my day (and night) of fishing turned out to be a perfect ten.