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[kenny999]

Any one have any suggestions on  how to avoid being bitten off countless number of times in a day, have used wire trace  but they go through that as well, my idea is to use a sea hook with a long shank. idea please!!!

[jackinbkk]

You have 3 options.

Thicker wire trace. I used 15kg/33lbs strength. Worked fine.

PE line eg 50+lbs braid and above. (best option) Recommend PE5 and above.
Obviously the more strands the better in the wrap. I think PE 5 is 0.37mm.

Thicker mono eg. 50lbs+  Too thick mono is not great for knots. Bigger thai fish don't seem put
off by the line thickness.

As for hooks use a circle hook that will catch in the corner of the mouth often avoiding the teeth unlike a J hook.
The size need only be about 1/4 the size of the length of your little finger. I forget the number.

[zoso]

I used Seahawk 25 lbs nylon coated wire trace to catch Pacus and size 3 or 4 hooks

[kenny999]

jackinbkk, on 2010-08-10 20:23:36, said:

You have 3 options.

Thicker wire trace. I used 15kg/33lbs strength. Worked fine.

PE line eg 50+lbs braid and above. (best option) Recommend PE5 and above.
Obviously the more strands the better in the wrap. I think PE 5 is 0.37mm.

Thicker mono eg. 50lbs+  Too thick mono is not great for knots. Bigger thai fish don't seem put
off by the line thickness.

As for hooks use a circle hook that will catch in the corner of the mouth often avoiding the teeth unlike a J hook.
The size need only be about 1/4 the size of the length of your little finger. I forget the number.

Just got myself some circle hooks size 4/0 they look very big but think the same size as what I am using, the design of the circle hook makes them appear very big. also some steel wire 30lb man in shop that should do the trick well we will see..

[jackinbkk]

If its the wire Thai's use for catching pla shadow, which I assume it is then it should be good. Pacus teeth are like molars. Given enough time they'll get through almost anything. Shadows teeth are sharper so not entirely the same but the circle hook should keep your line clear of the teeth entirely.

[jackinbkk]

Oh God! I just watched River Monsters (Jeremy Wade). Episode 'the mutilator' is about Pacu. In this one he's claiming Pacu are attacking people and even biting off men's bits. He said the same about Giant Snakehead. This BS merchant makes me laugh. For people who have never caught aligator gar, arapaima, pacu, snakehead, goonch, wels catfish etc (like most people in America and Europe) they are going to believe that these fish are highly dangerous.
All this over dramatisation giving these fish a bad name just so he makes more money pushing his shows. Thanks to catching most of these fish in Thailand I can laugh at his claims but it makes me angry that he gets away with this nonsense.

[jackinbkk]

BS1, Pacu:


BS2, Snakehead:


Many fish are know to protect their territory and young and even swim into people. It doesn't make them man eaters. I swam in Thai reservoirs without being eaten alive.

[Mosha]

SIL has these in her stock pond. The fight is the nearest rush I have had to fighting a Barble in Yorkshire. Best Barble I had was 8 lbs.
It took me 3 months to hook and land the monster in my SIL's pond. They could never understand the pleasure I got from the fight. I eventually got it, I hooked it just where it's teeth could not get it. Nice eating fish, but I let it go. I wish I had weighed it.
ps when I 1st caught a smaller one, I was thinking Pirhana a close relative.

Edited by Mosha, 2012-01-23 20:31:52.

[bsacbob]

jackinbkk, on 2012-01-23 18:18:26, said:

BS1, Pacu:


BS2, Snakehead:


Many fish are know to protect their territory and young and even swim into people. It doesn't make them man eaters. I swam in Thai reservoirs without being eaten alive.

Looks like a load of ball's to me

Seriously i  have had good results just fishing the normal Thai method of a ledger and cage filled with bread crumbs and a size 10 hook, but is there any specific method to target Pacu in terms of bait or rig's ?

Edited by bsacbob, 2012-01-25 22:19:21.

[villagefarang]

You talking about these little fellows?

[bsacbob]

villagefarang, on 2012-01-25 22:39:07, said:

You talking about these little fellows?

Yes VF, these are the exactly the suspects in question and very nice examples they are too (discounting the one in the middle)....

[villagefarang]

bsacbob, on 2012-01-25 23:05:06, said:

Yes VF, these are the exactly the suspects in question and very nice examples they are too (discounting the one in the middle)....

They thought about throwing the one in the middle back, but they didn’t want to loose the other two in the process.  They made for some good eating.

[jackinbkk]

There are red belly pacu and black pacu. Pretty much the same. They will eat just about anything. Caught them on bread, caught them on dead baits, even lam. They tend to be the most prolific fish in any water they are introduced into. You can see why.
Fantastic fighting fish for their size. In my opinion they go 3 times as hard as any UK fish. However as Mosha will know most barble are caught in fast rivers where they take full advantage of the current. The Pacu go just as strong but in still water. Absolutely destroy lures with those teeth. Most people lose them unless they are hooked in the corner of the mouth or if you happen to be using a wire trace when targeting other predators.

[bsacbob]

jackinbkk, on 2012-01-27 18:41:26, said:

There are red belly pacu and black pacu. Pretty much the same. They will eat just about anything. Caught them on bread, caught them on dead baits, even lam. They tend to be the most prolific fish in any water they are introduced into. You can see why.
Fantastic fighting fish for their size. In my opinion they go 3 times as hard as any UK fish. However as Mosha will know most barble are caught in fast rivers where they take full advantage of the current. The Pacu go just as strong but in still water. Absolutely destroy lures with those teeth. Most people lose them unless they are hooked in the corner of the mouth or if you happen to be using a wire trace when targeting other predators.

Have to agree they beat any UK fish (and tasty too), i have tended to use a 50lb braided trace which breaks less often with those grinding teeth.  Fishing the other day and talked with a Thai guy who uses sun dried banana  chunks and nothing else and says it's one of the best baits, planning to give it a whirl next week

[jackinbkk]

bsacbob, on 2012-01-27 20:02:17, said:

jackinbkk, on 2012-01-27 18:41:26, said:

There are red belly pacu and black pacu. Pretty much the same. They will eat just about anything. Caught them on bread, caught them on dead baits, even lam. They tend to be the most prolific fish in any water they are introduced into. You can see why.
Fantastic fighting fish for their size. In my opinion they go 3 times as hard as any UK fish. However as Mosha will know most barble are caught in fast rivers where they take full advantage of the current. The Pacu go just as strong but in still water. Absolutely destroy lures with those teeth. Most people lose them unless they are hooked in the corner of the mouth or if you happen to be using a wire trace when targeting other predators.

Have to agree they beat any UK fish (and tasty too), i have tended to use a 50lb braided trace which breaks less often with those grinding teeth.  Fishing the other day and talked with a Thai guy who uses sun dried banana  chunks and nothing else and says it's one of the best baits, planning to give it a whirl next week

yes they are supposed to be mainly fruit eaters, hence the moulders. Actually banana is supposed to be a top bait for wild sawai. It's used a lot in the river and lakes of malaysia. Interesting to see if you get a sawai if the pacu don't get there first. Not an easy bait to hook though. I had to leave the skin on or it would fly off the hook. Quite slimey

[tomster]

jackinbkk, on 2010-08-10 20:23:36, said:

You have 3 options.

Thicker wire trace. I used 15kg/33lbs strength. Worked fine.

PE line eg 50+lbs braid and above. (best option) Recommend PE5 and above.
Obviously the more strands the better in the wrap. I think PE 5 is 0.37mm.

Thicker mono eg. 50lbs+  Too thick mono is not great for knots. Bigger thai fish don't seem put
off by the line thickness.

As for hooks use a circle hook that will catch in the corner of the mouth often avoiding the teeth unlike a J hook.
The size need only be about 1/4 the size of the length of your little finger. I forget the number.

I'm going to throw in a 4th option.

I've never lost one when using a Suffix 832 braid of 20kg upwards on a standard Gamakatsu hook, although a longer shank hook (Aberdeen style) is helpful.

It helps to use a smallish, popped up bait and the 832 needs changing after each Pacu you land but like I said i've never lost one using this line as a leader. You'll get more hook ups as well, as you know the Pacu are quite finicky on static baits and tend to bite it and run with it for a short distance before committing to eat it, they don't tend to feel the braid whereas the wire traces and heavier lines seem to spook them.

A nice stretchy mono mainline also helps keep abrasion down to a minimum when fighting these guys, as does a flexible 9ft length upwards rod with a soft action to reduce abrasion on the line when they're running.

I found it also helps to pull them up and out of the water asap, because of their body shape direct upward pressure takes it out of them much, much quicker and reduces the amount of time they're teeth have to work on your line.

To be honest i've not used a circle hook on them yet, with the setup i've just mentioned i've landed them more often than not.

I would also add that these are terrible fish to have in a fishery - look at any picture of a fish Mekong from Bungsumram and you'll see the damage the do to the rear fins of these fish. They are vermin in a managed fishery of any size, and best eaten if caught.

dam_n tasty as well...

[tomster]

^^^ Sorry, I double the line up on the leader as well so if they go through one then you have a back up.

Tom.