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[In Depth Adventures] [SCUBA] [Snorkeling] [Trekking and Elephant Riding] [Sailing and Sea Canoeing] [Exploring and Education] [Birdwatching] [Culture] [Coral Reef Ecology Course]
In Depth Adventures has recently begun exploring new areas for saltwater fly and light tackle fishing, as well as deep-sea fishing. On January 6, Robert returned from the Mergui Archipelago, where he saw a large number of sailfish, numerous sandy and grassy saltwater flats with schools of fish resembling Bonefish. There is also a large species related to Permit. There are hundreds of species of fish which frequent the shallow bays of these 800 islands. No one has ever fly fished this area. (Tourism has only been permitted in the Mergui since 10 February, 97)
Only a few hundred sea gypsies inhabit or fish this entire archipelago. In the giant elbow-shaped bay formed by Lampi and Wa-Ale Kyun, over a dozen sailfish were seen jumping and mating at the surface, as well as feeding, on one two-hour period. This island group is uninhabited, except for a couple of sea-gypsy villages. There is not a human footprint on the beach. There are broad, clear rivers and brackish mangroves and lagoons. No one has dropped a fly or a lure into any of these waters.
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Contact In Depth Adventures: indepth@loxinfo.co.th
US Phone: (707) 443-1755 |
In February, we took an exploratory group of light tackle and fly fishermen to the Mergui Archipelago. This was the first group of light tackle and fly fishermen, at least the first in 50 years, maybe ever, to go to these islands. They had a great time and we have now added salt water fly and light tackle fishing to our activities. Afternoon in the harbor at Kawthong, Myanmar, is always an exotic panorama of golden temples on all the hills, white buddhas, fishing boats in a child's colors--sky blue, sun orange, chartreuse; Brahminy Kites with cinnamon heads and White-bellied Sea Eagles competing with a Black Kite for fish pieces, trail behind the incoming ships. We left after dinner from Kawthong, so we doubled the watch, got out our night binoculars, and threaded our way through the maze of boats, nets, fish traps and fish corrals, none of which were lit except for the occasional glow of a cigarette, candle or kerosene lamp. In addition, we have five inflatable kayaks. They have become a big hit. When we pull into a bay, our guests scatter like quail. Some snorkel, or swim to the beach; others grab fishing gear and these two-person kayaks and go to the various beaches or other features worth exploring, others get in the motorized rubber dinghy to go hither or yon. As we usually have eight or nine guests, plus Anne or me, we have enough flotation for everyone. We awoke at an unnamed island SW of Lampi, after a night's travel through seas pale blue with light captured from a moon not yet risen. We dinghy'ed across to another small uninhabited isle, strolled the beach for shells, orchids and signs of wildlife. I found an ochre Melo shell and some orchids which grew only in the deep shade on the North side of the island, mainly on rocks, some on dead wood. Wreathed hornbills in black plumage with huge golden bills and pale cheek pouches flew casually in pairs above both islands. Their wingbeats wooshed in the tropical quiet. Casting off the deck produced a couple of snappers.
That night there were more stars in the water than in the brilliant sky. Every ripple was a crescent of florescence, and the sea was milky white all the way to the horizon; when I dove in for a late swim to wash away the day's sweat I set off a silent, white-blue explosion. When I climbed out, I was covered with stars--constellations and galaxies flashed and twinkled, a tiny reflection of the sky above. I watched submarine fishy comets, and meteor showers of small fry; I realized I could observe night feeding, chases and reef location. This "milky sea" is rare, and found most often in the Andaman Sea. It is a product of plankton, mainly phytoplankton--one celled algae called dynoflagellates, and tiny jellyfish, and comb jellies, krill and bacteria. Bioluminescence is found in so many varying kinds of plants and animals (except higher plants, birds, reptiles and mammals) that the light is produced by at least three distinctly different kinds of chemical reactions. The fishing was at first sparse, but Dan got some bites and hooked the first fish.
We motored against a light breeze to the Mawken Sea Gypsy village on Pulau Nala. As soon as we were all on the beach, walking toward the thatched homes, boats, smoky fires and drying fish and sea cucumbers, a woman came slowly toward us. She was carrying a ten year old Sea Gypsy girl who had been struck three days earlier on the ankle by a sting ray. The wound, the size of a quarter, was filled with pus, debris and dead tissue; the girl was in danger of losing her leg, or her life without immediate treatment. Dan took a look and radioed the boat for his medical kit. The kit arrived and the village gathered around, deeply concerned, holding each other, holding the frightened girl on a mat while Dan cleaned and disinfected the wound. He medicated it and bandaged it; by now she was not crying and the circle of villagers looked relieved. We worried that the treatment would not be enough. A month later, when I returned, she had gone to Kawthong for a hospital visit; we were told she was doing better and would be OK without amputation. We wandered through the village, buying talcum makeup, fruit, candy and a bottle of "Black Eagle" Liquor. The village, to thank us, staged a cock fight--no knives, no serious injuries to the loser. We sure felt welcome.
We towed our inflatable kayaks behind the dinghy up the river into the interior of Lampi Island. Mangroves replaced beach; crouching roots that rose from dark waters or black mud supported crabs and Brown-winged Kingfishers with turquoise backs. This turned out to be some of the best fishing—mangrove snappers, and other carnivorous fish that swim in from the sea on the tides to feed on shellfish and juvenile fish. Meanwhile, Bill was fly fishing, up to his chest in the warm water of the river near its mouth. As he pulled back his arm for another cast, a two foot long crocodile swam past him. Sailfish jumped beyond the sand bar in the bay. Bill was still a little bug-eyed, telling us about it an hour later, "I had just picked up a good strike, so I ignored the little croc’ and put that fly back in the same spot. When the (harmless) Black-tipped Reef Shark swam by, that was enough, and I moved to a different area." We watched Plain-pouched aka Blyth's Hornbills sitting in a tree, hopping from branch to branch in the foliage and in flight. Very rare, little known. We are on Pulau Tayu, a tiny island off the central West coast of Lampi. There is a huge eagle's nest on the ridge.
We explored another river, a more accessible drainage boatable beyond the brackish mangrove forest. The first mangroves were gnarled and bent, never rising higher than twenty feet. After a kilometer or so they were replaced by mangroves with straight trunks that rise at least seventy feet to a solid canopy. This part of the forest is full of ferns--huge bird's nest and elk horn ferns, orchids and epiphytic vines. They grow on trees, stumps and logs. Green bouquets and emerald necklaces. The fishermen finally hit it big in the lower part of the river. Big red snappers we later ate, and a lot of catch and release. The further North, the more birds. Great Hornbills, Black-capped Kingfishers, sandpipers and Wimbrels, overhead and on the beaches as we crossed the bay to the Salet Galet. This narrow, winding passage separates Lampi from Wa-Ale Kyun to the West. The jungle comes down the steep ridges on either side right to the rocky shore where the Crab-eating Macaques sat watching us. Whole families foraged along the rocks, babies slung under mom's abdomen. At dusk a rare Great-billed Heron landed on a rock near our boat, spearing crabs and small invertebrates. The sky and hills were black borders for the blue luminosity that was even more intense than we had yet seen. Fish splashed white light as they jumped and every movement in the water made blue-white streaks and flares. Maybe the bioluminescence just pushed the ambience over the edge, romance broke out and there were pheromones firing in all directions. This got wilder, leading to multiple skinny dipping at midnight and abandoned kayaks on the beach after lunch.
The next day we saw a pod of three Blyth's Whales headed North. These are small, twelve feet or so. On the West side of Clara Is. we saw the tracks of many turtles that had been laying eggs at the high tide line. Tiny nudibranchs and a stingray three feet across, red, black and white striped Lion fish among the many reef fish. The sandy beach has tracks of large monitor lizards, civets and the dozen or so White-bellied Sea Eagles who patrol the shallows, competing with the kites. This should be an excellent area for fishing. Large reef fish and small to medium pelagics are all along the windward edge of the island, close enough to the surface to be fishable. Trolling between the islands on heavier tackle was also productive—we boated tuna and mackerel that were turned into excellent sashimi. The diving at the Arches just South of Stewart was better with an odd cuttlefish sleeping on a sandy shelf down about 40 feet. This was one I had not seen before, maybe undescribed, with complex papillae, like small soft coral, all over its back and head. Great camouflage.
At Cavern the fishermen had a chance while others snorkeled or collected shells. Glenn caught a big Jack Mackerel which we ate as sashimi, soy and wasabe of course. We saw our third or fourth pair of Beach Thick-knees on this South-facing beach. (It's a bird, a bird with a lone ranger mask and a funny expression.) One couple to a beach. They consider it all to be theirs, chasing off kingfishers and other shore birds. Dusk had been still, but full darkness brought wind out of the North. We quickly raised sail; there is wind here and we pick it up and begin a long tack South, toward Rhinoceros Island. At 6:30AM we saw long-tail boats are heading into the golden dawn against silhouettes of tall trees on the ridges. We were running East along the North face of St Luke's Is., with Matthew's a pale purple and green silhouette beyond. We made Kawthong in time for showers, a great dinner, and some impromptu dancing which a Thai immigration officer watched on his evening out. He enjoyed it, he told us the next day, as he stamped all our passports. He grinned at me and did an imitation of me dancing. "Poppa do it like this!" He said.
Robert Cogen
During the summer months Robert may be reached in Eureka, California by telephone at 707-443-1755; phone number in Thailand is 66-76-383-105 or worldwide by email at indepth@loxinfo.co.th
Mailing address: P.O. Box 27, Eureka, CA 95502.
