Search for fishing on Koh Samui and you will picture a boat, a trolling rod and the open Gulf. The one fishing day on the island with a published price is not that.
It is a stocked specimen lake in the south-west of the island, and the fish in it are giants: Siamese carp, Mekong catfish, Amazon redtails, arapaima. Twelve hours cost ฿7,000 (≈ $194) per person fishing.
Below: what that day costs, what the ticket buys, what swims in the lake and who the day suits.
Is fishing on Koh Samui sea fishing?
No. TopCats is a freshwater trophy lake at Taling Ngam, not a boat charter: there is no boat and no sea in this day.
TopCats itself names sea fishing only among the optional extras of its multi-night packages and publishes no price for it — as do the island's other charters, whose rates live in email rather than on a website.
Important
if you specifically want trolling for sailfish or tuna out of a Samui pier, send us your dates and we will confirm terms and price with the operator. What follows is about the lake only.
What is TopCats, actually?
A specimen fishing lake with a resort around it, at 100 Moo 1, Tambon Taling Ngam, Ban Saket, in the south-west of Koh Samui. The gate is open 08:00 to 20:00 every day, and the operator's own phone line is +66 84 184 1011.
Ten fishing salas stand around the water, each with cushioned seating, power, lighting, cool boxes and clean towels. There is 5G wifi all round the lake, room in each swim for a fan or umbrella, and waitress service at the peg so you do not have to leave the rods to eat. Some pegs are doubles for fishing beside a friend; three private swims are reserved for guests in the premium suite bungalows.
The resort's explanation for the size of its fish is the year-round tropical climate, the natural food chain and a high-protein diet — the same fish grown fast in warm water all year.
What does a day at the lake cost?
The full day is the main product: twelve hours, 08:00 to 20:00, last cast at 19:50 sharp, ฿7,000 (≈ $194). The price page states it plainly — prices are per person fishing.
| Session | Hours | Price per person fishing |
|---|---|---|
| Full day | 08:00–20:00, twelve hours | ฿7,000 (≈ $194) |
| Half day, predator | 14:00–20:00, six hours | ฿4,500 (≈ $125) |
| Half day, early bird | 08:00–14:00, six hours | ฿3,800 (≈ $105) |
| Four hours, by arrangement only | Four hours | ฿3,300 (≈ $91) |
| Arapaima session | Five hours, starting 08:00 or 14:00 | ฿10,500 (≈ $291) |
What the ticket includes
What the ticket buys: two rod set-ups and rod pods with one predator rod allowed at a time, a full daily bait pack, the help of a trained guide, a shaded sala with power and 5G wifi, an electric fan as required and waitress service.
What it does not buy: extra bait beyond the daily pack, which is sold at the lake; accommodation, since day tickets are fishing only; and the personal kit the resort asks you to bring — a hat, sunglasses, factor 50+ sunblock and a camera.
What swims in the lake
Giant Siamese carp, Mekong catfish, Amazon redtail catfish and arapaima are the headline species; the resort states that over forty species are stocked.
The arapaima is sold separately rather than as part of the standard day: a five-hour session starting at 08:00 or 14:00, ฿10,500 (≈ $291). If that is the fish you came for, book it as its own slot instead of hoping it turns up on the ฿7,000 (≈ $194) ticket.
Tackle, bait and the rules of the house
Everything needed is supplied within the cost: Century rods, Shimano Bait Runner reels, Gamma line, Pallatrax end tackle and Delkim alarms. Bring your own end tackle if you like, but a guide checks it first.
The daily bait pack is a kilo of 20 mm boilies, Pallatrax Jungle Pop Ups, three kilos of Mufford/feeder mix, a 500 g pack of maize, three loaves and a kilo of dead bait. On full days the resort advises using at least two kilos of boilies, and sells the extra at the lake.
The house rules are written for the fish as much as for you. The guide sets the drag, bait runners stay engaged while the rod is in the pod, rod sharing is not permitted, and guides net and unhook everything, treat the hook holds with antiseptic and let the fish recover over oxygen before you get into the water for the photograph.
Tip
do not expect a weight. The resort states it does not weigh the fish — the guides give an estimate for your records, which they can do accurately after years on the same water.
"No catch no cash" — what the guarantee actually covers
The resort runs a no-catch-no-cash policy on the full-day package of twelve hours. That is the ฿7,000 (≈ $194) ticket and no other.
The shorter sessions — the ฿4,500 (≈ $125) predator half day, the ฿3,800 (≈ $105) early bird, the ฿3,300 (≈ $91) four hours and the ฿10,500 (≈ $291) arapaima slot — are not covered by that wording. It is the clearest reason to take the full day if the catch matters more than the hours.
Who this day suits, and who it does not
- It suits specimen anglers, people who want one very large fish rather than many small ones, and anyone who would rather sit in the shade with waitress service than roll on a swell.
- It does not suit anyone looking for trolling, a boat, or the open Gulf. It is a lake, it is inland, and no part of the day happens at sea.
- It is a long day. Twelve hours is the product; the six-hour halves exist precisely because twelve is a lot.
The lake day is on the Samui fishing page, and the island's sea days — which are boat trips, not fishing — are on the Samui boat tours page and in our guide to what to see on Samui. Write to us in WhatsApp with your dates — we book direct with the operator, at the operator's price.
