Why start here?

Palm Tree Lagoon has been part of four family fishing trips, from Vinny’s June 2024 catch of Big Girl to Tyler’s first visit and two days at the lake with Finlay in September 2026. This guide brings those experiences together with photographs, footage and practical information for planning a visit.

Start with Tyler’s first trip and Friendly Mekong, explore the four-visit timeline, or jump to booking and travel details. Personal accounts describe our visits; venue arrangements below are attributed to the fishery’s published information.

27 MARCH 2026 / VINNY & TYLER

Tyler’s first Palm Tree Lagoon trip

Vinny’s account, shared for our family fishing journal.

By the time I brought Tyler to Palm Tree Lagoon, he already knew how exciting fishing in Thailand could be. His first trip to Jurassic Mountain had given him a taste for big fish and a chance to learn. This time, he was dreaming of a Mekong catfish straight away. He wanted to see what these really enormous fish were all about.

Tyler and Vinny supporting a very large carp together in the lake.
Tyler and Vinny with a huge carp, from the family’s Palm Tree Lagoon photo collection. Photo source.

Meeting Friendly

We went on 27 March 2026, and Tyler absolutely loved his first visit. One of the catches that made the holiday was the fish known as Friendly Mekong. I remember a huge fish — the kind that makes you appreciate just how big a catfish can be when you are beside it in the water.

For Tyler, this was the excitement he had been hoping for. He had come wanting to catch a Mekong, and here we were sharing a holiday with fish on a scale that still takes some getting used to. For me, taking him there and seeing how much he enjoyed it was a huge part of the pleasure.

Tyler, Vinny and a guide supporting an enormous catfish together in Palm Tree Lagoon.
Together in the lake with one of the holiday’s enormous catfish. Photo source.

Vinny identifies Friendly Mekong as one of the trip’s catches. The fishery’s report also names Friendly, but we have not confirmed an exact weight for that fish on this visit. The photographs above show catches from the holiday.

A whole holiday of catches

It was not just that one fish. We caught loads throughout the holiday, and Tyler loved the whole experience. Looking back through the photographs brings back the variety: big carp in the water, catfish beside the bank, catches together and the enormous fish that needed help from the guides for a photograph.

Palm Tree Lagoon’s own report describes our visit as so productive that it split the photographs across two reports. It names Friendly Mekong and The Warrior, records Big Fish Club shirts for both of us, and lists a mixture of carp and catfish among our catches. Read the fishery’s account.

I had already made some unforgettable memories here. Getting to share Palm Tree Lagoon with Tyler added another chapter. His earlier fishing trips had helped him learn; this holiday gave him the chance to put that experience to use and enjoy the fish he had been dreaming about.

Tyler’s first-visit photo album

More catches and moments from our father-and-son holiday. Select a photograph for the larger copy.

Tyler in a blue fishing top supporting a large carp in the water at Palm Tree Lagoon.
Tyler with a large carp: another memorable catch from the holiday. Photo source.
Tyler smiling and kneeling with a long grey catfish beside Palm Tree Lagoon.
That smile says plenty about Tyler’s holiday. Photo source.
Tyler kneeling on a green mat holding a pale catfish with help from a guide.
A different catch, with a guide helping Tyler for the photograph. Photo source.
Vinny kneeling on a green mat with a red-tailed catfish beside the lake.
Dad gets a turn, too — Vinny with a red-tailed catfish. Photo source.
Vinny and Tyler each holding a catfish together beside Palm Tree Lagoon.
Two catches and a photograph together beside the lake. Photo source.
Tyler, Vinny and a guide in the lake supporting a huge catfish.
The scale of these fish is part of what made Tyler’s first visit so special. Photo source.
Vinny and Tyler smiling together while travelling on their fishing holiday.
Vinny and Tyler travelling together: a father-and-son fishing holiday. Photo source.
Vinny and Tyler giving thumbs-up in matching catfish club shirts beside the lake.
Matching club shirts, thumbs-up and a holiday to remember. Photo source.

What the venue says

The venue website places the lake in Ratchaburi and describes guided fishing for a mixture of regional and introduced fish. It lists Siamese carp, Mekong catfish, arapaima and Amazon redtail catfish among its fish. These are venue-reported stocks, not our independent inventory. Read the venue overview.

That mix is a useful introduction to Thailand’s commercial fisheries. A lake can hold both a native species and a fish whose natural range is on another continent. See our species library before treating every catch as a “Thai fish”.

Tackle, bait and a first session

The published rates describe packages combining predator and carp/Mekong rods, with tackle, guide support and an allowance of bait. The venue describes lum as rice bran, used in different mixtures. See the package details.

Our suggested first-day approach is to ask your guide to explain the purpose of each rod before casting: what species it is intended for, how the bait is presented, how to recognise a take and what to do next. Photograph the approved setup with permission, so you can understand it later.

Do not arrive with a fixed rig recipe from another lake. A guide’s approval of one setup belongs to that venue and that visit.

The fishery’s care rules

The published rules call for catch and release, guide-led handling and barbless or flattened-barb hooks. They prohibit lure fishing. The guide decides whether a fish can be photographed or weighed; large or fragile fish stay off the bank. Read the complete rules.

Arrange the camera and the people in the photograph before landing begins. Accept a release without a photograph when the guide decides that is best. Entry into water is a separate safety decision: never assume permission or safe conditions.

Prices, hours and getting there

The rates page displayed THB 5,500 per day for its standard one-to-two-day package when checked on 1 October 2026. It describes two predator rods and two carp/Mekong rods. Treat this as a published reference, not a confirmed quotation; ask for the package, bait allowance, extras and cancellation conditions in writing. Published rate source.

Contact the fishery directly with your dates, number of anglers and preferred fishing package. The official location page places it in Chedi Hak, Ratchaburi. Ask for its current map pin and arrange a return journey before travelling. A route estimate should start at your actual hotel, not simply “Bangkok”. If staying locally, ask which transfers are included and whether those arrangements still apply.

Families, food and accommodation

Tyler’s visit shows why we enjoy sharing big-fish holidays as a family. Our view is that preparation matters: tell the fishery about each angler’s experience and discuss the help younger anglers will need before booking. Catching a named fish such as Friendly is a memorable result, rather than something a booking can promise.

The venue advertises a lakeside restaurant serving Thai and Western dishes. Its accommodation page lists hotels in Ratchaburi and says it can help arrange rooms and transfers. Ask which hotels and transfers your booking covers, along with room arrangements for children and non-angling family members. Venue overview · Official accommodation information.

For access requirements, ask about the route from your vehicle to the swim, seating, toilets and assistance around the water. The published rules describe priority use of a platform for an angler with a disability; this does not establish step-free access throughout the venue. Read the venue’s arrangements.

Four visits. A growing family album.

Our four visits have brought different members of the family to the lake. The timeline links the stories already recorded, followed by photographs from across the family album.

June 2024 · Vinny and Finlay
Vinny caught the carp on 1 June 2024, during this first trip. His first-person account recalls the rain, a change of swim and the feeling he had before the bite.
27 March 2026 · Vinny and Tyler
Tyler’s first visit: Friendly Mekong and a holiday full of catches. Read Vinny’s account and see the album.
July 2026 · Vinny, Tyler, Sam and Daisy
Another visit, with more of the family joining the holiday.
September 2026 · Vinny and Finlay
Two days at the lake bring the family’s total to four visits.

Visit dates and travelling parties are from Vinny’s account. Tyler’s first-visit photographs appear in the March chapter above; the mixed family album below spans several visits.

Two anglers smiling and giving a thumbs-up beside the lake
Time together by the water.
Two anglers holding a red-tailed catfish together at night
A shared catch after dark.
Two anglers supporting a large scaled fish in the lake
Getting into the water for a catch photograph.
Two family members posing with a catfish beside the lake
More of the family joining the photo album.
A group supporting a very large catfish in the water at night
A catch photograph with everyone gathered around.
An angler kneeling behind a ray on a wet unhooking mat
Another shape and another story from the family archive.
A huge carp supported in shallow water at dusk, with an angler behind it
Vinny’s carp catch, 1 June 2024 — the fish Palm Tree Lagoon described as the “world’s biggest carp”. Read the story and watch the footage ↗
Another view of the large carp supported in the lake, showing its broad flank and tail
Another view of Big Girl, supplied by Vinny for the family album.
Four people in the lake supporting a large arapaima with red-edged scales at dusk
A large arapaima at Palm Tree Lagoon, from the family’s fishing album. Get to know arapaima ↗

Family-supplied photographs from several visits. Select a picture to see the larger copy. Individual photographer credits remain unconfirmed.

The world’s biggest carp: Vinny’s Big Girl story ↗

ANOTHER CHAPTER / VINNY & FINLAY

Two days at Palm Tree Lagoon

Not every visit was a full fishing holiday. Vinny and Finlay also spent two days at Palm Tree Lagoon in September 2026, bringing the family’s total to four visits.

This selection moves from a large scaled catch in the water to a striped fish, a golden fish beside the bank and a photograph taken after dark. Together they give this short visit its own place in the family album.

Two people supporting a large scaled fish in the lake beside a blue-framed net
One of the large scaled catches photographed during the short visit.
An angler in the lake holding a fish with dark stripes along its sides
A striped catch adds a different shape and pattern to the visit’s album.
An angler kneeling behind a green mat with a golden fish and the lake behind
A golden catch beside the lake, with the buildings on the opposite bank in view.
An angler and another person with a long fish above a blue-framed net at night
The album continues after dark, with another catch photographed at the water’s edge.

The wider daytime view also shows the buildings across the lake, while the night photograph brings us right back to the water’s edge. These photographs document the short visit; individual catch weights have not been supplied.

For the earlier visit with Finlay, read Vinny’s 1 June 2024 carp story. For a different part of the family’s fishing in Thailand, browse the Bungsamran photographs.

These four photographs come from the confirmed Palm Tree Lagoon folder in the family’s photo pack. Vinny dates this visit to September 2026; individual days and catch weights are not recorded.

Continue planning

Read about Siamese giant carp, learn how to ask about bait and rigs, or compare a different experience in the Jurassic Mountain guide.

Sources & checks

The Tyler first-visit chapter was added on 1 October 2026 from Vinny’s account and his Facebook post dated 27 March 2026. Palm Tree Lagoon files its matching report about Vincent Huermann and his son under April 2026. We retain the family’s 27 March visit date; the source’s month differs. Friendly’s exact catch weight remains unconfirmed. Named individual fish in the text follow the family and fishery accounts, rather than identification from photographs alone.

Practical information checked against the fishery’s website on 1 October 2026. Published pages may contain older information; confirm your booking details directly.

Family accounts and photographs were supplied by Vinny during September and October 2026. Caption dates follow those accounts where known. Individual photographer credits remain unconfirmed.