Fishing Adventures Thailand

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL TV – FISHZILLA! (MARCH 2007)

Director: Elena Cruz / Michael Hoff Productions Inc.
Runtime: 50 minutes

During the last week of March, 2007 Jean-Francois led an expedition to the Srinakarin reservoir in western Thailand. The group included a National Geographic film production crew and Rick Pike, a recognized top snakehead angler and close personal friend. The purpose of the expedition was to determine if a snakehead species (Channa marulius) that has invaded Florida waters, may have originated in Thailand. This fish is locally known as the cobra snakehead and commonly called the Bullseye snakehead in North America.

The documentary also addresses the invasion of the Northern snakehead into the Potomac River system of North America. Both scientific mission and adventure documentary, the trip produced rare fin tissue from the cobra snakehead to be used by fisheries biologists for DNA analysis.

On the final morning of the expedition, snakehead expert Richard Pike landed a beautiful 9.2 kg giant snakehead. Rick's monstrous fish supplants the previous 50 lb. line class IGFA World Record of 7.4 kg.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL TV – HOOKED: MONSTER FISH! (MARCH 2006)

Director: Michael Hoff / Michael Hoff Productions Inc. Runtime: 50 minutes From the astonishing to the weird to the simply unfathomable, National Geographic Channel’s TV program “Hooked: Monster Fish!” brings viewers face-to-face with the enormous fish that roam our waters and showcases those who pursue these monster fish for food, sport, and scientific discovery. The National Geographic show, filmed in March 2006, features two of the world’s biggest freshwater fish species native to Thailand. They are the Mekong giant catfish or Pangasianodon gigas (max. weight: 300 kg) and the giant freshwater stingray or Himantura chaophraya (max. weight: 600 kg). Highlights of the documentary include Jean-Francois, his team, and UK angling client Mark Allen as they fight and land Mekong giant catfish. Also included is Jean-Francois fishing for the scarce giant freshwater stingray on the Bang Pakong River as he relates the story of the epic six hours battle he previously endured with a “barn door” sized stingray exceeding 200 pounds. View trailer!

Thailand Experience (February 2006)

Director: Peter Collingsworth Films
Runtime: 30 minutes

In February 2006, Angling Direct Holidays director Peter Collingworth and legendary Mahseer fishing guide Dave Plummer came from England to team up with Jean-Francois Helias to produce a commercial angling documentary about fishing in Thailand. The documentary takes the viewer for Mekong catfishing and Siamese giant carp fishing in central Thailand. The trip also included snakehead fishing on top water in the wild jungle of Kanchanaburi province.

During the filming, Jean-Francois broke the 4.10 kg IGFA All Tackle World Record for the Cobra snakehead with a catch of a 4.46 kg.

Czech National Television CT1 - S Jakubem Na Rybach (JANUARY 2006)

Director: Jakub Vagner / Studio W Publishing Company, s.r.o.
Runtime: 55 minutes

Jakub Vagner, one of the world’s best Wels catfishermen, is the most famous angler in the Czech Republic. He is a multi-talented angler involved in all aspects of the fishing business.

He has his own weekly angling program on national television and produces angling documentaries and movies from some of the most remote locations around the world.

In January 2006, Jean-Francois was engaged by Jakub to guide him and his crew to film a TV documentary and a feature film. For three week they recorded both freshwater fishing and bluewater fishing that brings the audience to various destinations including Koh Kut Island, in the Gulf of Siam near Cambodian waters.

The saltwater expedition produced two IGFA World Record catches, for Blue-Lined Rock Cod and Black-Blotched Porcupinefish.

ESPN OUTDOORS – GET WILD WITH CINDY GARRISON (JANUARY 2006)

Director: Mike Baker / Winnercomm - ESPN Runtime: 120 minutes Cindy Garrison is the star of her own show on the ESPN Outdoors television series called “Get Wild with Cindy Garrison”. Whether on the hunt for exotic fish species or in pursuit of elusive and dangerous game, the very attractive and sexy blonde bombshell is in search of the world's wildest adventures. The wilder, the better! In January 2006, Cindy traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, to meet and team up with Jean-Francois to film various angling adventures throughout the kingdom. The original intent was to shoot only one episode. However, their respective personalities clicked so well that a vast amount of great footage (19 hours) was collected by the film crew, allowing the production of two episodes. These fishing documentaries feature Cindy battling the tow-truck Mekong giant catfish, fishing in the wild jungles of Northern Thailand for the savage giant snakehead, and displaying for the very first time on screen, the rare and elusive Bangana behri.

Quest for the world’s biggest carp species in Thailand (September 2005)

Director: Ken Fujioka / Wood's Office - Television Osaka, Inc.
Films Runtime: 30 minutes

During September, 2005 a Japanese film production company shot a sport-fishing movie for distribution on Japan’s nationwide television network. Sponsored by Daiwa Corporation, this was a collaborative effort with Jean-Francois Helias’ Fishing Adventures Thailand and his team of professional guides.

This fishing documentary features the return of legendary carp angler Moteki Kaoru to Thailand. As Japan's carp species fishing master and author of books and articles about carp fishing, he resumed his quest for the rare and elusive Siamese Giant Carp (Catlocarpio siamensis). He also returned to pursue other species of Thai game fish with his old friend Jean-Francois.

Two days of angling were highlighted by Moteki's dream coming true with the catch of a Siamese Giant Carp exceeding 40 kilos. Additionally, numerous Mekong catfish were landed, including a hard-fighting specimen of 41 kilos. Capture and release of predator fish such as Pacu and Chao Phraya Giant Catfish rounded out the action filled trip. .

Fishing Adventures in Siam (April 2001)

Director: Eric Ellena & Antoine Loakira / French Connections Films Runtime: 152 minutes This April, 2001 movie was shot in collaboration with French Connection Films, the Tourist Authority of Thailand and Jean-Francois Helias of Fishing Adventures Thailand for the cable TV program Seasons Europe. It features Jean-Francois in action with a group of six skillful international anglers. The group included Japanese journalist Hugo Kashiwagi and Northern Snakehead specialist Shigeharu Inouchi, Belgium writers Ronnie de Groote and Luc Coppens as well as French globetrotters Gerard Cittadini and Gerard Chen Shang. Their targets were various species of snakehead and jungle perch. The quarry is found in the remote reaches of Khao Laem reservoir situated near the Thai border with Burma. Top-water techniques were employed in this documentary about jungle fishing.

Fishing in Thailand (December 2000)

Director: Andreas Wagenhofer / Janus Film Germany
Runtime: 152 minutes

This December, 2000, movie was shot for the cable TV program Seasons Europe in collaboration with Janus Film Germany’s director Andreas Wagenhofer and Fishing Adventures Thailand. It was initiated at the suggestion of leading European angling photographer Olivier Portrat.

The group included leading European fishing experts and writers Arnout Terlouw (Holland), Ronnie de Groote (Belgium), Dr. Jens Bursell (Denmark), Olivier Portrat (Germany).

The filming encompassed one week’s fishing at lake Bung Sam Lan primarily for Mekong Giant Catfish, Siamese Giant Carp and Arapaima. Continuous action, both day and night demonstrated the uniqueness of this special place in the world. The action was highlighted by the catch of an estimated 245 pound Arapaima caught by Arnout Terlouw.