Relocating to Thailand from his native France in 1986, Jean-Francois Helias is widely credited for having firmly placed his adopted country on the world map as one of the premier freshwater fishing destinations, as well as helping to promote catch-and-release as the way forward.

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In the decade that followed, he and his wife Anongnart ‘Lek’ Sungwichien, founded Fishing Adventures Thailand, a guided fishing-tour agency serving sport anglers, both professional and amateur, worldwide. The agency team was forged from South East Asia’s most skilled professional guides and is headed by Thailand's number one master angler, Rujirot ‘Kik’ Phanpraphat.

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Helias, a former International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) Committee Representative for Thailand and freelance fishing writer, is well known in international sport fishing circles. His skill, angling knowledge and experience, as well as his world record catches mark him out as one of the most accomplished anglers and professional fishing guides around today.

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His name and articles have appeared in numerous international magazines and publications promoting Thailand as a remarkable sport fishing destination, as well as being featured on TV fishing series such as ESPN Outdoors’s channel ‘Get Wild with Cindy Garrison’ and National Geographic channel’s ‘Hooked, Monster Fish’. He also contributes research material and ‘first hand’ location data to scientists and museums around the globe.

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Jean-Francois Helias has a well-deserved string of International Game Fishing Association achievements. For seven years from 2005 to 2012, he featured in the IGFA Top 10 list which recognises the very best anglers and professional captains/guides around the world and the IGFA named him the world's top captain/guide for 2011. This followed two top awards achieved in 2007 and 2012 as the world's top freshwater male angler. His record speaks for itself, having gained no less than 274 IGFA World Records to date, both as guide and professional angler.

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The highlight of his fishing career being the prestigious IGFA Lifetime Achievement Trophy, awarded in 2008 for outstanding contributions to sport fishing.