Stingrays are well known in saltwater. Almost everyone knows what they are. In fact, if any recent event made stingrays famous, it must be the death of Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) who died when a stingray he was playing with stung him in the heart!

The only freshwater stingrays I have seen are those in aquariums, colorful ones with colorful spots that looks beautiful in a small tank at home. Just how big do freshwater stingray grows?

Well, judging from some pictures sent to me from Thailand, freshwater stingrays grow as big as their saltwater counterpart. In thailand, besides the famed Mekong Catfish, stingrays exists in sufficiently large numbers in the rivers to make catching them a viable sport!

Our fishing guide in Thailand organizes regular fishing trips to these rivers to catch these freshwater giants. Here, you see one of his clients leaning into a big one with heavy tackle. Just like their saltwater brothers, they put up a backbreaking fight, not unlike lifting a boulder from the sea bed. The only major difference is that the river is not that deep and this allows the stingrays to run further and lifting them is not such a back breaking task.

Nevertheless, they are a physical challenge, not for the fainthearted, but if you are fit enough, definitely worth an experience at least once in your fishing life!

Here is a double capture of table size giants. The Thais are beginning to recognize these as sportfishes and are starting to release them rather than keep them for the dining table.

However, I understand that they do make good eating as well, as they are practically boneless (soft cartilage instead) and makes an awesome meal when barbecued with Thai herbs and spices.

However, I’d rather they be left alone and I hope the riverside villagers and commercial fishermen recognize that they can provide more food on the table by attracting paying anglers and tourist all over the world for a once-in-a lifetime chance to land one of these gentle giants!

Catching these giants involved drifting dead baits on the bottom of the river. From then on, it is a waiting game and the wait can last anything from a few minutes to hours. However, typically a bite should come within an hour and when it does come, it would be unmistakably “stingray” like!

Come visit Thailand, for some of the most awesome freshwater fishing the world has to offer! As Thailand is still very much a developing country, angling is still not a highly popular sport and as such, many of the angling spots and species are still quite well protected.

Enjoy the pictures!

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