Phuket is a popular resort town at the southern end of Phuket Island, which lies off the western coast of the Malay Peninsula. According to Asia Web Direct (See Reference 1), the deep, clear waters off the coast of Phuket--in the Andaman Sea--provide excellent fishing year round. The classic fighting fish, like black marlin and sailfish, are some of the area's most sought after species. June through August, monsoon season, is the best time to catch these giants, which travel right past Phuket along their migratory routes. Other species of game-fish that fishermen commonly pull up near Phuket include yellow-fin tuna, skipjack tuna, dorado, wahoo and barracuda. It is also possible to arrange a charter for shark fishing, which will allow you to potentially do battle with species like bull, hammerhead, tiger and mako sharks.
The Andaman Islands lie 405 miles northwest of Phuket Island in the Bay of Bengal. There are 329 islands, all of which belong to India, that comprise the archipelago. According to Fishing-Khaolak (See Reference 3), fishing is excellent both in and around the islands, as well as further out in deeper waters. Inshore, you will likely encounter species such as black marlin, blue fin trevally, giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, coral trout and mangrove jacks. Further out to sea, fishermen commonly go after blue marlin, sailfish, broadbill swordfish, yellow-fin tuna, grouper, wahoo and narrow--barred Spanish mackerel. As in Phuket, you can also charter a guide in the Andaman Islands to take you fishing for large sharks.
The jungle-covered island of Borneo in the South China Sea provides a plethora of fish species that you can catch using a variety of methods. According to Borneo Angling (See Reference 2), bottom-fishing and jigging, wherein you bounce a lure on and off the seafloor, are two of the most popular methods for catching dogtooth tuna, giant grouper, oil fish and ruby snappers, while trolling, wherein you drag a line-and-lure behind a slow-moving boat, is the best method for hooking wahoo, marlin and yellow fin tuna. If you don't want to go out on the ocean in a boat, you can also fish from Borneo's shores. The most popular inshore catches include shovelnose rays and stingrays.
