Can you go sport fishing on Koh Phangan?

Yes. Charter boats operate from the pier at Chaloklum on the north coast, where the island's main fishing fleet is based. The open Gulf of Thailand north of the island holds good populations of sailfish, tuna, mackerel, barracuda and trevally depending on the season. Full-day and half-day charters are typically available; ask at the Chaloklum pier or arrange through a local tour operator in Thong Sala.

What fish can you catch around Koh Phangan?

The Gulf of Thailand around Koh Phangan holds a wide variety of species. Offshore catches include sailfish, yellowfin tuna, queenfish and various mackerel species. Inshore and reef fishing produces snapper, grouper, barracuda, giant trevally and wrasse. Night squid fishing — a traditional Thai method using lights to attract squid to the surface — delivers consistent catches on most trips. The season and tidal conditions affect what is running at any given time.

Where do fishing charters depart from on Koh Phangan?

Most fishing charters depart from Chaloklum on the north coast — the island's main fishing village and the base of its commercial longtail fleet. Some general tour operators in Thong Sala also offer or can arrange fishing trips. For night squid fishing, trips often depart from Thong Sala pier or from Chaloklum in the early evening.

What is night squid fishing and can visitors join a trip?

Night squid fishing is a traditional Thai technique in which bright lamps are hung over the side of a boat to attract squid to the surface, and hand-held jigs (lures) are used to bring them aboard. Trips usually run for several hours after dark and return with a fresh catch. Visitors can typically join through local tour operators; it is considered one of the most authentic and enjoyable evening activities on the island. No prior fishing experience is necessary.

Is there shore fishing on Koh Phangan?

Yes. The rocky headlands around the north coast — particularly near Haad Khom, Bottle Beach and the Chaloklum harbour wall — are productive spots for reef fish including snapper and grouper. The Thong Sala pier also attracts fish, especially in low-light hours. Basic fishing gear is available in Thong Sala. Shore fishing works best in the early morning and evening when fish are most active in the shallows.

Koh Phangan · Water Sports & Coast

Fishing on Koh Phangan

Longtail fishing boats moored at Chaloklum, Koh Phangan's north-coast fishing village

Koh Phangan sits at the edge of some of the most productive fishing grounds in the Gulf of Thailand, yet fishing is one of the least-crowded things to do on the island. While dive boats queue for Sail Rock and longtails shuttle tourists to Bottle Beach, the north coast's working fishing fleet goes quietly about its business from the harbour at Chaloklum — and that harbour is where visitors can connect with the same waters, the same fish and, on a good night, the same squid.

The island offers three distinct fishing experiences. Sport fishing charters take you offshore to target open-water species — tuna, sailfish and mackerel in the deeper Gulf north of the island. Night squid fishing is a traditional Thai method that runs after dark using bright lamps to attract squid to the surface; it is one of the most consistently memorable evenings on any Koh Phangan trip. And for those who prefer to stay on land, the rocky headlands and harbour walls of the north coast provide productive shore-fishing spots for reef fish with no boat required.

Chaloklum is the practical base for all of this. The island's largest fishing village, it has a working harbour, a fleet of longtail boats and a seafood scene built on what comes off those boats each morning. Even if you never wet a line, walking the pier at dawn when the catch comes in — and eating at one of the harbourside restaurants afterwards — is the most authentic hour you can spend on this island.

How to fish on Koh Phangan

Chaloklum · North coast · Open Gulf

Sport fishing offshore

The open Gulf of Thailand north of Koh Phangan holds some of the best sport fishing in the region. Charter boats depart from the pier at Chaloklum — the island's main fishing village on the north coast — and head out to deeper water where sailfish, yellowfin tuna, mackerel, barracuda and giant trevally are regular catches depending on the season. Fishing the same waters used by the island's commercial longtail fleet means local knowledge is genuinely deep here; the fishermen who grew up on this coast know where the fish are and what they're doing at every stage of the tide. Full-day charters cover the offshore grounds in detail; half-day trips suit visitors who want a few hours on the water without committing to a full day at sea.

Chaloklum area guide → Gulf of Thailand · Traditional Thai fishing · After dark

Night squid fishing

Night squid fishing is one of Thailand's most distinctive water experiences and Koh Phangan's waters deliver it well. The technique is simple: bright lights hung over the side of the boat attract squid to the surface, and hand-held lures — called jigs — bring them aboard. Trips typically depart in the early evening and run for several hours into the night; the catch is usually plentiful enough that most guests eat well on the way home. The experience is genuinely unlike anything else on the island — adrift in dark water with a lamp glowing over the side, miles from shore, pulling squid by hand. It is one of the most consistently memorable nights visitors report from a Koh Phangan trip. Look for operators at Thong Sala pier and at the Chaloklum fishing village.

Chaloklum guide → Chaloklum · North coast · Authentic Thai fishing culture

The fishing village of Chaloklum

Chaloklum is the largest fishing village on the island, and it is one of the most genuine places on Koh Phangan. Longtail fishing boats bob at anchor across the bay, squid dries on wooden racks in the afternoon sun, and the day is set by the morning catch rather than a tour-company schedule. Watching the boats come in before dawn, eating fresh grilled fish at a harbourside table, or simply walking the pier while the village goes about its work is a worthwhile trip in itself. From the same pier, boats head out daily to Sail Rock and Bottle Beach, and in the evening the squid-fishing fleet lights up the dark water to the north. The village is reached by a road that climbs through the jungle interior before dropping into the bay — the arrival feels earned.

Chaloklum Beach → Rocky headlands · Piers · Low tide · No boat needed

Shore & reef fishing

For casual fishing without chartering a boat, Koh Phangan's rocky headlands and piers provide natural platforms. The rocky points at either end of Bottle Beach, the headlands around Haad Khom and the exposed north-coast shoreline all hold reef fish — snappers, grouper and wrasse in the shallows around the coral. The Thong Sala pier and the Chaloklum harbour wall draw baitfish and the predators that follow them, particularly in the early morning and late evening. Basic rod-and-line gear is available from tackle shops in Thong Sala; bring your own if you have preferences. The west-coast shallows around Haad Yao and Haad Salad are less productive for fishing but make up for it in visibility — snorkelling the same reef gives you a sense of what lives below before you cast.

Best snorkelling spots →

Chaloklum base

Boat operators & north-coast bases

Tour and dive operators in Chaloklum — the fishing village closest to the best offshore grounds.

All boat trips →

Chaloklum

01 5.0

Chaloklum Diving

Chaloklum Diving is a PADI dive school and scuba operator in Chaloklum on the north coast of Koh Phangan.

330 reviews View→

Haad Salad

02 5.0

Nad Travel

Island tours and travel bookings on Koh Phangan.

42 reviews View→

Chaloklum

03 4.9

Sail Rock Divers

A PADI scuba diving center on Koh Phangan running guided dive trips and courses to Sail Rock (Hin Bai).

643 reviews View→