Hunting 'sea monsters' at Khe La Dam

In Nghe An, after two days of fishing at Khe La dam without success, Le Khanh Hoa said, "Let's finish this last battle and then go home," when it started raining and strange phenomena appeared on the water's surface.

In September 2020, a group of anglers from Con Cuong district caught two black carp weighing 35-36 kg each at Khe La dam, Phu Son commune, Tan Ky district. Angler Le Khanh Hoa, 29 years old, residing in Nghia Hong commune, Nghia Dan district, later also came to the dam to "try his luck".

Having started fishing at the age of 10 and turning professional in early 2020, Hoa said that he hadn't researched black carp before, only later learning that it's considered a "sea monster" by many countries due to its enormous size. He wants to conquer a black carp weighing around 40 kg to set a new milestone for his profession.

A section of the Khe La dam, home to many species of "aquatic monsters". Photo: Duc Hung

On his first trip to Khe La to fish for 10 days, Hoa returned with two broken fishing rods and dozens of broken hooks. Every summer and winter, he returns to Khe La dozens of times to hunt for black carp.

Hoa shared that fishing is like fighting a battle; you see the fish swimming a few meters in front of you, breathing and thrashing its tail. But there are many houses and trees at the bottom of the dam, making it very difficult to catch the fish once they get caught in the trap. Every time he reeled in the line, he encountered problems; large black carp would bite the hook and get entangled in houses and trees, causing the line to break.

Due to work commitments, Hoa and three friends only returned to Khe La in June 2023 to pursue their unfinished goal. This time, the weather was sunny, and Hoa thought, "There's a 99% chance of failure," telling himself to just fish for fun and then go home, without feeling pressured to catch the "sea monster." He used a float fishing method, disposing of small snails mixed with bait to attract fish, then attaching large snails to two hooks connected by fishing line to carbon fiber rods.

After two days, Khe Là, which had been stiflingly hot, suddenly became pleasantly cool. Having waited a long time without seeing any fish bite, Hoa told his colleague, Duong Quang Hao, 40, "Let's finish this last round of bottom fishing and then go home." The two switched to bottom fishing, casting their bait at a specific point in the dam, placing three or four hooks below, connected to a float above. Having set up their "battlefield," they took turns sitting and observing any movement underwater.

Hoa dived to collect bricks, tiles, and sticks from the bottom of the dam to ensure a smooth "big battle." Photo: Le Hoa

After the afternoon rain, the fish kept surfacing to breathe, and Hoa guessed, "Tonight is a good time to catch some big fish." The time after the rain is ideal for fishing because fish tend to hunt in schools, including larger ones. Hoa's group dived down to the dam at a depth of 6-7 meters to retrieve some of their fishing rods, just in case they encountered a large fish.

In the early evening, the surface of the pond rippled, causing the net to shake violently. Hoa immediately pulled hard, and fellow angler Hao assisted by holding the fishing line and reeling in the catch. After 3 minutes, they were overjoyed to have caught a 29 kg black carp. But Hoa told the group, "That's not the biggest catch yet. The weather is favorable today, so let's persevere and keep setting traps; who knows, we might encounter something miraculous."

An hour later, Hoa was sitting on the shore when he heard a violent splashing sound in the water. Angler Hao, who was manning his rod, shouted, "Hoa, the fish's here! Help me, I can't hold on any longer!" Hoa jumped into the water, grabbed his fishing rod, and at that moment the fish was pulling the line straight out into the distance. He immediately shut off the reel to prevent the fish from pulling the line any further.

Nearly 3 years of 'hunting' for a 40 kg black carp.

A 40 kg black carp was caught on a hook at Khe La dam in June 2023. Video : Hung Le

Hoa explained that he locked the reel to go "solo" with the fish. This move was considered risky, with a high chance of losing the fish. Many things could happen: the line could break, the fish's flesh could be torn, the hook could snap, and in the worst case, the rod and reel could break, resulting in losses of tens of millions of dong. But with such a huge fish, Hoa chose the all-or-nothing option because the bottom was a "trap," leaving no other choice.

"My hands and feet were trembling as I held the fishing rod," Hoa recounted. He clenched his lips, gripped the rod tightly, pulled in the fish forcefully, and slowly made his way to shore.

Hooked at a depth of about 6 meters, the fish thrashed violently, struggling with the angler. The fishing line, over 30 meters long, was taut like a guitar string. After 3 minutes, pulled to the surface of the dam, 2 meters from the shore, the fish thrashed about, creating a white foam covering an area with a radius of more than 6 meters.

Sensing the fish was exhausted from struggling, one member used a large net to catch it. "It took 5 minutes to subdue the fish because it was so strong. If it had lasted a few more minutes, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold out. The whole group cheered, our emotions overflowing with joy," Hoa recounted.

Hoa and his team caught a 40 kg black carp at Khe La. Photo: Le Hoa

A 40 kg black carp, recorded by local authorities as the largest ever caught at Khe La dam, is a species known as Mylopharyngodon piceus. Black carp, scientifically named Mylopharyngodon piceus , belong to the carp family and can grow up to 1.5 meters long and weigh over 60 kg. They feed on snails and mollusks in rivers, ponds, and lakes. Black carp are typically three times more expensive than white carp, with large specimens costing around 150,000 VND/kg.

Le Khanh Hoa shared that it took him 2 years and 9 months from the time he set his goal of catching a giant fish until he completed it. He sold the 40 kg black carp to a customer in Ho Chi Minh City for 50 million VND, using the money to buy rice, instant noodles, etc., for charity work in Dak Nong. As for the 29 kg fish, he brought it back, butchered it, and shared some with everyone to enjoy this rare delicacy of Khe La.

Next article: Unemployed young man's life transformed thanks to fishing.

Duc Hung

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