Rules for Palm Tree Lagoon Fishing Park

General Considerations:

Palm Tree Lagoon Fishing Park is a strictly catch and release fishery. The prime concern is that if you take care of the fish then you give the opportunity to others to catch specimen fish in pristine condition.

Draw for swims will be done prior to fishing at around 07:45am on the day. If there is a disabled angler present he will get the platform (swim 3) as priority if he so chooses.

Everyone who fishes here will have a fishery guide at hand to assist them particularly in the netting of and handling of the fish. Please listen to them and take note of what they say as their decision on rigs and fish care is final.

Before commencing to fish we will check your drag setting on your reels; please do not attempt to back-wind the fish as they make very incredibly powerful fast runs. Once the fish is ready to be netted the guide will net the fish for you.

No big fish or fragile fish (this is determined by the guides) are allowed to be taken onto the bank. If you want to be photographed with your fish you will have to get into the water. Keep the fish as low to the water as possible and keep your hands away from the fishes gills and mouth, and stomachs in the case of South American catfish species ie Amazon Redtails, Tiger Shovelnose etc..... Please remove all watches, rings, necklaces etc... before handling the fish.Smaller fish can be photographed on the large unhooking mats in each swim providing the guide indicates it is okay to do so.

We only weigh fish here if they are a potential record. We decide if we thing a fish is potentially a record and if it is safe to weigh the fish, and our decision is final. Please note we do NOT weigh arapaima. All fish will be returned as soon as possible. If the fish is showing signs of stress it will be returned immediately without a photo to ensure the fish's well-being.

Tackle of anglers using their own equipment will be checked for suitability prior to fishing.

Only bait supplied by us is to be used. We may allow some brought in baits like boilies to be used but make sure you check with the guides first before using them.

As a courtesy to other anglers we will wind in your rods if another angler is playing a large fish that is going to go through your swim and potentially tangle up around your lines. This has a two fold purpose, firstly and most importantly for the well being of the fish, and secondly as I am sure if it was you you wouldn't want to loose a potential dream catch of a lifetime because it got tangled around another anglers tackle.

 RULES OF THE FISHERY:  

0. Palm Tree Lagoon fishing park is open for fishing between 08:00 am and 08:00 pm
0. Only bait supplied by by Palm Tree Lagoon fishing park is to be used, unless you guide gives you permission to do so. Generally we allow commercially sold baits by recognised brand names, NO home made baits are allowed.
0. No artificial bait is allowed.
0. No treble hooks, multi-hook rigs, stainless steel hooks, heavy gauge hooks, or circle hooks are to be used.
0. No back leads, rig tube, snap fasteners, or leads/feeders weighing more than 1.5oz/40grams.
0. All leads/feeders must be inline, and prevented from running using a line stop, and swivels must not be wire wound.
0. No lure fishing is allowed.
0. All hooks must be barbless or have their barbs flattened. We will be checking.
0. Predator rig hooks must not be larger than 5/0(19) or smaller than a 1/0(15) to minimise damage to the fish.
0. Carp rig hooks must not be larger than 1/0 (15) or smaller than a 1 (13) to minimise damage to the fish.
0. No wire traces are to be used, when fishing for predatory species all hook-links must be made from a suitably strength nylon 12" - 18" in length (30-45cm) and not from braided line.
0. All static rods must be used with bite indicators or floats.
0. Carp / Predator / Mekong rods need to be sufficiently strong to handle larde fish, 40-80lb class, 4.5-6.0lb test curve, NO boat rods. Minimum rod length 7' 6" to a max of 9' 6".
0. No sliding leads are to be used as these can cause the line to twist around them and break on the strike.
0. NO free lining bait for predators, and all slack line wound in, and the fish not to be allowed to run any distance with the bait prior to striking, to try and avoid deep hooking, and no double striking.
0. Float fish bait must not be fished more than a metre over depth to try and avoid deep hooking.
0. Carp fishing hook links must not be more than 200 mm between the hook and feeder, to try and prevent deep hooking, and must be made from 50-80lb strength  braid and not from nylon line.
0. You are welcome to use your own tackle but it must be suitably and spooled up with a minimum of 65lb braid for carp species and 80lb braid for predators, we do not allow nylon line.
0. Fly fishing is not allowed.
0. Do not play the fish too hard or too soft. We will be checking drag settings to avoid this. Do not strike fish too hard or more than once; a single firm strike is enough to set the hook.
0. No swimming or wading - only enter the water for the purpose of being photographed with your catch.
0. No litter to be left at any time including cigarette ends. Use the litter bins provided
0. Do not use the boats under any circumstances.
0. No retaining of fish of any size or species will be tolerated. Palm Tree Lagoon is strictly a catch and release fishery.
0. No fires including barbecues.
0. Do not leave rods unattended at any time, also additional rods must be reeled in when playing a fish, or when another angler has a big fish on that it likely to pass through your swim.