Koh Samui, Thailand
Forty-plus species, some of them enormous
Every species in the lake, in one page — from the Arapaima that made TopCats famous down to the carp you will catch between the big runs.
22 yrs
Lake existance
4000+
Fish stocked
40+
Species in the lake
14 species
The record to beat
The Full Line-Up
Signature fish first, everything else by category
Forty-plus species live in the lake. The signature catches sit below — everything else is grouped by category so this page never turns into an endless scroll.
Arapaima
Lake record 420lb
Alligator Gar
Lake record 350lb
Ripsaw Catfish
Lake record 160lb
Golden Carp
Lake record 140lb
Asian Redtail
Lake record 420lb
Alligator Gar
Lake record 350lb
Ripsaw Catfish
Lake record 160lb
Golden Carp
Lake record 140lb
Other catfish
Wallago Attu (to around 30lb) and the larger Wallago Leeri (up to 100lb) are both ambush predators that can swim and fight backwards — like the lake’s Wels Catfish, a recent addition still young but already putting up a serious fight.
The Salween Rita Catfish, native to Myanmar’s Salween River, has plenty of numbers in the lake but a reputation for being hard to tempt — TopCats is currently raising ten juveniles for future stocking.
The Chao Phraya Catfish holds its own lake record at 130lb, caught by Graeme “Tayo” Taylor, with several more between 60lb and 100lb landed regularly.
Keep an eye out for Casper — a rare platinum Amazon Redtail Catfish weighing around 40-45lb, named by customer vote in 2021.
Other carp
Black Shark Minnow (Labeo chrysophekadion) is a true member of the carp family despite the name — native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya river systems. Wild fish rarely top 15lb; TopCats has specimens approaching 20lb, caught on boilies, corn and small pop-ups.
Other species
Giant Featherback and Clown Featherback — both knifefish with a lineage barely changed in millions of years — are two of the hardest bites in the lake to convert. Cautious and intelligent, they inspect bait before striking.
Tambaqui, a South American relative of the pacu, includes one rare Tiger Tambaqui among 30 fish stocked at 3-4kg in late 2023.
Pacu itself is the fastest take on the lake despite being a mostly plant-eating fish — an albino Pacu joined the stock in May 2025.
Familiar Faces
A few names you’ll likely hear at the lake
Forty-plus species is only half the story – a handful of individual fish have their own reputations at Topcats.
The Hulk
Stocked in 2018 at 440lb, TopCats’ biggest-ever Mekong Catfish went uncaught for five years until Riccardo Graziotti finally landed him in 2023 after a 90-minute fight from Predator Corner.
Tyson
Not one fish but three — a trio of Mekong Catfish all missing a dorsal fin, all sharing the name. The middle one, around 70lb, is the cult favourite: finicky, and sometimes caught three times in a day.
Harry
The Amazon Redtail Catfish holding the lake record at 140lb, most often caught around the Hideaway and Arapaima swims.
Casper
A rare platinum Amazon Redtail Catfish, around 40-45lb, named by customer vote in 2021 for his ghostly good looks.
I had the most amazing day at TopCats. Bucket list ticked.
Ross van de Walt · Day Fishing