Crazy Fisherman

For Sale

2009-09-04T12:58:00.003+08:00

Been a long long time since I updated this blog. As you can see from the title, I have a few items for sale.

Reels.

Daiwa Caldia Kix 4000 + Original RCS Knob + YGK braided line. Read more about the reel here. (Caldia Kix)
Daiwa Opus Bull OPB 5500 + braided line. Read more here. (Opus Bull)
Tica Team ST 568 G Big Game Fishing Reel + Braided line. Read more on the reel here. (Tica Reel)
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6600 D5 + mono line. Read more about the reel here. (Abu Garcia)

Rods

Custom Built Tightlines Sportfishing Rod. Details can be read here. (Custom Rod)
SureCatch “Prokat”
Model : PKS 3903
Action : Medium Heavy Action
Lure Weight : 55 – 140 g
Line Weight : 10 – 15 kg
Length : 13’ (3 pieces)
Daiwa “Power Mesh Samurai Surf”
Model : PS 1002 MHS-S
Action : Medium Heavy Action
Lure Weight : 2 – 6 oz
Line Weight : 17 – 40 lb
Length : 10’ (2 pieces)
Fenwick “Fenjig”
Model : FJ 70H – 2 A
Lure Weight : ¾ - 3 oz
Line Weight : 5 – 15 lb
Length : 6’6” (2 pieces)

Feel free to drop me an e-mail at sharma.pillai@gmail.com or sharma_8379@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of the products.

Who says Pulau Angsa has no good quality fish?

2009-03-21T11:00:00.001+08:00

Catch report provided by Navin.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 07-MAR-2009
Sea Condition: Air Mati/Air Bani
Location: Around Pulau Angsa, Selangor (2-3 secret spots)
Boatman: K’ (has over 20 years experience fishing in the local waters)
Time: 0900 hrs – 1730 hrs
Bait: Live Octopus
Method: Bottom Fishing
Fishos: George and Navin

Left KL at 7:30am, stopped at Batang Berjuntai to bungkus lunch. Another stop at Sg.Buloh market for some prawns (insurance) just in case, (as this is the first fishing trip with boatman K’). Arrived the jetty at 8:45am, parked the car, unloaded the gear, got some ice and departed without any delay.

I have been fishing Pulau Angsa waters since early 2000 and after some 12-15 trips there, the only noteworthy catch for me was a 8kg Pari (which was witnessed by Krazie Fishie). Other than that it is the usual gelama and tiga gigi. Pulau Angsa at one point was a good area for sizeable ikan bolos and Grade A fish such as the likes of Jenahak, Senangin, Tenggiri and others. However as many boatman would have it, those days are gone and over.

Both George and I was initially skeptical with this boatman nicknamed Mr.K’ who claimed that he only targets jenahak and Pari and he has never brought his customers home empty handed. Also the price of RM8 per octopus got us thinking if we were falling into yet one of those talk only no catch fishing trip.

However after experiencing this wonderful day out fishing I take back all my doubts and queries and salute this boatman called K’. He is not only professional but also honest and very generous with sharing information and tips. How many boatman’s such as this do you come across these days? I knew of one boatman who would just take us out about 30 minutes journey into the waters of Pulau Angsa, drop anchor and fades of to dreamland. He gets irritated when asked to change spots. Well this boatman was unlike that and I am so convinced with his experience and knowledge as it has been proven, that I am intending to make a trip a month to the waters of Pulau Angsa. It is not only close to KL (approx. 1 hour drive) but also protected from rough waters, strong winds and other elements of a perfect storm which I had recently encountered during my recent trip to OFB in Nov 2008.

Catch Update:
9:45 – 11:15am – Total 4 Jenahak’s and 1 Sembilang
3:45 – 5:15pm – Total 10 Jenahak

The above was the peak when the strikes came without having to wait long intervals. We also had live prawns rigged up on one rod for the passing pari. Pari’s here range from a minimum of 5kgs to 30kgs. This trip we did not hook-up any. According to the boatman other than Jenahak and Pari, there are some other lubuks within close proximity that could yield Ikan Merah and bigger Jenahaks. We intend to try these places the next time around and also venture for some tiga gigi for perhaps 1-2 hours when the jenahak’s are not around.

Total Catch by individual:
George (2 rods for jenahak, 1 rod other species)
1) Jenahak 1.3kgs
2) Jenahak 1.0kgs
3) Jenahak 1.0kgs
4) Jenahak 0.5kgs
Total: 3.8kgs

Boatman (2 rods for jenahak)
1) Jenahak 1.7kgs
2) Jenahak 1.4kgs
3) Jenahak 1.3kgs
4) Jenahak 1.3kgs
Total: 5.7kgs

Navin (2 rods for jenahak, 1 rod for other species)
1) Jenahak 2.0kgs
2) Jenahak 1.7kgs
3) Jenahak 1.4kgs
4) Jenahak 1.3kgs
5) Jenahak 0.5kgs
6) Jenahak 0.4kgs
7) Sembilang 0.6kgs
Total: 7.9kgs

Total Catch by three of us:
14 Jenahak @ 16.8kgs and 1 Sembilang @0.6kgs

I must say this is indeed one of my best trips thus far in terms of quality and quantity of grade A catch. Krazie Fishie – please do post this article together with the photos to your blog soon.

Many thanks,

Fish4Big!

Project 365

2009-01-01T01:57:00.003+08:00

Greeting fello fishoholics.... Firstly Happy New Year to all.

Some of you might be wondering, what is project 365, and what does that have to do with fishing. Well, for a start, it has NOTHING to do with fishing whatsoever. This is just a little project that I am planning to complete in the year 2009.

Project 365 is actually a photography project of mine. Basically, I will TRY to take one photo per day and post it up on my blog. I have created (yet another) blog, specifically for this purpose. Check out the link below.

Project 365 - A Photo A Day

In the mean time, I will TRY to squeeze in some fishing in between. No promises though.

Public Service Announcement

2008-11-14T10:43:00.003+08:00

To all visitors of Crazyfisherman,

I would like to apologize for the lack of update in this blog. I can see from the site tracker that there is a steady stream of visitors daily. I am very sorry to disappoint all of you who come visiting hoping or an update. Workload is quite heavy here and I just can't seem to find the time to go fishing. Plus, all my fishing gears are still back in KL.

From the looks of it, I might only start fishing again next year. I will try to find some material to post in my blog in the near future.

:::... Hopefully I don't end up like this ...:::

Anyway, I will try to post some updates every now and then, any if any of you out there wants to share your catch report or anything on fishing on my blog, you are free to do so. Just drop me an e-mail (send to my yahoo mail if possible, address can be found on the sidebar) with a brief report and some pictures. I will then post it up here with proper reference to the contributor.

Until next time, Krazie Fishie signing off......

p.s. Please visit my other blogs.

Updates from Sabah

2008-09-07T23:50:00.002+08:00

I have been receiving lots of e-mails, text messages and also instant messages for the past one month or so. Glad to know that there are many loyal readers to my humble blog. The reason for the decline in posting has been explained in previous posting. I think I owe it all to you to at least give a short update on what has been happening with me.

As some of you are aware, I got engaged last month, 23 August 2008 to be exact. Here is a picture taken right after we were engaged.

:::... Me with my fiancee ...:::

With regards to fishing, I find it highly unlikely that I would be doing anymore fishing this year. I am still getting used to the work routine here in Sabah and most of my stuffs (fishing tackle included) is still back in KL.

Anyway, I will try to post some updates every now and then, any if any of you out there wants to share your catch report or anything on fishing on my blog, you are free to do so. Just drop me an e-mail (send to my yahoo mail if possible, address can be found on the sidebar) with a brief report and some pictures. I will then post it up here with proper reference to the contributor.

Until next time, Krazie Fishie signing off......

Relocating back to Sabah

2008-07-21T14:30:00.000+08:00

I have tendered my resignation fro my present company here in KL. I have taken up a job offer back in my hometown in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. With that in mind, I would be relocating permanently (I hope) to Kota Kinabalu.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite any anglers based in Kota Kinabalu to drop me a line. My contact details can be found on the left sidebar of this blog.

My new job would require me to travel extensively thorough out the state of Sabah. I will bee mainly based in Kota Kinabalu but I would be traveling quite often. I am still not sure how my work in Sabah would be like, I will be leaving my fishing equipments in KL for the time being. I will be coming to KL off and on so during one of my trips back to KL I will bring down my fishing equipments.

Seeing that I would be joining a new company, I doubt there I would be doing much fishing till the end of the year. Maybe I would do some freshwater fishing once I get my tackle down to Sabah, but sea fishing is a big doubt.

I am also planning to consolidate my photography blog and my fishing blog in a new domain. This would take some time but hopefully it can be done by the end of this year. The reason for consolidation is because both my hobbies are somewhat related to each other. By having them in one domain, it would be easier to make constant updates and also makes it possible for me to blog about other subjects.

Krazie Fishie Goes On A Sabbatical

2008-06-25T12:31:00.003+08:00

Good day to all my fellow anglers and visitors to my humble blog. I am sure some of you might notice that I have not gone for many trips in the last few months. Some of my regular fishing kakis know the reason behind the lack of fishing on my side.

The reason for this drastic drop in fishing activity is because I will be getting engaged on 23 August 2008. So, as a preparation for the engagement, I had to cut down on my fishing. Nevertheless, I will be back full swing (hopefully) after my engagement is done. I already have a few trips lined up and will blog about them once the trips are confirmed.

In the mean time, please do visit my blog every now and then as I would be posting some other fishing related stories to keep all of you entertained while I am away.

I would also like to invite any anglers out there who would like to have their fishing report published on my blog to drop me an email. Please send your catch report with photos to my e-mail. My e-mail address can be found on the side bar.

I also have another blog on my photography exploits. Please spend some time to visit my photography blog.

Speaking about photography, lately I found some of my fishing pictures were published elsewhere. Usually in public forums. I do not mind sharing the pictures to others, but PLEASE drop me an e-mail before using them. And also PLEASE acknowledge and link back the photos to my blog. At the moment, I do not put any watermark on my fishing photos, but I matters get out of hand, I will have to post less photos on my blogs and heavily watermark the photos.

Karang Luas Catch Report : 7 - 8 June 2008

2008-06-09T18:15:00.000+08:00

After the failure of our first trip to Pekan, Tang took the initiative to organize another trip to Pekan. This time, we would be using a different boatman and we would be spending one night at sea. The location this time would be at Karang Luas.

Initially there 8 participants for this trip, but due to unforeseen circumstances, CK had to pull out. In the end, only 7 of us went for this trip.

:::... (L-R : Alex, Mahadzir, Jimmy, Steven, Pak Baha the Boatman (seated), Boatman's assistant, Neoh and Tang ...:::

We departed from KL on Friday night at about 9.30 pm. We arrived at Pekan at about 1.00 am in the morning. We met up with Pak Baha at a stall and ordered some drinks. We had a short chat with him and asked about the kind of fishing that we would be expecting in the next 2 days to come. After chatting with him for some time, we decided to adjourn to the boat. We would be spending the night on the boat before heading out in the morning.

The next day, we all woke up early in anticipation of a great fishing day ahead. After a quick shower and breakfast at the stalls nearby, we proceeded to load out tackle from the car onto the boat.

:::... The Boat ...:::

:::... Back Portion ...:::

:::... Walk way ...:::

:::... Front portion ...:::

:::... Air Conditioner ...:::

:::... Kitchen area ...:::

:::... Sleeping quarters ...:::

Once we have loaded our tackle onto the boat, we wasted no time to rig our rods and reels. All of us were hyped up and ready to start fishing.

:::... Me getting ready my tackle ...:::

:::... Mahadzir getting ready ...:::

:::... Alex, Jimmy and Steven ...:::

About 30 minutes into the trip, the boat developed some problem. We had to slow down to a crawl and it was clear that the boat had developed some mechanical problem. According to the boatman, the belt for the water pump had snapped and he had to replace the belting. He had some spare parts with him, but unfortunately, the belt was too big. We had no choice but to turn around and head back to shore to get the necessary spare parts for the boat. This wasted precious fishing time. But on the bright side, at least we didn't develop any engine problem when we are out on the open sea. That would have been really dangerous.

Once the boat was fixed, we were on our way towards the first unjam (FAD) to get some live bait. This would be used later to do drifting for spanish mackerel (tengirri). Before I forget, for this trip we had 2 sponsors. On of them was from Pure Fishing Malaysia. Phil who works for Pure Fishing Malaysia had generously gave a few packets of Berkeley Soft Plastic products to try on on this trip. Thank you Phil for your generosity. The other sponsor was the Kerajaan Barisan Nasional. To those who are not aware, Malaysia had their General Election last March. I will leave it to all of you out there to come up with your own conclusion on this sponsor that we received by the Barisan National. Please refer to the picture below on the sponsor by the Barisan National.

:::... Unjam ...:::

:::... Proudly sponsored by Pure Fishing Malaysia ...:::

:::... Thank you to Phil from Pure Fishing Malaysia for your generosity ...:::

:::... Courtesy of Barisan National ...:::

:::... Up to you to interpret the rational behind this ...:::

Once we had collected enough livebait from the unjam, we proceeded to Karang Luas to do some jigging. We were all jigging but no hits were registered. Mahadzir was casting and managed to get a bite, but as he was setting the hook, his main line gave way, he lost the fish and his lure as well. We jigged for more than an hour, but experienced no bite. The boatman then suggested that we head to one unjam to try for squids. We all unanimously agreed to it.

As we were headed towards the unjam, Jimmy had his lure in the water. He was doing some trolling. Suddenly there was excitement. His line started to peel out. He thought his lure was stuck to something. He shouted to the boatman to stop. As he was reeling in his line, he felt a tug. He had fish on his line...!!! What an unexpected surprise. After a brief fight, a 13 kg barracuda was safely landed.

:::... Jimmy in deep concentration ...:::

:::... Easy does it ...:::

:::... I can see you now ...:::

:::... Jimmy started the fight ...:::

:::... Tang finished the fight ...:::

:::... The open treble hook as a result of the fight ...:::

Once we arrive at the unjam, Jimmy and Steven wasted no time and immediately dropped their squid rig. Almost intantly, they were rewarded with a sizeable squid. We all wasted no time and dropped our squid jigs a well. We had a great time hauling up one squid after another.

:::... Jimmy with his squid ...:::

:::... Steven with his squid ...:::

:::... Me with my squid ...:::

:::... Our total squid catch ...:::

That night, the winds started to pick up. The sea condition was getting rougher and waves were getting high. The winds started to get stronger at about 11.00 pm. We had difficulties in standing. Even when were were seated, we would be rolling all over the place. I decided to take a rest in the cabin.

It was during this time that Jimmy hit his jackpot. He managed to hook on to a leopard ray. I was not around when he landed the fish. Luckily Steven had his camera as well. The ray is estimated to be about 25 kg. Must be Jimmy's lucky day.

:::... Jimmy with his 25kg leopard ray ...:::

The next day, we woke up to high waves and rocking boat. We tried out best to fish but the sea condition was very bad. We did try to head to the nearest unjam, hoping to do some fishing, but the boat was unable to anchor properly. The waves were just to high.

At about 12.00 noon, we all decided to head back to land as the conditions are not conducive for fishing. Better to be safe than sorry.

We arrived back on shore at about 3.30 pm. Once we had unloaded our stuff from the boat, we divided our catch equally among us.

:::... Tang dividing the catches equally ...:::

Although we went to this with high hopes, I would say that result was bad. Although we didn't get any fish on jig or any spanish mackerel, we were lucky to be able to get squids that night. I personally feel that the squid saved the day for us. It was a great bunch of people to fish with and I am looking forward for the next trip with them.

Pulau 9 - Revisit - 17th &18th May 08

2008-05-26T09:30:00.000+08:00

This report is written by CK from MFN. For more details, please got to the link below.

Pulau 9 - Revisit - 17th &18th May 08

Thank you CK for allowing me to post your report here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The past 17th and 18th of May mark some very important dates for me (No, it got nothing to do with pre-planning for Wesak celebration). I have been constantly checking my electronic calendars (both laptop outlook and on my PDA – when I’m away from my PC) counting down to the much anticipated trip planned.

The desire to ‘catch something’ has been driven more so by the recent P.Jarak trip which was a ZERO TAKE HOME trip, not by choice.

My wishes for this trip (of which I think, have been fulfilled): -
- Catch my first ever fish on jig
- Pop the cherry of my new jigging set.
- Getting myself jigging-fit for the upcoming Karang Luas trip.

While browsing through the forum admiring some of the successful trips, I quickly notice a topic: Pulau 9 1st Mei 2008. A very well written article which what I would categorize as a successful fishing trip to P9. So without further a due, a request for the boatman number was made on the 5th May 2007 to akashah_6lb , the original poster of the above-mentioned topic. Akashah_6lb replied almost immediately (a Big Thank you here!) and calls were made for the necessary arrangement.

Now that I have the boatman, what about the participants? After shooting out a few SMS’es, 2 more participants confirmed (my brother - CS and his friend – Ah Wah). The next 2 weeks prior to the trip, we ensure that all “necessary” preparations were made which includes multiple trips to tackle shop, countless number of jigs, poppers, kevlar, jigs again, jigging hooks, jigs again (the Sykt.Kepong sales girl upon seeing me after x number of earlier trip said: “Wah, you lagi kah? Mahu beli berapa jig oh???”)… purchased not to mentioned another new set of rod and reel. (Hmm..).

We left Subang at around 11pm or so and reached Lumut at around 2.00am (with a short stop over at Sekinchan for supper). We were quickly greeted with a friendly smile and a salam handshake from the cabin-keeper, Pak Adi (I think, couldn’t really recall, we are already groggy and tired). We asked Pak Adi: “Pak, esok pukul berapa keluar?”. He replied with a smile “Ohh.. korang bangun la pukul 6, pegi kat gerai sana tu, makan bekfest dulu, tapau nasi tengah hari, pastu boatman datang 6.30”.

We quickly unpack and prepare our arsenals while the clock is ticking away. Double, triple check on the inventories again, making sure we bring enough hooks, poppers and jigs to last us a whole year on board..

Even the rods and reels have a comfortable good-night rest on the upper double decker-bed!

“Damn, its almost 3.30am.. hmm.. 2 ½ hours of sleep, where got enough lor….”. We quickly settle in and dozed-off, in the comfortable super cold air-conditioned cabin. What felt like a mere 5 minutes eye-shut was abruptly disrupted with a loud bang on the door. Half asleep, I woke up and look at my phone.. “Huh.. only 5am, who is outside at this hour??”. Dragging myself to the door, I open and saw the boatman; Mr.Rosli already fully dressed and has started the boat engine waiting for us. “Aiks, belum bangun? cepat oh.. air mahu turun dah…5-10 minit kita kena keluar!”.. I press the panic button (a loud shout waking up the rest, including myself =) ) dashing to the toilet and emptying last night supper.. ahem.. I swear some of us even forgot to brush their teeth that morning.

The first popper was chug to a suspected-hideout of GTs and was quickly rewarded with a fiercely taken bite! Hook-on! The fight however was short and intense as Ah Wah’s popping set I suspect was meant for a much much larger specimen. The 2-3kg’ish (sorry, we didn’t bring any weighing EQs) was quickly tamed and brought on-board.

The all time favorite ‘Hung Tau Peng’ translates to ‘Red Head Army’. A must have for all jiggers and poppers.

Being curious of how a GT taste like, we vowed only to keep 1 and C&R the rest. We kept to our word and somehow regretted. We should have C&R even the first fish because it tasted funny – even on TIGA RASA.

What we kept for Day 1 of our trip. Since we are short of sleep the day before, the first day was very much spent resting on beach-island and sleeping in-between spots changing by the rest of the fishos. I was the only one going strong though I can feel the effect late in the afternoon.

The second day was more productive as we were ‘rested’ and much more prepared both mentally and physically. The second day was spent mostly on jigging as we were not really a fan of sea-popping.

A few of those spots we visited for the entire day, some of those were very very productive with constant strikes, albeit not always a solid hook-up.

This pink White Rabbit is their favorite. A back-to-back 3 hook-ups on the same spot.

One of the many Talang. This one strikes the green version of White Rabbit!

Here are the catch results of Day 2. We could have added another few more if not for some silly mistake and one cut-off Kevlar (by a tenggiri / barracuda).

Look at the size of the biggest Talang we tapau. It sure put up a good fight but was no match for a PE3 rod. =) And those mini-groupers – mostly caught on apollo. It tasted superb, however you cook it. =)

The boat we use. Good for 4-5 pax max.

Pardon me for the randomly snapped blurred picture and sub-standard analysis as this is
my first ever fishing report. Keeping a steady hand on a rocking boat while emphasizing on the quality of shots taken (angle, lighting, clarity…etc) takes more than a ‘man with a camera’ to do it. Bravos to KK, Krazie Fishie and the likes for the often entertaining and professionally-captured shots.

Verdict: -

Get enough of rest prior to boarding. Else, you will end up falling asleep (or worst still, sea-sick = vomiting) on the boat. That defeats the purpose of going fishing in the first place.
Hardwork pays! Jig jig and jig. (Ok, for those jiggers only) Don’t stop even if your arms felt like dropping-off and your scalp start scalding under the sun.
Keep changing the color of jig and rhythm of jigging. I notice that takes are more frequent on fast-pace jigging @ P9.
Boatman – This boatman of ours is super-hardworking. Changing spots every 5 minutes or so if no-take. A hardworking boatman and a hardworking jigger is the recipe for a successful trip; catch-wise.
Grouper. This very much sought after price-catch demand a special attention in this post. When the boatman said “Ok, turun.. sini ada kerapu, drag kasi ketat sikit, kalau kena, kasi pump kuat-kuat naik sebelum dia masuk dalam lobang”, take his word for it. We anticipated at least 2 groupers was lost because we let it race back to the hideout.
Ok, confession. ALL our (3 of us) takes (talang, GT, groupers, barracuda/tenggiri) are on White Rabbit jigs – pink, purple and green. CapriceKids, IMA, Jazz of various colours doesn’t seem to entice any strikes. Seems like they prefer “mamak food” than Ah Yat Abalone!

- CK NG -

For Sale : Rod and Reel (1 set)

2008-05-21T13:00:00.000+08:00

I was going thru my rod and reel collections, and came to realize that over the years, I have accumulated quite a number of rods and reels. Most of them are seldom used and some have not even touched water yet.

With this in mind, I am selling my ATC VX Max Saltwater Rod and my Daiwa Opus Bull OPB 5500 Reel.

More information and the picture of the above mentioned items can be view at the links below.

The rod comes with a rod bag and the reel has a spare spool as well. As an added bonus, I will be loading both the main spool and the spare spool with 50 lb braided lines.

I would like to sell them as a pair and my opening price is RM 550.00. Please drop me an e-mail at sharma_8379@yahoo.com if you have further inquiries.

Thank you.

:::... Daiwa Opus Bull OPB 5500 ...:::

:::... ATC VX Max Saltwater Rod ...:::

One Fathom Bank : 18 - 19 May 2008

2008-05-20T18:00:00.002+08:00

Things has been quite quiet for myself for the past one month. Been quite busy with work and I have another passion now. I am slowing learning photography. That explains why I haven't been blogging much. I have a separate blog for my photography escapades. Please pay a visit to my photography site as well.

My last trip fishing was last month, with Navin and George. Last weekend was a long weekend due to the Wesak Day celebration here in Malaysia. George managed to get a boat that would take us fishing to One Fathom Bank (OFB). This would be my seventh trip to OFB.

We left KL on Sunday morning at about 7.00 am. We stopped at Bestari Jaya (formerly known as Batang Berjuntai) for breakfast. We arrived at the jetty at about 9.15 am and after unloading our stuff onto the boat. We were soon on our way to OFB.

:::... Mr. George the Cowboy, our organizer for this trip ...:::

:::... Navin making sure the beers are well chilled ...:::

:::... Me posing for the camera ...:::

The journey to OFB would take about 3 hours. The past trips I had to OFB, we would embark from the Tanjung Harapan Jetty in Port Klang. The journey would take about 1 hour 30 minutes using a fibre boat. This time however, we used the jetty in Sasaran as our departure point and we would be traveling in a wooden boat is is must slower compared to a fibre boat. During the journey, Mr. George our organizer was feeling a bit woozy from all the rocking motion and became seasick.

Below is a picture of the after effect. A bit gross so some of you might want to skip this picture.

:::... Mr. George the Cowboy, is knocked out by the waves in the sea ...:::

After about 3 hours of travelling, we finally reach OFB. The first thing that we did was to do some appolo jigging for bait. The main bait here is the yellow tail scad also known as selar kuning. After obtaining enough life bait, we then had our lunch on the lighthouse. After lunch, we were back on the boat and headed of towards the ship wreck. This would be our main spot for fishing.

:::... One Fathom Bank Lighthouse ...:::

Navin had the first hit of the day at about 6.00 pm in the evening. It was a strong take but unfortunately the fish managed to head towards the sunken wreck and managed to cut the leader line. Soon after that, the boatman rod, received a strike. Navin, who was standing close to the rod, gave it a solid jerk to set the hook. Unfortunately, the hook didn't set properly and the fish was lost. About 15 minutes later, Navin had another strike, and yet again, the hook didn't set in properly and the fish was also lost.

Things became quiet after that. Then at about 9.30 pm, Navin had a strong take again. This time he never gave the fish any chance to head towards the ship wreck. Inch by inch, he reeled in in line until the fish finally surfaced. It was a golden snapper. Navin was all smiles after that. The golden snapper weighed in at about 2.4 kg. Not bad....

:::... Navin with his 2.4kg Golden Snapper ...:::

The action died down after that. For the next six hours, only 2 strikes were register. One was on the boatman's rod, and one was on Navin's rod. Navin had the honours of striking both the rods, but too bad the hook didn't set in properly. As such, the fish was lost.....

At about 5.00 am, it was George's turn to register a hit on his rod. The fight was brief as the fish didn't put up much resistance. It was a baby golden snapper weighing in at about 700 grams.

:::... George with his baby golden snapper ...:::

Everything went silent after that catch by George. At about 8.00 am Monday morning, the boatman moved his boat towards the old lighthouse. As soon as he had anchored the boat, Navin quickly rigged his squid bait. About 2 minutes after he had dropped his bait, he was rewarded with a strong take. After a brief fight, a 2.9 kg batfish or locally known as telinga gajah was successfully landed. Navin had a big smile on his face. This would be the last and biggest catch of the day.

:::... 2.9 kg batfish, also known as telinga gajah ...:::

:::... Navin with his prized catch ...:::

We left OFB at about 9.00 am and headed back towards Sasaran. I would say that this trip was quite disappointing. We only had 3 fishes for one whole day of fishing. Too bad we were not able to get more. If only we had managed to land the 5 fish that Navin lost, the results would have been much different.

Previous Catch Report on OFB

Fishing at Kapar Hydro Power Plant

2008-04-14T13:30:00.000+08:00

Last weekend (12 April 2008), Navin, George and myself went fishing at the Kapar Hydro Power Plant in Klang. The organizer for this trip was George. For your information, George is Navin's new fishing buddie. This would be my first trip with George.

As usually when fishing with Navin is involved, our plans NEVER start on time. I was supposed to meet Navin at his place at 6.30 am and then proceed to fetch George and then shoot of to Klang to get some live prawn to be used as bait. We only left Taman Desa at 7.00 am. We drove straight to Klang to get our supply for live prawns but to our surprise, the pond that we usually buy our baits looked lifeless. We then proceed to the shacks nearby to inquire about the prawns and to our shock, we were told that there were no live prawns to be sold. According to him, the salinity of the water is not conducive to real prawns. What a start to our fishing.. No live prawns to be used as bait. We had not anticipated for this to happen. We also didn't have any bait with us as had relied on the availability of the live prawns.

We then decided to drive to the jetty to hoping that the boatman would be able to source some bait for us. On the way there, we took a few wrong turns and what was supposed to be a short 30 minute drive became a 2 hour drive (including time stop for breakfast). We were supposed to be at the jetty by 9.00 am but only arrived there at 9.30 am.

According to Navin, George had arranged for a covered boat that would take us to a spot where we would be able to land golden snapper (jenanak), groupers (kerapu) and ikan merah. When Navin told me that we would be fishing for these fish in water around Port Klang, I laughed. These are top quality fish and to get them so close to the shore where pollution is really bad is truly a miracle. Nevertheless, I gamely accepted this challenge and came prepared. Once we arrived at the jetty, the boat that was made ready for us was a fibreglass boat with 30HP engine and NO covers at all. Looks like we are gonna get roasted today. At that point of time, we were contemplating calling of the trip as nothing has gone right since the time we left our homes. Since we were already there, we decided to proceed anyway.

:::... George with his pose ...:::

:::... Navin applying some sunblock ...:::

:::... Me chilling in front of the boat ...:::

We loaded all our stuff onto the boat and then made our way to our first spot. All of us rigged our bait in anticipation for a golden snapper. Navin and myself continued to tease George as he was the one that said that we would be able to get golden snappers here. Instead of golden snapper, what we got were some bronze croakers (gelama) nibbling on our bait. Seeing this, I decided to change my rig to a smaller hook and then decided to fish for some croakers (gelama) instead. The moment I had changed my rig, I immediately register some solid hook up. Well better than nothing....

After spending some time at the first location, we then proceed to move closer to the Power Plant structure. At this new spot, the bites were more frequent. I managed to land some more small bronze croakers (gelama) and a small sting ray (ikan tuka), Navin managed to land some gelama pisang and George managed to land an ikan duri and a small tuka.

:::... George with his ikan duri ...:::

As midday approached, the sun became unbearable. The boatman suggested that we fish from underneath the power plant structure. He said the structures had a lot of senangin (threadfins). We all agreed and proceeded to fish from under the structure.

Once we got under the structure, it was such a relieve to be away from the sun. We all fished from under the structures for about 3 hours but the only catch that we managed to land were some small gelama and puffer fish.

:::... The view from under the structure ...:::

:::... Underneath Kapar Hydro Power Plant ...:::

As the catch below the power plant was not so good, we decided to switch spot again. At the new spot, gelama was again the main attraction. We fished there for about 2 hours. It was during this time that George became the star of the day and silenced both Navin and myself. He has been patiently sitting in one corner and had been constantly casting and changing his bait.

We had about 30 minutes of fishing left when George got a strike on his rod. He gave a strike and in an instant, his rod took a massive bend. His drag was screaming. The fight lasted about 10 minutes and as the fish got closer to the boat, we saw a silver flash. The boatman immediately yelled "SENANGIN..!!!" After a brief fight, the fish was successfully landed.

George had a big smile on his face. The fish weighed 2 kg. What a catch for George.

:::... George the Cowboy in action ...:::

:::... Easy does it ...:::

:::... George in full concentration ...:::

:::... Closer... Closer ....:::

:::... Almost there George ...:::

:::... George with his 2 kg Senangin ...:::

After that, we fished for a while more and then proceeded back to shore. George was smiling all the way back to shore. At least he managed shut Navin and myself up.

DIY Assist Hooks For Jigging - Part 3

2008-03-14T14:00:00.000+08:00

This report is long overdue. Here is another way of tying the assist hook for jigging. Hope it would be useful for all of you out there. Mail me at sharma_8379@yahoo.com or drop me a message on Yahoo Messenger. My YM ID is sharma_8379.

:::... Tools needed : Hollow braids, dental floss, jigging hook, solid ring, splicing needle, super glue and sharp scissors ...:::

:::... First determine the length of the hollow braid needed ...:::

:::... The next item needed is the splicing needle ...:::

:::... Insert the needle thru the hollow braid ...:::

:::... This is how it looks like as the needle go thru the hollow braid ...:::

:::... Punch thru at the desired length ...:::

:::... Next, put in a solid ring and open the splicing needle as shown in the picture above ...:::

:::... Put one end of the braid into the open hook and close the hook to form a circle ...:::

:::... Slowly pull the needle out. Make sure that the end of the braid goes into the hollow braid ...:::

:::... Gently easy out the splicing needle ...:::

:::... This is how it should look like once the needle is about to exit the braid ...:::

:::... This is how it looks like once the splicing needle has been removed ...:::

:::... The solid ring is now in place ...:::

:::... This is how it should look like once the splicing has been done ...:::

:::... Next, take a jigging hook and poke it thru the braid like the picture shown above ...:::

:::... Gently work the braid till it reaches the eye of the hook ...:::

:::... This is how it looks like once it is at the eye of the hook ...:::

:::... Take some dental floss and make a few wraps around the hook and braid material ...:::

:::... Cut off the excess dental floss material ...:::

:::... Put some super glue to the dental floss to make it stronger ...:::

:::... This is how the hook looks like when it is done ...:::

:::... This is how the loop and the solid ring looks like when it is done ...:::

:::... All done ...:::

I hope that brief tutorial has been beneficial to all of you fishos out there. Do mail me for more inquiries. In the mean time, below are the links to my previous post on DIY Assist Hooks.

DIY Assist Hooks for Jigging - Part 1
DIY Assist Hooks for Jigging - Part 2

Happy Birthday Krazie Fishie - Part 2

2008-03-13T09:45:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I posted a gift that I received from my girlfriend. Here is another present that I got from Damien for my birthday. He got me an E.G Hip & Shoulder Bag. Here are some pictures of it.

:::... Ever Green International Hip & Shoulder Bag ...:::

:::... Ever Green International ...:::

:::... Front Pocket ...:::

:::... Very spacious ...:::

:::... Water bottle pocket ...:::

:::... Side Pocket ...:::

:::... Detachable side pocket ...:::

:::... Another side pocket ...:::

:::... Also detachable side pocket ...:::

:::... Plier pocket ...:::

:::... Very large main compartment ...:::

:::... Padded back for comfort ...:::

:::... Shoulder strap extension ...:::

:::... Detachable handphone bag ...:::

:::... Instructions and features of the bag in Japanese ...:::

Happy Birthday Krazie Fishie

2008-03-12T13:32:00.000+08:00

I turned 29 last Saturday (8 March 2008). This was also the day that Malaysia went for election to choose a new government. I shall not go into detail on the election as this is a fishing blog and not a political blog. Last year, my girlfriend got me this as a birthday present. The previous year (2006), I got this for myself as a birthday gift from myself to me.

This year, she got me a pair of Marlin. Not the real stuff but Marlin made out of brass. Here are some pictures of it.

:::... My pair of Brass Marlin ...:::

:::... The face ...:::

:::... The tail ...:::

:::... Crooked bill ...:::

:::... Needs some shining and polishing ...:::

:::... The fins ...:::

:::... Top view ...:::

:::... Thank you baby ...:::

I also got another present from Damien. I shall leave that for another blog entry. In the mean time, enjoy my Marlin.

Fuji EZ Keeper II Hook Keeper

2008-03-08T09:27:00.000+08:00

I have seen Damien and Ken using this device on some of our trips together. Such a small thing but very useful. The main function of this product is to secure our lures and assist hooks without damaging guides or cork handles when your rod is outfitted with one of these innovative hook keepers. The folding design keeps it out of the way when not in use. For more details please visit here.

I got mine at Sabre Tackle in Kuala Lumpur. Try to look for it at the rod building section. There are three colours to choose from; red, black and blue. I took the blue one as it matches well with my Golden Mean Sabel Dance rod.

Here are some pictures of it.

:::... Fuji EZ Keeper II Hook Keeper (Model EKHM - BL) ...:::

:::... How to use ...:::

:::... Big band for bigger rod, smaller band for smaller rod ...:::

:::... Closed position ...:::

:::... Open position ...:::

Golden Mean Sabel Dance PE 2 Rod

2008-03-07T11:16:00.002+08:00

A few months back, I posted my wishlist for 2008. One of the items in my wishlist was a Golden Mean Sabel Dance rod. I have tried to look on the internet for more details but the best that I come up with are as shown below.

I got myself a Golden Mean Sabel Dance rod last weekend. I had intended to use it during my trip to Pekan. Sadly, the weather had other plans. The Golden Mean Sabel Dance comes in two different rating. One is rated PE1 and the other is rated PE2. I decided to get the one that was rated PE2 for myself.

Here are the specs of my rod.

Manufacturer : Golden Mean
Model : Sable Dance PE 2 (SDS-60UL 6'0")
Jig Weight : 4 oz (Approximately 113 grams)
PE Line : 2
Piece : One piece rod

:::... Comes with a beautiful bag ...:::

:::... Fuji SIC Guide ...:::

:::... Nice finishing ...:::

:::... Top guide ...:::

:::... Sabel Dance : Golden Mean Custom Saltwater Rod ...:::

:::... Model SDS-60UL 6'0" ...:::

:::... Jig and PE line rating ...:::

:::... Blue reel seat with Golden Mean badge ...:::

:::... Golden Mean badge on butt end of the rod ...:::

:::... Top half of the rod ...:::

:::... Bottom half of the rod ...:::

Daiwa Luvias 2500R

2008-03-06T10:15:00.001+08:00

I got myself a brand new toy recently. I wanted to use it in Pekan, but due to the weather, the reel never really touched water. Anyway, below are some of the specs that I managed to get from Daiwa Australia Website.

Daiwa Luvias
Lightness beyond your imagination, strength beyond comprehension, completely corrosion resistant, for the first time in the world in the sports and fishing industry, Daiwa introduce ground breaking technology that will change the future of the modern fishing reel – Zaion.

Zaion technology opens up a completely new world of the development for the modern spinning reel, a reel that is hyper light, strong and corrosion free, in 2007 a new reel is born that will set the standard for all to follow, the new all-rounder reel – Luvias.

“Zaion” is a brand new type of material, simply explained it is a high density carbon resin. To understand “Zaion” first we need to understand the other materials that are used in the production of the modern spinning reel. First, Aluminium, this is one of the most commonly used materials. It is easily machined, relatively corrosion resistant, extremely rigid and very light. But in recent times has become expensive. Magnesium, often used in the development of high end reels, it is incredibly light and strong. But it has low corrosion resistance, very expensive, requires extremely high technology to achieve corrosion resistance and precision at the same time. And last universal plastic or FRP (fibre resin plastic) – resin reinforced with fibre glass – this can never compare to other materials for lightness and strength but it is fully corrosion resistant and economical.

This is where “Zaion” steps in; many manufacturers creatively use each different material depending on the characteristics that are required to produce reel bodies. The new “Zaion” material replaces glass fibres with carbon fibres to create an extremely rigid, strong material. The material is first “cast” then machined to create a body that exhibits the same precision and strength compared to that of magnesium or an aluminium body. Yet it is the same weight as magnesium but fully corrosion resistant.

The new Luvias spinning reels using “Zaion and Real Four” technology delivers enhanced performance almost equal to Daiwa’s flag ship models. This highly precision machined body, is equivalent to Daiwa’s famous “Air Metal” technology, it is not only light and tough but shows superior performance far beyond any other reel material available today.

Daiwa’s Real Four design reels set the standard for the future of spinning reels. The engineering precision is flawless. Just one turn of the handle reveals the effortless, fluid motion of 7 bearings working together with Digigear II for optimum meshing of speed, power and durability. The sound of the oscillation is not just quiet its non-existent, with a fully dampened gear and drive to eliminate unnecessary noise and vibration. Daiwa’s levelwind system lays line evenly in a cross wrapped pattern to prevent dig-in under pressure and eliminates casting loops, while the sealed drag stays dry as water and drains quickly and easily from other parts of the reel. A true legend, with its computer designed “Zaion” body, body cover and rotor, super strong, yet ultra-lightweight Air Bail, ABS Air Spool with cut-proof, titanium nitride lip and lifetime bail spring, its no wonder that Luvias is the future of the modern spinning reel.

Digitally designed Digigear II
Silent oscillation II
Twistbuster II
Cross wrap
Machine-cut high accuracy “Zaion” body and rotor
7 stainless steel ball bearings inc. 4 Corrosion resistant CRBB ball bearings
Superfine Dura-aluminium machined main shaft
Machine cut engine plate
Rotor brake
Hyper Tournament Drag
Air Spool – an engineered resin, metal plated hybrid spool with titanium coated lip
Washable design
Ultra light rubber coated cork handles inc 2 ball bearings
Machined aluminium handle
All saltwater friendly

Model	Gear Ratio	#Ball Bearings	Weight (g)	Spool Capacity (m/lbs)
LUVIAS 2500R	4.8	7+1	245	12lb/150m, 16lb/100m, PE 1.5/200m

From the website, there are five different sizes of the Daiwa Luvias reel. The difference between the Luvias 2500 and 2500R is the handle. Daiwa Luvias 2500R comes with a power handle and the Luvias 2500 come s with a normal handle.

This reel is loaded with 20lb Tuf Line XP Braids. It could load about 150m of the 20lb braided line. Below are some pictures of the reel.

:::... The Box ...:::

:::... Daiwa Luvias 2500R ...:::

:::... What a beauty. Daiwa Luvias 2500R ...:::

:::... Real Four. Real Engine ...:::

:::... Daiwa Luvias. Made in Thailand ...:::

:::... Luvias 2500R comes with power handle ...:::

:::... Drag Knob ...:::

:::... Drag knob ...:::

:::... Reel shaft ...:::

:::... Spool ...:::

:::... Bottom portion of the reel ...:::

:::... Bail arm ...:::

:::... Real Four Design ...:::

:::... Power handle ...:::

:::... Spare washers ...:::

Fishless in Pekan

2008-03-03T13:02:00.000+08:00

Pekan is the royal town of Pahang, Malaysia. It is situated 45 km south of the current state capital of Kuantan, near the coast of South China Sea and on the southern bank of Pahang River. The royal town of Pekan get its name from a flower called Bunga Pekan. Pekan is also the name of the district the town in situated in and a parliamentary constituency in its own right. It is the home of the state's royal family headed by Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mu'adzam Shah. It is also the hometown of the second Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and the current deputy prime minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Najib is also Pekan's current Member of Parliament. (Source : Wikipedia).

After our previous trip to Pulau Jarak, Tang took the initiative to organize another trip to Pekan. Our target fish for this trip would be the Diamond Trevally or Ebek as it is locally known. Even way before any confirmation was given by all the anglers involved, Tang had CLEARLY stated that we are going during the tail end of the monsoon season and we might all end up not fishing at all. Personally, I would like to commend Tang for this little disclaimer. Why? Detail will be known later.

The total anglers for this trip would be 10 people. They are Tang, Jimmy, KK Ho, Mahadzhir, Derick, Mahadzhir friend, Johnny plus 2 other friends from Australia and myself. We all left Kuala Lumpur on Friday night, leaving in 4 cars. The journey to Pekan would take about 3.5 hours and the weather condition all the way there was rainy. We arrived at Pekan at about 1.30 am and then proceeded to a stall to have some grilled fish. After eating, we then proceeded to head towards Ikan Masin's (our boatman) house. After unloading our stuff, we then spent some time talking to Ikan Masin and he again repeated his disclaimer. He said the winds are strong and the sea condition was rough. We might not be able to go out to fish at all. It all depends on the weather condition in the morning. Having said that, he retired to bed and all of us spent some time talking before retiring to bed as well.

The next morning, we woke up to the sounds of rain falling on the roof. Looks like it's gonna be a bad day for fishing. After a quick shower, we then proceeded to a nearby stall to have our breakfast. During this time, the rain got heavier and the winds picked up. Seeing this, all of us decided to get raincoats. After breakfast, we went to the jetty to wait for the rain to stop.

:::... Waiting at the jetty for the rain to stop ...:::

:::... Waiting at the jetty ...:::

:::... Restless ...:::

:::... Weather condition at the jetty ...:::

:::... Heavy Rain ...:::

At about 10.oo am, there was still a slight drizzle, but we decided to go ahead and load our stuffs onto the boat. By 10.30 am, we were on our way out to sea. Finally things were starting to look up for us.

:::... Our boat for fishing ...:::

:::... Loading our stuff into the boat ...:::

::... KK Ho and myself ...:::

:::... Still raining ...:::

:::... Dark Clouds ...:::

:::... Overcast skies ...:::

We arrived at the river mouth and immediately there was a feeling that we might not be able to make it out to sea. The waves were high. about 2.5 - 3 m high. We had earlier divided ourselves into 2 separate teams traveling in 2 separate boats. The lead boat made the first attempt to clear the waves and our boat followed behind. The sea was rough and the conditions were bad. My hats off to the boatman for being able to control his boat. After several attempts, the boatman decided that it was too dangerous to proceed. With that decision made, we all headed back to shore.

:::... High waves at the sea ...:::

:::... Roller coaster ride ...:::

:::... Compare the boat size to the wave on the right ...:::

:::... Still attempting ...:::

:::... The part where the river meets the sea ...:::

:::... Going back to the jetty ...:::

The rest of the day was spent sleeping, eating, talking, drinking and watching so fishing DVD. We all hoped the next day would be a better day.

The next day (Sunday, 2 March 2008) we woke up to sunny day. There was no rain. Our spirits soared. After a quick shower, we loaded our stuffs into the car. As we were preparing to leave, another group of angler who was with us received a phone call from Ikan Masin. Bad news...!!!! The waves were about 5 m high making it extremely dangerous to go out to fish.

So there you have it... That was basically our fishing in Pekan. In the end, we went there to chill and relax in a cowboy town. No fishing whatsoever. Luckily we had a great bunch of people for company.

We spent some time in Ikan Masin's house and at about 11.00 pm, we decided to head back to KL. On the way back, we stopped at Bentong, Pahang for lunch. After lunch, we went to a paypond nearby just to have a look at the pond. When we got there, we all decided to fish for a while. We were quite lucky as KK Ho had some Soft Plastic with him. We rigged our rods and then proceeded to fish.

After an hour, I managed to get a hookup. It was a small snakehead (haruan). Yes..!!!! My first fish on Soft Plastic. KK HO got a hit as well. He was using worms as bait. It was a small featherback (belida).

:::... My baby haruan on Soft Plastic ...:::

:::... KK Ho with his belida ...:::

After that, we all decided to head back to KL.

Plano Reel Case

2008-02-22T11:14:00.001+08:00

During my previous trips to Hutan Melintang and Pulau Jarak, I saw some of the anglers on the boat using the Plano Reel Case. It looked very strong and could fit a few reels as well as a few spare spools in it. According to them, the case can be brought into the plane as a hand luggage. For frequent travelers and anglers who fish around the globe, this case would come in very handy for them.

I went to a few tackle shops around KL and Selangor and finally managed to find them at Fish Hunter, in KL. Without much hesitation, I decided to get one for myself. Although I am not doing any fishing which requires me to travel by plane at the moment, I could still use it when I travel by car and boat. A great place to store all my reels and spare spools.

:::... Plano Reel Case ...:::

:::... Part of Plano Tackle Systems ...:::

:::... Description on the reel case ...:::

:::... Plano The Reel Case ...:::

:::... Latch ...:::

:::... Tab for padlock ...:::

:::... Padding inside the case ...:::

:::... With my reels in the case ...:::

:::... With some of my reels in the case ...:::

:::... The back of the reel case ...:::

:::... Latch on the reel case ...:::

:::... Decorated with some stickers ...:::

Aquaria KLCC Visit

2008-02-18T13:25:00.001+08:00

Last year, during the Chinese New Year holidays, Navin and myself had a fishing trip to Rawang and One Fathom Bank. This year, due to some unavoidable events, we did not plan any fishing for the holidays. Instead, my girlfriend, her family and myself went to Aquaria KLCC to look at fishes. Well, if I can't catch them, might as well have a look at them.

Here are some pictures taken during the trip to Aquaria KLCC. Enjoy them.

:::... Magnificent Toman (Giant Snakehead) ...:::

:::... Toman aka Giant Snakehead ...:::

:::... Lampam I think ...:::

:::... Some ugly looking frog ...:::

:::... Tarantula Spider ...:::

:::... Errmm.... Catfish? ...:::

:::... Pacu. This fish looked like it weighted more that 10kg ...:::

:::... Arowana ...:::

:::... Giant Arapaima ...:::

:::... A tower of fish. Can do jigging. Hehehehe ...:::

:::... Cute looking fella ...:::

:::... Tapah ...:::

:::... Lion Fish ...:::

:::... Turtles ...:::

:::... A type of shark ...:::

:::... Giant Grouper ...:::

:::... Teeth of a Sand Tiger Shark ...:::

:::... A School of Giant Trevally ...:::

:::... Sand Tiger Shark ...:::

:::... Eel. Don't know the type though ...:::

:::... I usually eat this fish at the local hawker centre. Grilled. ...:::

:::... A school of trevally ...:::

:::... Napoleon Wrasse ...:::

:::... Giant Grouper again ...:::

:::... Feeding time ...:::

:::... Shark feeding time ...:::

:::... Very brave diver ...:::

:::... Shark feeding time ...:::

:::... Such a lovely scene ...:::

That is about all the pictures that I have. I didn't take the initiative to note down all the type of fish that was in the Aquaria KLCC. Sorry if I had accidentally identified any of the fish wrongly. Leave a comment and I will correct them accordingly.

Was it a Pacu or A Piranha?

2008-02-13T12:57:00.005+08:00

I was browsing The Star Online this morning when I chanced upon this article. Below is a copy of the article.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish attacks fisherman in Jerantut

A FISHERMAN in Sungai Tembeling, Jerantut, was bitten in the leg by a fish suspected to belong to the piranha species, Utusan Malaysia reported.

Adanan Nipah, 54, was about to release the 25cm-long fish which was trapped in his net at 10pm on Monday when it repeatedly bit his right leg.

“I caught the fish and put it in a polystyrene container. Then I noticed that my leg had started to swell.

“I've never heard of any fisherman being attacked by fish in Sungai Tembeling,” he said.

~Source : The Star Online

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This news actually appeared yesterday in the local Malay newspaper and it created some buzz at the Local Fishing Forum. Click on this link to view the entire thread.

This news got me wondering. Was it a Pacu or was it a Piranha. Pacu is quite famous here in Malaysia and a lot payponds stock them as they provide great fight on light tackle. I did a search on Wikipedia and this is what I managed to find out.

Pacu is a common name used to refer to several species of South American freshwater fish that are closely related to the piranha. They are mainly herbivores, but will also eat small fish, insects, and meat on fishing lures. Their teeth, which may resemble human teeth, are used to cut through vegetation and crush seeds that fall into the water. Pacu and piranha are distinguished from each other by their teeth and jaw alignments; piranha have pointed, razor-sharp teeth in a pronounced underbite, whereas pacu have square, straight teeth in a less severe underbite, or a slight overbite. Additionally, full-grown pacu are much larger than piranha.

A piranha or piraña is a member of a family of omnivorous freshwater fish which live in South American rivers. In Venezuelan rivers they are called caribes. They are known for their sharp teeth and an aggressive appetite for meat.

If indeed the fish that attacked the poor fisherman was a piranha, then what brought them to Malaysia? Illegal import? For years the Malaysian anglers have been having problems with the Peacock Bass which is a non native fish introduced some 10 years ago. Now, most of the lakes and some rivers are infested with them. Who is to be blamed? What should be done to overcome this problem?

Pulau Jarak 26 Jan 08 - 28 Jan 08 : Catch Report

2008-01-31T14:30:00.000+08:00

Pulau Jarak, which is situated in the Straits of Melaka is a popular fishing destination in Malaysia. The fishing method usually done in Pulau Jarak are jigging, popping and bottom bashing. This trip to Pulau Jarak was organized by Damien. Initially, the number of participants for this trip was 9, but due to some last minute cancellation, only 6 people were on board the boat at departure time. The participants for this trip are Damien, Tang, Jimmy, Wan Izhan, Mahadzhir and myself. All of us, except for Wan left on Friday night and put up the night in Teluk Intan.
The next day, we met up with Wan at the jetty in Bagan Dato. This would be our departure point to Pulau Jarak. After introducing ourselves, we then proceeded to load our stuff on the boat. Below are some pictures of the boat and the facilities on the boat.

:::... The Kitchen ...:::

:::... Spacious sidewalk with railing to hold on while walking ...:::

:::... Live bait well ...:::

:::... Our friendly deck hand. Excellent food prepared by him ....:::

:::... Ah Ho, the famous skipper of GT Chaser ...:::

:::... Toilet cum bathroom on the boat ...:::

:::... Rod holder at the back of the boat ...:::

:::... Rod holder on the sides of the boat ...:::

:::... Spacious cabin ...:::

:::... Very spacious cabin ...:::

:::.. Spacious sidewalk ...:::

:::... More rod holders ...:::

Our first spot would be at Hutan Melintang sea mount. The journey to our first spot would take us about 3 hour from Bagan Dato jetty. We took this opportunity to prepare our tackle for the battle ahead.

:::... Damien and Wan checking out their Sevenseas Jig..:::

:::... Jimmy in front of the boat ...:::

:::... Sharma and Damien in the cabin preparing their tackle ...:::

:::... Tang busy with his Ang Cho killer setup ...:::

:::... Damien the Organizer ...:::

:::... Mahadzhir preparing his tackle ...:::

:::... Commercial Fisherman Trawler Boat ...:::

:::... Ready for battle ...:::

:::... Pulau Sembilan from the distance ...:::

:::... Mantin Prawn as live bait for golden snapper (ang cho) ...:::

Upon reaching our first stop which was Hutan Melintang, we wasted no time an proceeded to drop our jig into the water. Wan and Mahadzhir were the first to be rewarded with a strike. They had a double hookup and after a brief fight, they both landed Giant Trevally (GT) weighing about 5kg each. Mahadzhir then got another hookup after that. It was a shark but unfortunately, he lost the fish at boat side. He did manage to get grouper after that as a consolation.

:::... Moments before landing the fish ...:::

:::... Double hookup by Wan and Mahadzhir...:::

:::... Mahadzhir fishing with a shark. Unfortunately it was lost at boat side...:::

:::... Mahadzhir with a grouper ...:::

Tang would then proceed to show all of us on board why he is called the Ang Cho King for the trip. We we all jigging at that time and Tang had said before that that he was going to hook up an ang cho and true to his word, he was rewarded with an ang cho (golden snapper).

:::... Tang fighting with his ang cho...:::

:::.. A lovely 2kg plus ang cho ...:::

The action had died down and less hits were registered after that. It was during this time that I had a solid hook up on my rod. Prior to this, I had 3 strikes but all of them didn't register any solid hook up. This time, I had a solid hookup. My tackle setup was an Abu Garcia Conolon PE 3-5 jigging rod, Daiwa Freams 4500 J with a 150g Ofmer jig. The fight laster about 10 minutes. It was a see saw battle. I would gain some line and then proceed to lose more line as the fish makes its run. At one stage I almost gave up the fight. The fight gave my back a massive strain. Sweat was pouring from my forehead and my right arm was aching. In the end, after what felt like a lifetime for me, the fish was successfully landed and Captain Ah Ho confirmed that the GT weighted approximately 10kg. I had a the Rapala Scale with me, and when I tried to weigh the fish, the scale reached its limit. My scale was a 9kg scale and the fish weight more than what the scale was intended to take.

:::.. 10kg GT from Pulau Jarak ...:::

:::... Caught with Abu Conolon PE 3-5 Rod, Daiwa Freams 4500J Reel and 150g Ofmer jig ...:::

After that, the action didn't die down. Jimmy and Wan got another double hook up. Looks like the both of them would be the star for this trip. Tnag also managed to get a hit during this time. He was rewarded with a GT for his effort.

:::... Jimmy fighting with his fish ...:::

:::... Handsome looking GT ...:::

:::... Wan fighting his fish ...:::

:::... Handsome guy with him handsome fish ...:::

:::... Ang cho king with his GT ...:::

We moved spots a few times and the biggest fish for this trip was caught during that time. It was around 5.30 when Jimmy got a hit on his jig. It was a massive hit. Jimmy was at the front of the boat at that time. As he was fighting the fish, we all made way for him. All of us were more focused on his catch. From the looks of it, the fish that was on the other end of his line was a biggie. The fight lasted for more that 15 minutes. We were all making fun of him and at the same time we were shouting encouragement at him. At the end of the day, a massive 12 kg GT was subdued and landed.

:::... Initial hookup of the GT by Jimmy ...:::

:::... Smiling Jimmy ...:::

Moments before landing the fish ...:::

:::... 12 kg GT by Jimmy ...:::

:::... Reviving the fish before release ...:::

That night, the Ah Ho parked the boat near Pulau Jarak and Wan, Tang and Jimmy took this opportunity to do some bottom fishing. Damien, Mahadzhir and myself did some popping for Big Eye Trevally. Mahadzhir and Damien managed to land one Big Eye Trevally each. There was not much action from the bottom bashing guys.

:::... Damien with his Big Eye Trevally ...:::

:::... Mahadzhir with his Big Eye Trevally ...:::

The next day, the day started quite gloomy. The day began with some popping activity by Damien, Wan and Mahadzhir. However there was no takers . We then decided to move away from Pulau Jarak to do some jigging. The action that day was quite slow. Maybe is was due to the overcast sky and gloomy weather. In spite all this, Damien did manage to get a strike on his Poseidon Spin Jerker rod paired with a Shimano Stella 5000. He had been jigging from the back of the boat when he got the strike.

:::... Pulau Jarak ...:::

:::... Damien in action ...:::

:::... Poseidon Spin Jerker ...:::

:::... Shimano Stella 5000 ...:::

:::... Proud angler with his catch ...:::

Soon after that, we were hit by rain. We had no choice but to take refuge at Pulau Jarak until the rain cleared.

:::... Rain ...:::

Once the rain had stopped, we proceeded to continue jigging at another spot. Here the bites were much better than the morning session. I had 2 strong take but both were lost during the fight. I had one uncontrollable fish. It just took the jig and dived down. In the end, I broke my mainline when it was cut off by the corals. Such a was. The others did quite good. Jimmy had 2 solid hookups and Wan had one GT landed. Ang Cho King Tang proved without a shadow of a doubt why he was give the name. He had managed to land another golden snapper (ang cho) while jigging.

:::... Jimmy with his first GT during the afternoon session ...:::

:::... Wan with his GT ...:::

:::... Jimmy again with his second catch ...:::

:::... Ang Cho King with his fish ...:::

:::... Samy Veloo on Ima jig by Damien ...:::

That night, we went to a ship wreck to fish for golden snapper. Tang, Jimmy, Wan and myself had our bottom rods out and ready for some action. However, only 2 strikes were registered and successfully landed.

:::... Jimmy with his golden snapper ...:::

:::... Ang Cho King again with his Golden Snapper ...:::

:::... Me waiting for a strike ...:::

We didn't fish for long that night as we were hit by a thunderstorm. The captain decided to take refuge at Pulau Sembilan.

The next morning, we all tried to fish around the waters of Pulau Sembilan but we didn't register any catch. Soon it was time to leave and head back to the Bagan Dato Jetty. We arrived at the jetty at approximately 12 noon.

As a whole, I would think that this trip was a good trip. I would like to personally thank Damien for taking the effort and time to organize this trip. Although I only manage to land one fish (GT 10 kg), I am satisfied as I had the pleasure to fish with a great bunch of guys.

Before I end this report, I would like to apologize if I may have knowingly or unknowing uttered words that may have offended some of you on board. It was great fishing with you guys and hope to see you all again in Pekan...........

Daiichi Hi-Speed Line Recycler

2008-01-11T09:15:00.000+08:00

Here is a nifty little gadget that I purchased last month. I was at Sabre Tackle with Damien and somehow I was 'poison' by Damien to purchase this item. Damien had bought it much earlier and said that it was quite easy to use and very useful.

After much deliberation, I decided to buy it. Here are some pictures that I took from the comfort of my house.

:::... Daiichi Hi-Speed Line Recycler ...:::

:::... View from the front ...:::

:::... Nice big handle for cranking purposes ...:::

:::... Another view of the line recycler ...:::

:::... More pictures ...:::

:::... Able to fit a 1100m spool ...:::

:::... Fitted with a smaller spool ...:::

:::... Clamp to hold the line recycler in place ...:::

:::... Knob to set the tension while spooling and despooling the line ...:::

Predictions, Planning and Wishlist for 2008

2008-01-02T14:45:00.000+08:00

A brand new year. A brand new beginning. This year there will be no wager between Danny and myself. Danny has gone on sabbatical. Hopefully he will be back next year. As for me, life goes on.

I foresee my self fishing less this year. I would try to make one trip per month if it is possible. I have an upcoming trip at the end of this month. I will be at Pulau Jarak from 26/1/08 till 28/1/08. Among the people that will be going on this trip are Damien (my fishy tales blog) and Wan Izhan (Pelareef Hookers Blog). Bob from Anjung Kail will also be on this trip with his camera crews.

For the time being, the Pulau Jarak trip is my only confirmed trip for this year. I am planning to do a minimum of one trip per month for the whole of 2008. I hope that this can be achieved. So far there are some plans made to go fishing in Pulau Sembilan, Pulau Jarak and Rompin. I hope that these trips can materialize.

As for tackle, I don't plan to invest heavily this year. For the past few years, I have been doing a lot buying and somehow I ended up with tackles that I bare use, or haven't use. If my memories don't fail me, I have about 10 reels and equal number of rods. I did mentioned in my last few postings that I am planning to sell off some of my tackle. I still haven't found the time to properly catalog the items that I have. Once I am done, I will be posting them online for all to view.

Having said that, I still have a wish list wish which I seriously doubt that I can achieve. Most of the items are high end stuff and going by my financial status, I doubt that it is achievable. Anyway, the things that is in my wish list are as below.

Rod

Golden Mean Sable Dance
Shimano JigWrek
Shimano Kaibutsu
Any good bottom bashing rod

Reel

Daiwa Morethan Branzino
Daiwa Saltiga (any model)
Any good bottom bashing reel

I know that the items that I have listed above are way beyond my mean. We shall see in the next 363 days if this wish list can be achieved.

Anyway, to all my readers, I would like to thank you for your support so far and hopefully this year would be a better year for all of us in fishing.