6/10/01 Saturday dawn trip. Reached home around 10 plus. The last time Brendon came on board I caught a big Garoupa. This time was no different. At The Snagpile, I managed to land a HUGE Garoupa, the pic should be out soon. We got some normal table-sized Garoupas but they looked really small beside the Biggie. A very pleasant morning trip. Now I have to bring my wife and kid shopping.
5/10/01 Thomas, Tomo, and two Samuels came on board for a short evening trip. I'm not supposed to say what exactly happened... but WHAT A WASTE!!!
29/9/01 Met Desmond for a short trip out to The Rocky Valley. The GPS showed the co-ordinates to be correct, but somehow some dredging seemed to have occured and we couldn't find the spot. So we spent quite a lot of time hunting for the spot. Finally we gave up and went to Friendly Station and Desmond got an immediate strike, fought hard, and brought up a good Snapper. He rigged up again and this time, a stronger fish burst his line. His third hook-up ended in the same way, with the fish managing to make its way home safely. It wasn't my day... I took my role as spectator well. We went back because we had no bait left. In fact, we started with very little bait. Nevermind, next week will be better.
28/9/01 Went out after work to meet Samuel and Oetomo, we were going to try some berleying. This time, we went earlier in the hope that we could fish longer. But the tractor at the boatel broke down and we had to wait almost 45 minutes for it to get fixed. Then, after pumping petrol and buying the live bait, we headed to the UNDERWATER WATER OUTLET. After a short while, I lost a bite, caught a Star Gazer, and looked up at the sky... a huge storm was brewing and we had hardly fished for 15 minutes. So we headed to Ketam to hide from the storm. But the winds were getting stronger and by general consensus, we zoomed back to shore with the storm chasing our heels. No luck today. No chance to fish even. I'm not satisfied so I'll fish tomorrow.
22/9/01 Saturday night trip. Shawn, Dan, Mickey and his Korean girlfriend came on board for a cold, hard night. It had rained heavily in the evening and I had my doubts about the water quality. My doubts were proved right as we went to all the previous day's spots with not a single good fish to show for our efforts. We had the usual cold water critters like catfish and eels.
The wind was quite strong and it was really cold at night, especially when there's no fish. As the guys started to snore, I started to dream of my comfortable bed at home and my little baby.
Anyway, at around 4 am, I finally shifted to The Snagpile in the hope that some garoupas would oblige. Instead, I caught a kilo Snapper. Then the bites stopped again and only at sunrise did the bites resume.
Then the Garoupas and Snappers came as scheduled. And I lost the usual big fish, and lost my mood as well. Then Dan lost a big fish too. But Shawn got a decent Garoupa and a Snapper. We got a few smallish Garoupas and Snappers and decided to call it a day. What a tough day it was. Still, the thrill of the wait was there.
21/9/01 Friday evening trip with Samuel and Oetomo. Wind was strong and anchoring was tough. The small fish were out in force, sucking the eyeballs of our prawns. Fortunately, Samuel landed a big Queenie at Rocky Plateau and I landed a mean-looking Yellow Conger which put up quite a good fight.
Went home for a quick meal, then I was out again, arriving at Onga with my dad at 11pm. Caught 4 good-sized Snappers and lost one. Reached the boatel at 1.10am. I finally broke my jinx of not catching any quality fish when my dad is on board. Hopefully, tomorrow night will be good too.
16/9/01 Sunday - Just came back from the first full overnight trip in almost a year. This time, I had the pleasant and experienced company of David, Paul, Lok and Uncle Teo.
We met at 8pm at the boatel and everyone was all set and ready to go. After getting Yat Kee Lor Tai Chek Kor Har, we went off to Army to wait for the tide to turn.
At Army, I had lost 2 bites and finally connected with what I thought was a good fish until I saw the long body of a brown eel. The water was cold. Then, just as the current picked up, my reel went screaming and I thought I had hooked onto a Stingray. But I soon felt the head-shaking of a good fish and I knew it was a big, scaled, fish. Secretly, I was hoping for a 5 kilo Kurau. In the end, after some severe drag pulling and rod pressure, a huge silver shape showed up in the dark water, and I knew it was a huge Yellow Grunter, or Guhud, as some call it. Everyone was motivated, but all became quiet at this spot and I knew we had to shift.
At Onga, we didn't get any Onga so we moved to Hidden Rocks, where I got a good-sized Garoupa. Then we moved to Malibu and all the other usual spots but catfish and eels turned up.
We went to Onga again as I felt the current was ideal and indeed it was. After a while, I had two strong drag-pullers and brought up 2 nice Snappers after some anxious moments with the propeller. And I felt quite bad being the only one with proper fish so far. Then Paul grunted as he struck into a tough fish, only to find out that it was a catfish.
Then more bites came and Lok as well as Paul hooked up two Snappers at the same time. Paul's Snapper was the champion snapper of the day.
Then we shifted to the Rocky Valley and we all started pulling in Garoupas and other stuff like Bream and Snapper.
The overall catch was quite ok, the company was good, and everyone went back with some good fish. The pics will be out as soon as I process my roll of film.
15/9/01 - Saturday. Brought Baby Treva to Lower Pierce Reservoir for a stroll. Fortunately, I had a rod in the car and a lure. So, when we neared the water, we stopped baby under a tree and I took a cast. It was taken almost immediately and I pulled up a Toman. Small one.
Took some pics with baby and the Toman before I released the fish. Then on my second cast after that, I hooked up a slightly bigger Toman which put up a good fight. But my 8 pound line was too tough to beat. Then I kept my rod and took pics of my baby instead.
Baby had a good day out. Honestly, I didn't expect to Lower Pierce to be that productive on lure. The opening of these reservoirs to lure fishos is a really good idea, barring the fact that a few clowns still insist on using live bait. Are they that desperate for a fish to risk a fine?
6/9/01 Thursday - went for a short trip with Samuel, lost many good strong bites which somehow didn't set. Got a good snapper and went home.
4/09/01 Tuesday evening- went out with my dad and Samuel. Samuel lost a good fish at Point Malibu which managed to pull drag till it reached home base. My dad lost a big Barramundi at Spot 2K which was fought on handline to the side of the boat. In fact, it surfaced a few times and Samuel was wondering what the commotion was about without knowing that my dad was fighting a fish. Sadly, just as my dad got hold of the rangong, the dupont leader could not take the friction from the kbl's mouth any longer and gave way. We took in the leader and stared at the hairy, frayed line for quite a while. Knowing it was not our day, we went home.
1st September 2001 - Teachers' Day - Start of Conrad's Fishing Diary.
1/9/01 This morning I went on a midnight to dawn trip with Clarence, Eudon, Nikki and Glen. The catch was respectable (I'll put up the pics once I process my roll of film) with good-sized Snappers, half a dozen Garoupas (which we mostly returned to the water to be fattened), and we even brought back a nice Barramundi.
What was more spectacular was the fact that we lost 3 good fish. Around 3 am, I had just let down my handline and turned around when the whole handline jumped. I felt a momentary struggle and knew it was a monster of a fish, 90% sure it was a big Kim. Anyway, lost it. Then at 4am at another Ubin spot, I had just hooked on a nice prawn and let it down when the rod immediately bent into the water and the drag started going. Before I could do anything, the hook was thrown. Definitely a big fish. 99% sure it was a big Kim.
But the saddest loss was when Nikki fought a big Kim to boatside and lost it due to a magnificent leap just out of reach of the landing net. The hook was thrown.
Anyway, we all reached shore happy. Everyone had caught some fish and we took some customary pics at the boatel.
My next trip should be tomorrow night or monday evening.
Aug01
A most interesting thing just happened to me in August. I became a father. Can you spot my baby girl's picture among the pictures of fish caught in june and july? I've still been fishing regularly but have been unable to bring friends out fishing for full day trips because it's simply too tiring. All my trips are now no longer than 3 hours as I'm usually contented with my catch.
Furthermore, it's not nice going fishing when there's pressure from people who desperately want a good catch.
But to maintain my boat, I might have to go on full night trips at least once a month from now onwards. I only go on one full cost-sharing trip a month. That's just to help me defray the cost of the trip and not even half a month's maintenance costs. I think from next year I'll have to start charging even more, like $1500 per trip, hahahaa... I wish. The price still beats buying a boat right?
Of course, there's no guarantee of fish. I'll still be sarcastic and I'll still be trying my best to be the one who catches the most fish on the trip. So I guess my offer only applies to diehards. Are you sure you're still keen? If so, you can still try to contact me through my forum.
As for usual fishing pals, don't worry, nothing's changed. Some trips are free, some cost you lunch, and some cost you $1,000,000/-.
May2001
Ok, here's what's been happening. I got married in November 2000, went to Mauritius for a major fishing trip cum honeymoon, moved into my new house in Sengkang, gave my boat another overhaul (which prevented me from fishing for 3 months)... and made my wife pregnant. But the fishing's been great lately, perhaps it's due to the long break that I took from fishing. Nah, I'm just bragging. Seriously, although I've only managed trips no longer than 3 hours, the fish have been more than co-operative. Here's a brief summary.
Let's see, I bought 3 crabnets and brought my pregnant wife crabbing from the boat. You can see the results above. Does she look pregnant? You'd better not tell her that. Then there were the brief evening trips with Brendon and Desmond. Brendon's been having some luck with the yellow grunters and snappers. He even caught a Giant Trevally off Ubin. It was only a baby, of course.
Then there was an evening when Wayne caught a big Garoupa. And another evening when the fish just wouldn't stop biting and I got a big 2.5 kg Garoupa and a 3 kg Silver Javelin (Chio Lor) and a Snapper while Desmond got 3 Snappers. We were happy to go back to shore in under 2 hours cos we know when enough is enough.
Then I had a happy reunion with my old fishing buddy from the Grant era in the mid 1980's, Eng Joo. I almost couldn't recognize him, and neither could he me, I think. Life has been good to us, I guess. Anyway, even while waiting for him to come, I caught a 3 kg Queenfish just 50 m from shore and I knew it was going to be a good day. That day, I managed to land a 65cm Barramundi and some other fish, but Eng Joo was the champ with a 1 kg Coral Trout which almost got away.
Then there was this short trip with Kelly (a guy, by the way). See the Barramundi he's holding up? We went to my place straight away and steamed it for dinner. Mmmmmmmm mmmm.
I would say it's been rather eventful lately. But wait till you see what the next roll of film has in store. It's still in the camera, by the way. I brought my wife out for a 45 minute trip just off Changi and she hooked onto a ... (see what she caught, in the next update).
Oh ya, I just bought a scanner too. Still not sure how it works... as you can see from Picture Gallery 18, the fuzzy one. Ok, till next time, fish well!!! The Phenol thing has happened before, don't worry about it, things should be ok soon.
Sep00
Really busy now with my wedding just around the corner... these fish were caught during short 2 - 3 hr trips after work. Some Pics even have me in my working clothes. Lots of Snapper, Desmond was lucky with lots of Garoupas... September's always good. (See September 1999 Pics)
Didn't have time to edit any photos to size, just dumped them in. Dunno if this page will take a long time to load. The last photo is of me holding a 4 kilo Barra. Would you believe it? The guy behind me, Oliver, was actually calmly fighting a 2 kilo Snapper while this picture was being taken. That was the last shot from this roll of film, the catch that day was good, so I went back to shore and bought another roll of film. That roll is still in the camera... really no time to fish now that my wedding's just around the corner. Hope I'll have time to fish after my honeymoon in December.
Aug00
Ubin and Tekong, especially Tekong, produced the goods as usual. There's still a roll of film in my camera with solid snapper pics (1.5 kg) waiting to be processed. September produced some fine stuff and huge snappers. I even got spooled out once.
May00
So, after a long hard quarter at work, I managed to soak a line a coupla times with interesting results. From the jungles of Malaysia to the FADs off Pahang, not forgetting Singapore's Northeast and Southern waters... all these places produced the goods. Here's a brief summary:
1. Endau-Rompin jungle rivers - 3 juvenile Patin around 2 kgs (my Patin record still stands at 15kg) and 1 Seluang (according to locals). I was actually going for a Kelah but didn't put in enough fishing time I guess.
2. Offshore livebaiting and trolling (Endau) produced 2 Sailfish and 1Marlin and lots of table fish, including Coral Trout and Wrasses.
3. A long ride to our Southern waters with a bunch of colleagues produced some nice Parrots, smallish Timuns and Coral Barramundis, as well as Xiao Ming's 3 kg Garoupa.
4. Of course, Ubin and Tekong still produced (even though I managed only 2 very short trips... one trip was so short, even good 'ol Kuan Wai, who's usually happy to just dip his line into the water, complained. Kaci, Mangrove Jacks, Garoupas, Grunters and the usual Barramundis were in a friendly mood. I guess they missed me ater such a long absence.
5. Coming up next, you gotta hear this story!!! I just came back from a 2 hour evening fishing trip with 2 bikini-clad deckhands on my boat and even got a nice 5 kg Barra for all my effort... heehee. The film is still in the camera and, boy, I just can't wait to send the film to the shop. The next gallery should be pretty different... I think.
Till then, tight lines!!!
OK... the pics are out. Here's a sneak preview. In June 1998, Jamie came on board for her first trip and we got this Barra... This is what we got on 10 June 2000, exactly 2 years later, on Jamie's second trip with me. But that's not all...
...she was so happy, she took off her top, and so did Jess, and wanted pictures taken with the fish.
Jan2000
The new year brought with it more work... ... and after a really hectic week at the office, I decided to unwind by bringing a couple of non-fisho colleagues out for a spin on my boat. What a fun 2 hour trip it turned out to be!!! After work on Friday the 14th, we drove around and bought some snacks and cold drinks. It was to be a short cruise, with a little bit of fishing, topped off by a seafood dinner by the beach. Just past 5pm, the six of us, Xiao Ming, Mdm Carol, Geraldo, his wife Khim, Mel and me, were speeding towards our first destination - the fish farm. I docked the boat at the farm while my highly professional colleagues oohed and aahed at the giant Garoupas in the nets. Then we bought a few live prawns and went on our way.
While we were cruising off into the sunset, Geraldo brought out his Zoom Lens Hi-tech Camera and asked if we could go to the swamps which I had been telling him about. So we went into Sungei Puaku where we witnessed some interesting wildlife and a sad picture where the wildlife had to give way to a sparkling new Chalet Resort which was an eyesore among the lush greenery. There were obvious signs of construction and soil erosion, and even an artificial beach!!! Anyway, at the end of the river cruise, we were zooming to Blakang Ubin (the back of Ubin) to do a little fishing.
The first bait from my handline went down at around 6 pm and I started setting up the rods for my colleagues. Before I even had the chance to set up the third rod, Mel's flimsy rod was in action and a nice Barra cleared the water about 30 ft from the boat. Then suddenly, Xiao Ming's rod also dipped and he was on to something big too. Fortunately, the fish I was fighting fought near the surface while Xiao Ming's fish fought deep. I heard him mention somehthing about not being able to wind when his line suddenly went limp and he lost his fish. Nevertheless, after a reasonable fight, I led the first fish into Xiao Ming's waiting landing net. It was a Barra around the 4 kilo mark.
After several pics, I let down another bait and moved to the front of the boat. We were all talking about Xiao Ming's fish that got away when Mel's little red rod dipped again! When I struck, the fish was gone, and it had taken the bait with it. Unhindered, I hooked on another livey and let down the line.
After about ten minutes, when I was thinking of going for the seafood dinner, Mel's rod dipped again. I think it must have been the colour of the rod. This time, Geraldo fought the fish. It fought deep and much harder than the first fish, taking line whenever it had the chance.
Everyone had moved to Geraldo's side of the boat and the boat was tilting at an awkward angle, but no one seemed to notice as Geraldo huffed and puffed as he struggled to win the battle. By now, everyone had gotten used to the sound of the drag and the pumping action of the rod. Then I saw a flash of silver and realized that he had caught a Barra too!!!
This one was heftier, around the 5 kg mark, and it swam quite willingly into the landing net. It seems that the fish had caused quite a bit of pain to Geraldo's wrist as the pumping action had taken its toll on both the angler and the fish.
Over a scrumptious dinner by the beach that evening, I had a hard time convincing my colleagues that fishing wasn't always so good... but I don't think they were convinced. Their first fishing trip had produced two excellent fish in under 2 hours and plenty of excitement. Take a look at the gang here.
Dec99
The Wet Season produced the usual stuff... Stingers, Garoupas, big Grunters, and respectable Snappers. But the odd ones must be the 3 young Kurau which showed up. I'll write a story here once I find the time... this time, there was a big one that got away, and someone I know has changed his line to high-tech 50 lb braided... hee hee
Nov
When the rains come... ... the water gets colder and most anglers take a break, preferring to sleep in their 'fish-smell' rooms listening to the faint rhythm of the falling rain, dreaming of catching a wild Barramundi. Normally, the start of the wet season in Singapore signals the end of Snapper runs and comfortable warm and dry fishing trips. The common complaints are 'cold water' and 'sea lice'. However, not everything is bad.
Through the years, I've noticed more dead fish floating around during these wet months. The water definitely gets colder and more fish die than usual. This signals the start of CRAB SEASON where crab activity increases and crabs grow big and fat feeding off dead fish.
While some may claim that the wet season is Barra season, I have found little to support this claim. It seems that the Barra action moves upriver during the wet season. Instead, one thing is for sure, it is definitely GAROUPA SEASON.
These great tasting food fish get extremely fat and aggressive during these months (sounds like someone you know?) and anglers make tackle shop owners rich as they flock to buy weights and tackle to contribute to underwater snags and rocks.
Not only is it crab and Garoupa season, it's also STINGRAY SEASON. On recent trips I've been pulling up more Stingers than usual and putting it all together. You see, with rain, you get cold water. With cold water, you get dead fish. With dead fish, you get EXCITED FAT BOTTOM DWELLERS like crabs, Garoupas and Stingers. So while the Snapper lie low, I'm not complaining.
The only complaint, however, is that crab season often brings with it the opportunistic-non-commercial-drift net fishermen who also ruin great fishing spots and kill baby fish. What to do?
Oct99
Here's a brief update of the most recent trips: 260999: Jengwe and gang came on board for a night trip, went through some rough weather, and came back to shore in the morning with a decent catch of Barras, Snappers and Garoupas. (Biggest fish during the trip was a 2 kg+ Barra caught by yours truly)We even got a bonus of 2 nice flower crabs which were entangled on a piece of broken net I hooked up. 021099: Winston and his friends came for a day trip and went back with the usual three types... Barra, Snapper and Garoupa. Winston caught the biggie of the day ... a 2.5kg Garoupa. Terrible weather again... we got sunburned and drenched.
091099: Alex, Haoming, Sean and Ghee came for a day trip which was marred by highly polluted water in the morning. It was a wet day but we still managed the usual three of Barra, Snapper and Garoupa (and some other stuff as well). Haoming bagged Gold with a Barra of 2.4kg.
Well, it seems the baitfish are coming in and this should signal the start of a good wet season ahead... just be prepared to get drenched.
Sept99
Here's a quick summary of the recent trips... Although the 8 kilo Barra was the highlight of the past two weeks, there have been other significant catches as well. 4/9/99- morning trip... Desmond, Linus and me went around Ubin and I hit two large Snapper while Desmond C&R a Queeny. Linus hit a Garoupa and there were other small stuff.
5/9/99- 2 hr trip. Me and my gal went out and caught some Garoupas for dinner.
10/9/99- day trip... Boon Liang (Snow), Hong Neng, Davis, Weng and I went half way around Ubin and caught some Grunters, Garoupas, a Sweetlip, a Blue-spotted Ray and some other stuff.
10/9/99- night trip... Sau Pin and gang from NUS and NTU came with me but the water was cold and all kinds of Catfish were the order of the day. I caught a decent Snapper somewhere among the Catfish though. Sad night.
11/9/99- day trip... when the sun rose, Des, Krista and me hung around Ubin in the morning where I caught a decent Grunter and we caught some Soapies (young Jewfish). Then we zoomed off at high speed to Tekong where the Chermin were (supposed to be), but ended up flying kites instead.
19/9/99- day trip... after a hard week at work I was back at sea again to de-stress. What a day it turned out to be!!! An 8 kilo Barra showed up! For the full story, go to Picture Gallery 7. I've put up the pic of Wong with the special 'sign of Barra' Tanda in this Gallery. Never look down on the Tanda... those who have read my 9 kilo Garoupa story will understand.
Overall, the fishing was great... except for the day the water was cold. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks.
September 1999
For a whole week, I'd been thinking of nothing but Barra... strangely, I had a strong feeling I was gonna land a Barra soon... ... Kenny had been corresponding with me via email throughout the week and he had booked a trip for 4 with me on 19/9/99. As the day drew nearer, I remember saying in an email 'Frankly speaking, I'm quite confident of getting a Barra on Sunday.' I don't know what made me say that, but it just came out. Those words came true alright, but in a way I never expected. Sunday finally came, we met at Pasir Ris MRT Station and I drove the four of them down to the boat. They were Kenny (The Lureman), Kenny (Vivken), Wong (who loves to eat fish) and Vivian.
After getting my special live prawns from the usual fishfarm, we headed for the Big Grunter spot where I had brought some other chaps a week ago. The previous Friday we hit 2 there and on Saturday I hit another one there. Sadly, this week, the Grunters were not cooperating.
So we went to a couple of my other spots where all we could manage were smallish Garoupas, Snappers, a Queeny and even a Leatherjacket. Then a storm came and we took shelter in Ketam.
After the storm, we headed back to a spot which I had known for seven years. Seven years ago, we used to land Barras, Snappers and Chermins at this spot, but about two years ago, man-made changes to the sea-scape made me think that the spot had outlived its glory days. So I stopped going to this spot. Once in a while however, I would visit the spot for old times' sake but only for a few minutes. This time, however, I realized that my two-year absence had simply made the fish Bigger, Better and Stronger.
We were anchored almost over the spot and Kenny was getting snagged on the structure below although he knew it was there. It was a good approach he was using... the 'no risk no gain' approach.
In order not to compete with Kenny, I cast my line to the other side of the structure and waited. After about 5 minutes, Wong, who had been keeping himself busy pulling up baby Grunters and catching tiny fish with little chunks of prawn meat, pulled up a Tanda.
Those familiar with my 9 kilo Garoupa story will know the significance of a Tanda. So when I saw the fish, my hopes were raised and I was clearly saying, 'Wow Tanda, that's the sign of the Barra's presence!' when an explosion made us all turn around.
I turned around just fast enough to see a half-hearted jump of a HUGE BARRAMUNDI. I saw that my line was limp and I knew that it had taken my bait.
Screaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!!! went my tiny reel newly filled with 8 lb line. Jump! Another Jump! With each jump, my heart skipped a beat... I had lost so many such Barras when they jumped like that... I lost count. So all I could do was hope that my hook stayed firmly in place.
After about 5 minutes, the fish seemed to have tired itself out and I started to gain line. What a naive angler I was. This fish was a fighter... and it was just swimming towards me to get to the other side of the boat.
It easily swam under the boat and headed for deeper water. This time, the drag seemed to go on forever. I had half a mind to raise the anchor and follow the fish, but a quick check on my spool assured me that I should have enough line to play the fish till it tired itself out.
After another 10 minutes of more giving than taking, I was demoralized. The fish seemed to know this and fought in a wide circle around the boat, using its weight to its own advantage, making me clamber wildly all around the boat while the other guys started speculating. Although they were half joking about whether the fish felt the hook at all, I could almost believe them. Every time the fish took off on a run, I would look worriedly at the amount of line I had left in my small spool.
Mind you, trying to pull in a HUGE BARRA like that on spiderweb was no easy task. Eventually, as the circle around the boat grew smaller, I knew I had him. After a few anxious moments with the anchor rope at the front of the boat, the fish had made its way to the rear of the boat. A few more half jumps and weight-guessing attempts later, the fish was almost within net reach. Kenny had put its weight around the 4-5 kg region while I had earlier estimated it to be around the 8-10 kg region. Eventually, we settled on 6 kg. But as the fish drew nearer, we saw the thickness of its shoulders and immediately revised our estimation.
Finally, after almost half an hour of sweaty battle, it came within reach and Kenny, with a clean swoop, managed to get the head of the fish into the landing net... and the battle was over.
Vivken took out his brass weighing scale and we weighed the bugger... exactly 8 kg. What a fish! As the fish lay there glistening in the sunlight exhausted, I too rubbed my cramped right arm and in that brief moment, my eyes were re-opened to the beauty of the Barra... and the beauty of fishing.
All it takes is a fish like this, which fought like there was no tomorrow, to keep an angler going. Though I have fought countless big Barras before, this, I would say, was the BEST BARRA FIGHT I EVER HAD!!!!!! Thanks Kenny, Wong, Kenny and Vivian for the encouragement and assistance during the fight.
August 1999
Do Not Use Cheap Swivels, or Cute Ones... ... either, as both Colin and me learnt that day as we each lost big Queenies due to Swivel failure. Colin's 'cute' swivel broke during a highly acrobatic fight, while my cheap swivel 'opened up' during a trememdous Queeny leap.
July 1999
Have You Ever Tried Sticking an Octopus... ... onto your friend's head? Playing with Octopuses can be great fun. However, there is a hidden danger. The Blue-spotted Octopus, which is very deadly, can easily be mistaken for a common Octopus. So, if you're ever in doubt, just cut your line.
In fishing, remember this saying, if ever in doubt, don't.
June 1999
Silence is Golden... ... Snapper. Here's an important point to note if you're keen on catching more than one Snapper per trip... bring the fish in quickly, absolutely DO NOT let the fish thrash around the boat, and stay as quiet as possible. These fish normally feed in schools and experienced fishermen will stay extremely silent when they chance upon a school of Snapper. This gives them a chance to pull in a good number of Snapper before the bites 'turn off'.
Inexperienced fishermen, on the other hand, would not be able to handle a fish properly, letting it flop around the boat, or they would talk very loudly, turn on a radio (or even a portable TV), do a victory dance, and do everything to prevent anyone else, including themselves, from catching any more fish. (I have to admit that I too, have been guilty of some of the above crimes... heehee... but numerous hard lessons have taught me well.)
As we all know, Snapper are highly sensitive to sound and even the smallest lead weight dropped carelessly in a boat might ruin a whole day's fishing as these fish are 'turned on' for brief moments in a day. Thus, turning them off the moment they start biting could be disastrous, not only for you, but also for everyone else on the boat.
May 1999
Fishing Ponds Have Done a Great Injustice to the Awesome Mangrove Jack... ... because when I was a small boy following my dad and his Pawang out in our Western waters, The Mangrove Jack, or Onga Api (Api means fire) was highly prized both for its eating as well as its fighting qualities. I'll never forget the expression of great pride on the Pawang's face as he hauled in a gleaming reddish brown MJ around 1.5 kg and how he kept talking about the eating qualities of the fish. I'd known that Pawang (a really experienced guy who lived off the sea) for some time and I had never seen him so thrilled by any other fish before. It not only looked magnificent, but when we cooked and ate it, its flesh was sublime. So, deep down in my heart, the notion that the MJ was a great fish got firmly implanted. Then one day I had the opportunity to tangle with a wild MJ (during those times, Pasir Ris "Fishing Pond" was still a swampy ox-bow lake with children playing with toy boats along its banks). I'll never forget that fight.
I was using 6 lb line on a Daiwa reel with a Nilsmaster lure and reeling in slowly when something almost wrenched my rod out of my hand. The shock of the strike left me stunned for a moment as the Daiwa's drag screamed and howled while my rod was bent into a complete U-shape.
The fish never really gave me a chance to calm my shaking legs as it created havoc all over the place, even at times swimming towards me and then suddenly bursting off in a different direction at speeds that would put the Barra to shame. I tried really hard to get a glimpse of the fish but all I saw were huge boils, explosions and swirls in the water.
After participating in about 5-10 minutes of tug-of-war, with the fish still keeping out of sight, I decided that this fish was gonna be a whopper. 3 kg? 5 kg even?
But then, just when I thought that my fish was gonna break all previous weight records, it literally "popped" out of the water and landed at my feet. I felt really humiliated yet amused at the size of the fish, it was a Mangrove Jack barely hitting the One kilo mark. From then on, my respect for the MJ grew tremendously and I remember a couple of heart-stopping fights similar to that first one.
Then one day, Pasir Ris Fishing Pond was born and many other commercial ponds sprouted up all over Singapore. These ponds started stocking mostly Barras at first but suddenly the MJs started turning up in epidemic proportions. What made things worse was that most of these MJs were bred in brackish water ponds in our neighbouring countries and did not have the same amount of exercise and muscles as the wild ones. So, many of the new anglers in Singapore who appeared along with the fishing pond trend started catching these weakened, captivity-bred MJs and they probably started wondering what the hell these black coloured fish were.
And, of course, along came the "pond pro" who, after catching hundreds of such undernourished MJs, would 'educate' everyone else by telling them that these were Michael Jacksons, Chia Chors or Or Loo Loos which tasted far inferior to the nicer-looking Kim Buk Lor or Barra. This was not hard to believe, if you've seen a pond MJ. Thus, the MJ started earning a bad reputation at commercial ponds and people even started swearing when they caught one of these poor MJs. Deprived of any real experience with a wild MJ, the masses started looking down on the MJ. They don't know what they're missing.
So, before you jump to any conclusions about a fish, whether about its fighting qualities or about its taste, know that the wild MJ, in terms of strength, speed and taste, has very few peers. Also ask yourself, the next time you catch one in a pond, whether you see the fish you catch through the eyes of someone else who doesn't know as much as he thinks he does, or through your own eyes.
Whatever it is, to me, the Mangrove Jack will always be a SUPERB fish.
June 1999
A Surprising Lobster at Changi!!! Something even more rare (but possible) than the Threadfin turned up in June 1999... a 1 kg Lobster caught by Daniel on an Australian Pilchard bait he sneaked into Singapore. He was using a Big-mouth hook by the way. Yum Yum... cholesterol level's gonna blow sky high if any more of these critters appear!!!
Careful!!! It's a Stingray, Daniel exclaimed... ... as he quickly dumped whatever he had caught a glimpse of back overboard. According to him, he had seen the long, whip-like tail of a Stingray after reeling in something heavy. We were anchored off Changi at about 1 am in the morning when the fish started biting. I'd just had a brief struggle with a huge eel-tailed Cattie and was trying to unhook it safely when Daniel said he was stuck on something.
I didn't pay him much attention as I was very much focused on risky task of unhooking the frisky 2 kilo plus Catfish. (One such fish had sent me painfully to the hospital sometime in 1998 where, out of complacency, I'd let a big wave swing the fish towards me and onto my knee... sigh... what a painful lesson.)
Anyway, after a couple of minutes, I had just unhooked the Catfish when Daniel exclaimed about catching a Stingray and quickly let whatever he had brought up fall back into the water. "Stingray?" I wondered as I peered over the edge of the boat to try to catch a glimpse of the creature Daniel had caught and ALMOST released. Nothing. So I pulled in his line slowly using my hand till I saw a long whip-like thingy slowly emerge from the water. Then I realized there were two whip-like thingies and heard a snapping sound as the creature curled and uncurled its body in a frantic struggle to free itself. The silhouette of the creature as well as the sound seemed vaguely familiar and it suddenly dawned upon me... "LOBSTER!!!!!!! QUICK, PULL IT IN!!!"
So that was how Daniel caught the lobster. For those of you who want to know what his lobster formula was, it was a whole Australian Pilchard double hooked on Big-mouth hooks.
Some people say that it was probably an escapee while others say that they used to catch them there. Personally, that was the third time I'd seen someone pull up a lobster in the wild on a hook in all my 19 years of fishing, so lobsters can indeed be found in the wild. Whatever it was, escapee or wild-child, it tasted GREAT... right, Daniel?
October 1998
People often ask me whether fish bite at night... ... "What do you think?" I would reply. Well they obviously do. But sometimes I have had to wait the whole night at a spot without a single bite and then suddenly, as the sun appears, WHAM WHAM WHAM, the bites start coming incessantly, at that very same spot! But at other times, I have had to wait the whole hot day without a bite, and when the sun goes down, POW!!! a monster shows up.
What can I say? Well some spots do fire up at different times of the day and some spots are strictly "Day Spots" while other spots are labelled "Nightspots" not nightspots as in Boat Quay and Mohammed Sultan Road. (Stale Joke Alert!)
For variety, I go for both day and night fishing. Girls I know, on the other hand, seem to prefer night fishing as daytime fishing can get pretty hot in Singapore. Which type of fishing do you prefer?
So what's your favourite... ...fish? Well, locally, I've got two categories of favourites: Best Fighting; and Best Eating. My favourite fighter would undoubtedly be the GT, such a pity huge specimens are so rare in our waters. However, the favourite eating fish would be the Garoupa... such tender, tasty, white flesh...mmmmmmmmm mmmm. But realistically, if I had to choose a favourite fish that is reasonably abundant in our waters and has good fighting as well as eating qualities, I'd choose the Snapper. They don't only fight well and taste good, but they look good and are dependable (as in, there's a high chance of catching them) as well.
Sometimes, while fishing locally, I try to remind myself that beggars can't be choosers, so even the odd Catfish might bring a smile... and sometimes there's even a little tender spot for the much-despised Stargazer (or Kukup) too.
Whatever it is, to each his own . If you say your favourite fish is the Eel, I'd say "Good choice mate!" coz it's only right that we all grow to respect each other's views, be it on Favourite Fish, Catch and Release, Most Effective Rig, or Most Powerful Deodorant.
September 1998
SEE THE ROD BEND!!!!! Everybody enjoys putting the pressure on the fish. Just remember to pump smoothly so that you don't dislodge the hook from the mouth of the fish or worse, tear its mouth. And just when you thought the fish was tiring... zak zak zak goes the drag...
Do fish bite... during a downpour? Well, I guess the pictures answer the question. In fact, I find the onset of a downpour marvellous for fishing. However, there are a few dangers such as getting your camera wet and spoiling it (and ruining all the film inside with shots of magnificent fish). But the biggest danger lies in the weather itself. Rain by itself poses little danger, but rain with wind can be HELL !!! Here's to those tough guys who have shared cold, wet, windy, shivery nights on my boat with me!!!
Action pics are hard to take... ... you never know when a fish is gonna take the line and whether it's gonna fight long enough for you to snap a pic. One trick is to hold on to your camera while the angler casts out his line. Then you wait. HAHAHAAAAAAAAA...
The other way is to keep a camera handy and DON'T HESITATE to take it out of the bag or case the moment somebody's rod bends. Then, of course, you've got to quickly position yourself well and hope that the fish cooperates by pulling out a little drag so that you'll have enough time to snap some award-winning photos!!!
August 1998
THE 9 KG GAROUPA STORY. I looked up worriedly to the West... ... for that was where the storm was coming from. After all, there were two girls on the boat together with Neng Siu, Jason (my brother) and me, and it didn't seem wise to sit there waiting for the storm to hit. Reluctantly, I reeled in my girlfriend's line, for she was already starting to take cover beneath the boat's modest shelter. The day hadn't gone according to plan... strangely, the current was dead for very long periods and the spots I thought would produce fish didn't even produce a bite. Now, as the storm drew nearer and we started to feel the first few drops of rain on our faces, Murphy's law decided that it was time for the current to pick up. By that time, the boat had started to swing with the ever-strengthening wind and not the current, but Neng Siu began pulling up small Tanda.
Although I knew it was a good sign, as many past encounters with Tanda schools had resulted in one or two monster fish such as Barras and Garoupas, I decided that the chance was not worth taking so I picked up my own rod, which had been lying motionless in the rod stand for at least half an hour, and started reeling in the slack. Stuck!!!
"What a time to get stuck!!!", I thought to myself. The storm was almost on top of us and I was the only one left with the line in the water while my brother was about to raise the anchor.
So I tugged hard at the line in order to snap it. My 12 lb line was pretty new so it managed to put up with quite a lot of tugging and guitar-string plucking. I couldn't waste anymore time so I gave it a really hard tug this time. But something tugged back... strongly.
I managed to shout, "Big fish!" while trying to untangle the line from my hands but I got slightly 'burnt' by the line anyway. Grabbing the rod just as the drag started to scream, what came to my mind was "Stingray". But somehow, the full scream never came. Instead, there was a low groan from the reel as the fish moved off slowly but purposefully into deeper water.
By then, the rain had started to pour and the wind was pushing the boat strongly against the frail anchor. Nevertheless, all of us were oblivious to the raging elements and standing in the rain, wondering when the fish would turn.
We waited for what seemed like ages as the fish took line as though it was a machine, grinding away slowly but surely. I looked down at my spool and gained some confidence from the fact that the fish, due to it's slowness, had only pulled out about half a spool of 12 lb line. We all knew that there was no real cause for worry unless I could see the back of my spool.
Finally, while I was still pondering about the 'mechanical' pulling motion of the fish, it turned, not because I made it turn, but it turned on it's own decision. It was the fish's big mistake. I started gathering the slack as the fish swam towards me. By the time it realized it was swimming in the wrong direction, it was quite near the boat and I tried for about 5 minutes to get a glimpse of the fish. But everytime it got closer, it somehow had the strength, or weight, to stay out of sight.
It was just a matter of time before the fish would rear its head, we guessed, and we were right. I thought I had snagged a log while fighting the fish as I saw a huge brown object surface near where my line met the water. Then the brown object started moving its tail and I gasped as I realized that it was a Garoupa... a monstrous Garoupa.
Then, as swift as the lightning that flashed above us, my brother stretched out and netted the fish in one swoop. Bringing the fish onto the boat and gazing into its huge eyes, my brother let out a scream of victory. I decided, "Why not?" and let out a yell too. Neng Siu and his girlfriend, however, seemed taken aback by our screaming in the rain, or maybe it was because of the fish?
Anyway, we made it back safely to the boatel and it was still pouring so I had to dump the fish into the boot of my car and take photographs of it in my kitchen. Since my brother was more decently dressed than me, as all my clothes were soaked, it's his photo that I've decided to put up for you guys to see.
So whoever said that there are no huge fish in Singapore? ... well, then there's the GT story too, but I guess I'll leave that for another day.
July 1998
I've always wondered... ...what fish do when the current's dead. Maybe they just hang around watching television or something. Once, on a flight to Melbourne, I saw a documentary when they dived during a "currentless" period. The fish were there but they were simply, how do I say it, hanging around? One thing's for sure, fishing around Ubin and Tekong is definitely current-dependent. I prefer a falling tide, but as long as the line does not go straight down, there's a chance of a good bite. All these fish were caught while the current was strong.
Even while fishing in deep water, although light-gear fishermen wait for a change in current or a slack current in order to get their baits down to the bottom, the basic rule still remains: NO CURRENT, NO ACTION . In deep water, the preferred scenario would be a slack current but certainly not a dead current.
But like all crazy fishos, don't we try our luck whether or not there's a current? It's all about hope and... wishful thinking... HAHAHAHAAAAAA... but who cares? (Maybe next time, instead of wasting live prawns and feeding the sea-lice, we should just play cards or something.)
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