SAILS THAT CHASE SKIRTS

   

This article was published in the February 2002 issue of Rod And Line magazine.

 "Fish on, fish on," I screamed at the top of my voice. Being alone at the back of the boat, I had no choice but to scream. With the diesel engine droning away, it was a wonder anyone could hear me. Somehow I was heard and the boat slowed to a stop. With half a spool of mono gone, it was a long and tedious pump and wind affair with my TLD 25 single speed. When the torpedo shaped silhouette jumped, the whole gang chorused, tenggiri". I eased off on the drag when the unmistakable stripes of the mackerel could be seen. As expected, the fish made one final lunge and my empty hook cum skirt came flying back.

The gang posing proudly with James's sailfish.

     After one year of planning, we finally got everything to click together for this trip. Phang asked us to join this trip organised by Khong. As we planned only for GTs and sailfish, the six of us got hold of the 'Top Gun II". A bit smaller than the usual boats that we were used to, it was still safe and quite comfortable.

     The first thing that we noticed was the crystal clear water of Jarak. Casting our lures as the boat slowly chucked around the island, we were in high spirit. Khong's red popper was the first to be attacked. The small trevally gave him a good run for his money. Phang, casting from the roof of the boat was the next to land another. He must have a very good martial master, as he never lost his balance even though the boat was rocking wildly from side to side. We were using mostly poppers and the evergreen Abu Kosters. When we called it a day, Khong had three trevallies while Phang had one. James, the Ng brothers (Kar Loon and Chee Seng) and I were empty handed although we had a few strikes.

Khong displaying his trevally taken with a popper.

      Popping for GTs is always a hectic affair. We normally cast our lures towards the island, crank like crazy and try to impart as much life as possible to the lures. With the boat rocking like a roller coaster, it was rather a taxing on even fit young anglers. If a trevally is hooked, it will head straight for the high reefs and rocky outcrops to cut you off. Its tail too can be used as a line cutter. Being flat bodied, they can really exert a lot of force on your arms, legs and back muscles.

Me and my sailfish with Khong holding up the fin.

      When night fell a few of us were doing bottom fishing. Yours truly being a bit over the hills decided to conserve energy for the next day. Suddenly, shouts were heard and Kar Loon was seen fighting with a whopper. The 6kg ray was brought up after a seesaw battle. Chee Seng was next to have a fight on his hand. That barracuda really made his trip worthwhile, as he was only fifteen.

Phang caught one from the roof too.

      The moment the sun's ray cast their lighted shafts across the sea, we upped anchor. Casts after casts were made but none of us got any strikes. All in we made almost ten passes round Jarak without any positive result. It was then decided that  we stop for breakfast. Two lines were drifted out with kembong as baits.

These blisters were a result of  the crazy casting and reeling during our spinning sessions.

      Although sails were seen cruising nearby and some were jumping in the distance there were no hookups.

With renewed energy from our breakfast, we decided to continue casting. I let out my skirt to troll after we decided to try one more method for a change. That was when I lost my tengirri. Feeling disappointed but not defeated, I let out my skirt again as soon as I have checked the leader for damage. Almost immediately after I had set my reel, its alarm went off again. Thinking I had hooked up some debris, I was in no hurry to grab the rod. When the dark shape of a sail came shooting out of the water in the distance, I immediately moved into top gear.

Our killer skirts. These were the skirts that brought us success. The chrome head (self-made) was similar to the one lost to a sail. The bottom one was the store bought molded head and skirt used by James. The skirts are great, versatile lures which are still not too popular among Malaysians, who prefer to use live baits for bill fish fishing. The skirts can be trolled at varied speed up to 15 knots for certain designs. Contrary to misconception, they can be relatively cheap compared to the hard lures. Use teasers for best effect.

      Attracted by all my shouting and screaming( this old goat still has two powerful lungs) everyone seemed to appear from nowhere. The deck was cleared and a 'fighting chair' was put at my disposal. Phang quickly hooked on a butt cap for me and I settled down to the battle. The sails fought, ran and tail walked for almost 20 minutes before it was finally grabbed on the bill by James. With Kar Loon holding on to the tail it was gently hauled on to the deck. We took our remembrance photos, revived and released it in record time of only three minutes. None the worst from its encounter except for a sore mouth and wounded pride, my sail banked away to freedom with a swipe of its tail.

The fish slowly giving up. Note the red skirt near its mouth.

 

     By now everyone seemed in the mood to troll. Three lines were let out. James used a store-bought moulded head with skirt. Khong was using a bibless, while Kar Loon was using a self-made hexagonal chrome head with skirt.

Kar Loon trying to grab James's tail-wrapped sails.

     As the saying goes "when it rain it pours". James' skirt was attacked and the reel screamed it protest. He was agile for his size. Plopping himself on to the chair he was pumping and cranking like crazy. Beads of sweat could be seen dripping down his grim and determined face. The athmostphere  was sizzling with tension. Phang was filming the whole fight with his video cam while I was taking stills. Being next to the cabin, I was giving instruction to Ah Hock on the direction to steer the boat so as to allow James a clear area to fight the sail.

The Ng brothers, Kar Loon with his ray and Chee Seng with his barracuda.

     At one point James and the sail were stalemated with my chubby friend panting away. Phang was whispering to me, "Fei Loh finished loh". I didn't realised I was screaming to James when I told him not to allow the sail to rest. Suddenly James announced that the fish had died. When the "dead" fish  was brought near the boat we realised that it was tail-wrapped. Kar Loon grabbed its bill. With Khong and Chee Seng at the tail end, it was tenderly lifted up. Our group photographs were taken and the fish revived by dragging it along with the moving boat. When it started to struggle, it was released to fight another day.

The taikong of "To Gun II", Mr Lee Theam Hock.

     This sail was lucky as it was hooked just about two centimeters from its eyes. The next lure to be hit was Khong's bibless. The alarm sounded for a few seconds and then there was silence. When it was reeled back the treble was found to have opened up. My skirt, used by Kar Loon, was grabbed and the alarm sounded its adrenaline releasing music for a short while. When the limp line was reeled back the leader was found to have been broken.

My revived sails being released.

     Our success was a combination of the close and unselfish cooperation between the seven of us. When a fish was on, everyone chipped in to do his bit thus resulting in the landing of my 40kg and James 50kg sails. I doubt, in the case of hard running and fighting bill fish, success could be had without the helping and sharing attitude of everyone on board. Luckily for us too that the taikong was willing to follow our instructions in steering the boat to facilitate the fighting of the sails.

Bass Fishing In Perak

BASS FISHING IN PERAK

(This article was published in the January  2002 issue of Rod And Line magazine)

     Peacock bass, a transplant from South America, have adapted themselves so well to our water that you can find them all over Perak, especially the Kinta area. Any pond that is connected to the Kinta River system contains a sizable population of them. Like its cousin the tilapia, this cichlid breeds as though the world is going to end.

     Being ferocious, the peacock bass usually hunt in packs. There is no doubt about the threat they pose to local fishes. Therefore I would like to urge anglers to go out and fish for them. One thing I can vouch for is you  will never regret it. At the same time this is one of the few fishes that you do not have to feel guilty when you take your entire catch home for food. Well at least we are contributing in its population control.

     Therefore when Chong told us that his son and gang had come back from their foray with peacock bass of more than a kilo in size, we all sat up and listened. Until now, my experiences with this fighter were only confined to the junior league.

Yours truly holding up my catches.

     With great anticipations, James, Ronnie, Chong and I were at the pond side the next Sunday evening. our baits consisted of the silvery seluangs that were in plentiful supply in most aquarium shops. Settling down at one likely spot, I cast out my bait and waited. Surprisingly this isolated pond was rather small. Being in the middle of nowhere, the bass must have been thrown in by some hobbyist. But on closer examination, I found a small stream flowing nearby. The fish must have found their way here by swimming up the stream.

     James was the first to see action. The 600gm fish was landed without any fanfare. When my bait was taken, my Shimano 6lb Stimulus rod was bent into a semi circle. After taking line in short bursts while sweeping to my left and then right, the 1 kilo plus bass finally surrendered. James, Chong and I landed one more each before we were forced by failing light to pack up.

Peacock bass is spreading fast and furious in Perak, as evidenced by these harvestz.

     Well, most fishing trips were just like or even worst than this. Most of the time it was a "pak kor" (empty handed) trip. As anglers, our aims were to enjoy the outing, to relax, talk rots and clown together just to forget the daily stressful rat race. The catches were bonuses. If you go with only one aim of getting plenty of fish by hook or by crook, then you would behave as though the whole was at fault on a fish-less day.

Almost every pond connected to the Kinta River contains a sizeable bass population. The fish are more active in the morning or after four in the evening.

     Our next peacock bass foray was a bonanza. This time our destination was a huge pond located near Lawan Kuda, Gopeng. Accessing this pond was a cinch as James had just acquired himself a Ford Splash. Surveying this huge expense of water we finally settled down under some trees.

Two more bass fell to Mong's free swimming seluangs.

      In fact James caught a 1.5 kilo fella just a few days earlier from here. With his enthusiastic gestures and exciting description of the fight, I just couldn't wait to get a dose of it. My chubby friend was again the first to see action and landed four before I even got a nudge. As always, the digging and needling started. I was getting quite impatient as James was the only one getting all the attentions from the bass.

     Suddenly some snorting was heard coming from some 50 meters out in the pond. "Damn otters," I cursed. There were at least ten of them hunting for fish out there. Contrary to what we we believed, instead of spoiling our fishing, they saved our day. Because of the presence of the otters, the fish were driven near to our bank.

     When my line moved I struck. The fish headed straight for the surface.With gills flaring and mouths wide opened this cichlid deserves the misnomer, bass.  All in I caught thirteen fish while James landed nine. Though not big (mostly about 800gm) but the fights they gave on light tackle were something one would never forget for a long time. 

     When you started to fish for peacock bass, you tend to hunt for them successively for a few weeks or months at a stretch. This speaks volume on its addictive and heart stopping fights. When first landed the beautiful greenish yellow glow on its body was something like the dorado. The flesh, well it depends on individual taste. Some praise it sky-high, while others would condemn it fervently. As for me, I like it steamed (plain or with sambal paste).

A good size bass landed by James.

     The third successive Sunday saw Mong, James and I surveying a pond near Mambang Diawan, not far from Kampar. The old mining ponds did not look as though it was infested with the peacock bass. As they say, do not judge a book by its cover, so we were wrong in our observations. We nearly went home empty handed too after one hour of fruitless wait.

     Our usual method of fishing was not producing any result at all. Some young boys who kindly showed us how they tied their hooks directly to the line with no weights or swivels saved our day. Without being hampered by any weights the small seluangs could swim around on the surface. Should there be any peacock bass around the strikes near the surface were heart stopping. From then on we were into fish after fish.

Ronnie posing proudly with his junior bass.

     After catching my share of the bass, I began to move around this pond. Seeing two men casting near the far end of the pond, I sauntered over to have a look-see. They were spinning with spoons and spinners. The spinner was the beastlier here as it produced two fish. Both the fish were of about almost 2 kilo each.

     Our experiences were that the peacock bass would feed early in the morning until about noon. After which the action slowed to almost a standstill. By four when the sun was not so hot, they began to get back their appetites again. As could be seen, live baits were the best and the most productive.

FEATHERBACKS WITH NO TABLE MANNERS

This article was published in the December 2001 issue of Rod And Line fishing magazine.

      When I read about the big rush at the recent open house at the Prime Minister's residence, I just shook my head and put it down as pack mentality of the kiasu kind. All you need was one guy rushing forward and it would trigger adrenaline to flow, thus the mad rush.This type of behaviour is very common in the animal kingdom. Try tossing a handful of grated coconut into the river and watch what happened. Seldom you can find fish that feed with the finesse and table manners of guests at a gala dinner for VIPs.

     The only fish that feed like that is the featherbacks of Chenderoh Lake. According to my limited experience, the featherbacks there will just mouth your bait, causing the rod tip to dip just a little. If you are holding it in your hand, you will just feel a slight pull. And if your nerve neurons are as rusty and old as mine, the bait will be long gone before you could react.

Their first three decent featherbacks.

     Imagine my surprise when I went fishing for feather backs at Kampung Gajah area. The featherbacks here were as rough as the pirates of days gone by. Their table manners could be describe as 'ngo kow chiong si' (hungry dogs fighting for sh... aaagh!). I had never seen feather backs feeding like that.

     Gurdip and gang had found a lubuk near Kampung Gajah where the featherbacks were in plague proportion. The trouble was they only go on weekdays, while poor me could only fish on weekends. For almost three weeks I had to squirm and itch every time they showed me their catches. Squirmed that I did, until I got leave on one Monday. One week before that date, I had made Gurdip promised me a trip on that date. (It was easy when you have a sharp long parang in your hand).

Ganesan's three kg beauty.

     Along the way Joe picked up some oil palm fruits as baits (for jelawats and other herbivores. Reaching the secret spot my heart sank. The lubuk was covered by a few trees that had being felled and thrown into the river. After scouting around for an alternate spot further up river, I made myself comfortable under a tree some twenty meters away from the original spot. My baited hook flew out immediately after I was ready.

     For river side fishing, one must come well prepared. A sharp parang in hand is very handy in defending yourself and also plenty of mosquito coils to drive away the 'dive bombers'. When these squadrons of blood sucking 'dive-bombers' homed in on you, man it was even worst than being sprinkled with itching powder. If you had ever fished past dinner time (between 6.00pm to 8.00pm) you would be lucky that you still have some blood left to stay alive.Those tiny blood suckers possessed some horribly strong and long probosces.They could even get to you through your thick trousers!

My two featherbacks of 1 kg each.

     There were plenty of actions, but not those that I was looking for. My bait was stolen many times by creatures still wearing napkins. Suddenly, Gurdip was blabbering excitedly away to Ganesan about some thing in Tamil ( I always miss the excitement as I can't comprehend what they were talking about). When the featherback broke the surface of the water, I knew what the excitement was all about. A few minutes later, they caught another fish. Both of them were sitting just 5 meters down river of me, but they monopolized all the actions.

Gurdip as usual with his 5 kg featherback caught during one of his earlier trips.

     Somehow in situation such as this, your confidence began to vane. First I smelt my hands, then checked my worms. I did a step by step checking to find out what I did wrong. Finding nothing wrong, I had to suffer silently as Gurdip and Ganesan landed their sixth featherbacks. Realizing good fishing manners were not going to do me any good, I barged in onto their spot. Well, both of them didn't utter a squeak and even made room for me (didn't I tell you a sharp parang is very useful tool to have around?).

     I must have brought them bad luck for there was not a single bite since I joined them. Their message to me was loud and clear, when both of them shifted lock, stock and barrel to a place some 5 meters upriver of my position. Almost immediately Ganesan hooked up a 3 kg feather back which gave a fantastic display of its acrobatic skills before being subdued.

     Well, I do believe in Feng Shui. I guessed the new place suited me as my rod suddenly bent into a perfect C. Luckily my rod holder held or else I would have lost some expensive (my standard) tackles.  Thinking it to be a baung as these guys have terrible table manners, I struck. To my surprise the 'baung' shot through the surface and landed with a loud splash. A kilo plus featherback was my reward.

     I made up for my lost time by landing three more fish. Two were released as they were still wearing napkins. The featherbacks here were a different lot when compared to their Chenderoh cousins. They lacked the finesse and gentleness typical of the Chenderoh species. Every take of the bait was a rough and crude affairs. If you were not careful, your tackle might get pulled into the river as what happened to Guna the week earlier.

This grass carp took Gurdip's worm bait and got into trouble.

     I don't know why, but I suspected it was because of the companies they kept. Those baungs, lampams and changka lulangs (a type of catfish) do not possess the word 'table manners' in their vocabulary. So what could you expect? Peer pressure, I presumed (that's what the psychologist termed it).

     Gurdip and Guna continued to land and release featherbacks. Many were lost when they headed for the many sunken trees here. Gurdip lost a big one when an estimated 5 kg giant jumped and dislodged the hook. For those fish that fight deep and did not head for the surface, they were survivors. Making use of the many underwater obstacles, they were experts in hanging you up and thumbing their noses at you.

     One of the most surprising things about the feather backs here was they relished worms instead of the usual river prawns or small fish. The worms that we used were known as cacing gerlang. They are normally found near dirty streams where the earth is black and rich in humus. When pricked with a hook they would exude a thick, yellowish liquid. Maybe it was this liquid that was attracting the feather backs.

     Do not stint on your baits. "Big baits catches big fish" as the saying goes. Be generous, so that those worms covered the whole hook. Leave both ends of the worm free as they were very enticing when they wriggle in the water.

     Most featherbacks will be lip hooked if you maintain a taut line. The straight taut line will ensure early warning if the fish picked up the bait. It will also cause the rod tip to bend down suddenly. If the line is left limp, there will be no alarm as the featherbacks here will just swallow and pull without hesitation. As such, they will be mostly gut hooked.

     River fishing sometimes produces a lot of pleasant surprises. During one of the trips, Gurdip hooked on to a monster. The giant grass carp took the worm bait and was landed after a few powerful runs. Yes, being herbivorous they sometimes do relished the occasional worms. Luckily it didn't head into the sunken trees. It must be the escapees from some fish ponds. With their adaptability and the abundance of food, they grew to fantastic sizes.

These were the cacing gelangs used and the way we hooked up the worms on the hook.

     The folks here used to wait on top of some trees to shoot the carps when they come near the banks for food. The reason for the abundance of the featherbacks in this area could be due to the fact that the folks here do not like feather backs.

     According to Pn. Rohaya (one of my colleagues, whose husband hails from Kampung Gajah area), the locals got an aversion to consuming featherbacks. It was handed down by words of mouth from the village elders that the featherbacks were transform from cats. As a result, they cannot eat featherbacks without feeling nauseated. My sympathies go to them but I am not complaining.

KINTA RIVER FISHING ADVENTURE

This article was published in the October 2001 issue of Rod and Line fishing magazine.

     The breeze was caressing my face while I was been driven around Kuala Lumpur in my cousin's MG sport convertible. Sitting at the back way above everybody (just like the films during the rock and roll era). I was the envy of many of my college mates in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. Being young, slim, tall and dark (leave out the handsome part) I sure was enjoying life.

     Suddenly, the cursor on my computer screen began to move by it self. Puzzled, I called out to my son nearby to investigate this phenomenon. It could be some mischievous spirits playing the fool with me. After observing it a while he exclaimed, "Aiyah! Your tummy is resting on the space bar lah". I was rudely brought back to the present. At fifty plus, I was no longer the same slim, tall and dark guy of the late sixties, but a worn out, weather beaten angler. And a small potbelly to boot too. (The potbelly part was the copyrighted comment of me by my editor, Mr. C.S.Fong, while we were fishing at Air Ganda recently). I had drifted off to the past ( the part about the sport car), while typing this story. All of you must try it once in a while (the part about drifting back to the past) as it is good for your ego, you know.

Guna with his catch taken on his first trip.

     It began when Guna came back with his tale of a monster breaking his 20lb line. He and a  few friends went on a biking and fishing trip to the lower reaches of the Kinta River. A 2 kilo plus kalui, and an undang galah was his notable catches. What really excited us was the part on the broken line.

This was how we were trying to push the car. Notice the place where a leech had feasted at Guna's expence?

     On Hari Raya Adha morning, all seven of us were loading our gears into Cheong's Hi-Lux Surf. As Ganesan's car was not meant for off road travelling, it was left on the edge of the oil palm estate. When everything was loaded and every seat taken, Guna and I found ourselves still outside the car. (What happened to the 'respect your elders' campaign?) There was no choice but for us to wind down the back door window and squeeze our bodies through it. With the lower halves inside and the upper halves outside we hanged on for dear life to the car topper rack fitted on the 4X4. (After so many years, I finally understand the true meaning of 'hanging on for dear life'). Other than ducking our heads from the palm fronds, the journey was quite pleasant. It even reminded me of my younger MG sport days. After that was jungle country, where Cheong literally bulldozed his 4X4 through the thick undergrowth. Guna and I were tossed from left to right and up and down.Many a time my knees were knocking on the inside of the roof. We had to keep a sharp look out for overhanging branches or else what ever little appeal left on my weather beaten face would be gone.

Fallen trees blocking the way.

     Cheong was not a daredevil teenage driver. It was because there were a lot of soft muddy potholes along the way and if he ever slowed down, we would be stuck in the soft ground. From the way he drove his car, I really felt my heart aching for his car (it costs more than 100k, mind you). Suddenly our way was blocked by a fallen tree. There was no choice but to unload and walk all the way to our fishing spot not far away. Reaching our destination, we heard a car roaring towards us. With his vast experience in off road driving, Cheong found a way to bypass the obstacle.

     Yusof joined me under a shady tree. Making ourselves comfortable, we both cast our worm baited hooks out and waited. There were pleanty of actions, but not those that we were looking for. We must have chosen a spot where there were some catfish nurseries and kindergartens. All the lawangs, duris and baungs were thrown back by Yusof and me. Two baungs and a tilan of 400gms each were kept and given to Cheong. While chatting to Yusof, I noticed a movement through the corner of my eyes. On looking closer, what had looked like a crocodile turned out to be a giant monitor lizard. That fellow must be at least 2.5 meters long. Before I could grab hold of my camera, it plunged into the depth with just one twist of its powerful tail.

My miserable baung.

      Further downstream was a different scenario all together. Gurdip, spinning with a Toby like lure, caught a sebarau weighing 600gms. When there was no more action, he changed to ledgering with buah ara. Casting the whole bunch of buah ara to a clump of river weeds, he almost immediately got a strike. The fish went out to the middle of the river before going downstream with the current. From my place 20 meters upriver, I could clearly see the whole episode unfolding before my eyes.

Team muhibba and our catches.

     Both Yusof and I were shouting encouragement and advice to Gurdip, not to mention the chatter of Tamil from Guna and Ganesan too. It is always situations such as this that you will find plenty of uninvited advisers giving their two cents worth. In the end Guna gaffed it for him. The funny thing about this kalui was its pinkish colour. It couldn't be an albino as its eyes were of normal colour (to my limited knowledge, albinos have pinkish eyes). That clump of weeds must be home to a whole congregation of kaluis for Guna landed two more of about 2 kilos each and released a few smaller ones. All were caught with buah aras.

     The stillness of the jungle was suddenly being pierced by desperate voice. Listening carefully, I heard it clearly the second time he shouted. Cheong, who was fishing about 30 meters upstream of me, was shouting excitedly. "Somebody help please, I caught a whopper". Grabbing my landing net, I ran and stumbled through the grass and bushes in his direction. After covering only about 15 meters, my  strength deserted me and my legs just refused to budge anymore. I haven't had a bite since the wan ton mee breakfast early in the morning. (Somebody misplaced our lunch packages). Together with the heat and humidity, what do you expect? All right, I admit I am also getting on in age, satisfied?

Cheong posing proudly with his patin.

     Hearing footsteps behind me, I saw Gurdip running past me. Handing him the net I wished hem good luck. The 4 kg patin was landed safely and our Cheong was the champion. Credit should be given to the champ for being so steady and calm while fighting the fish. Even with a few powerful runs (four to be exact), the patin couldn't get the better of our champion angler. The grin on his face told the whole story. We were all happy for him.

     By now the dark clouds gathering in the far off horizon were getting me worried. Any rainfall would render the soft jungle floor slippery and soggy even for 4X4. Finally everyone decided to pack up when disaster struck. While trying to turn the car around Cheong unsuspectingly drove to a patch of soft ground and the car bellied. Luckily, the winch was in excellent condition. With the help and cooperation of everyone, we finally had the car back on firm ground. This was after almost one hour of really hard work by all.                  Branches were chopped and placed under the wheels. The winch was used  liberally, together with every one pushing and grunting before we could heaved a sigh of relief.

While the car was being winched, Cheong made us stand behind the trees for safety. I learn a lot from Cheong regarding winching 4X4 in off road adventure.

Thankfully we had a good team of cooperative anglers. Throughout my many years of fishing, I have seen many grumblers and crybabies, who not only refused to help, but would bore you to death with their whining. Relief was for the car . As for Guna and I, we had to endure the rough, neck and backbone breaking ride back to the main road. At one point Guna was holding on to the car with one hand and trying to prevent me falling off with the other. What a friend!

     During the whole bumpy trip, images of my loving family and my insurance policies kept flashing through my mind. Finally it was almost 7.30pm before we finally made it out of there onto the main road.

RIVER OF LEAPING TOMANS

This article was published in the September 2001 issue of Rod and Line fishing magazine.

     Hmmm, the steamed bujuk tasted fantastic. We were having a bujuk meal at Tan Soon Wai's stall, when Liau Swee Onn (he contributed the bujuk) told us about his secret spot. For two over years, he and his friends made regular trips here for bujuks. To access this spot, they got to travel by motorbikes, carrying all their gears and an inflatable. It was a real tough journey as all journeys through oil palm estates are. Reaching the bank they then inflated the boat and crossed the river to reach the swampy jungle, which was their hunting ground. As the inflatable could only accommodate two persons, they had to take turn to cross. After rowing across the boat would then be reeled back with a fishing line tied to it (most anglers are very innovative fellows). On further inquiry, I guessed the river to be Sugai Tumbuh near Pengkalen Nibung area. We finally decided to access the swamp by travelling up river by boat.

The boat landing, where En. Din has his drink stall. The main road and the bridge are in the background.

     Cruising slowly along, I noticed the current was unusually strong. This river being widened and deepened along its whole lenghth, was no longer the slow flowing river that we once knew. We never really went on plane as there were a lot of sunken trees and branches being washed down by the current. It was good that we were travelling slowly as there were plenty of residential storks, egrets and other waterfowls feeding on both sides of the banks. The whole flock would fly up together on the approach of our boat. The sight itself was worth all the efforts that we had put in to come. Gliding with the wind, they sure looked graceful in the morning sky. Sweeping from left to right and up and down, one could only sigh and drink in the poetic motion being played in front of us.

Soon Wai and his bujuk.

     Finally we reached our destination. A week ago, Swee Onn caught quite a number of kilo size bujuks here. Climbing on to the bank after putting on our wading boots, (I never allow anyone to wear wading boat on the boat for safety reasons) we began to struggle forward. The bank was a whole layer of soft mud dug up from the river. The trick was to step on the branches and stumps of roots. With wading boots it was never easy. One misstep would find us sinking right up to our knees. To extract our legs, we had to exert and pull slowly until our legs were free. If you pull to fast and hard, you either lose a boot, suffer from hernia or worst, lose a leg. With the hot weather now prevalent, our strength was drained in a short time, struggling in the mud trap. Sweating and panting, we began flipping our baits. Small rejected carps from the aquarium shops were our baits. Compared to last week, the water level had fallen substantially, according to Swee Onn. As such, our catches were mostly 500gms and below. All of them should be thankful as we were in benevolent mood and all were released.

This was our fishing ground. The river was behind the angler.

     We moved upriver to a small pool of water parallel to the main river. Due to the deepening and widening of the Tumbuh River, the swamps on both sides were already drying up. As it was of higher level to the river, the water draining from the swamp has got to flow into this pool of water first. We correctly theorized that many of the bujuks, forced out of the swamp, must be taking refuge here . We were proven right as on my first cast, my bait was stolen. The take was too fast for me to react. The second cast got me a small bujuk. When my line moved again I struck hard and my line came back minus the hook. Cursing myself for being so careless for not checking for weakened lines, I retied and landed another cheroot. All in all I caught and landed nine small bujuks and a kilo size toman. Well, at least  I could console myself that my broken line was not due to my carelessness. I released all my fish. Swee Onn's disbelieving look when informed of the releases told the whole story. I gave up explaining about conservation long a go.

Swee Onn struggling through the mud with Soon Wai in the foreground.

     Soon Wai fishing 10 meters away, was more productive. He kept on hitting fish after fish. This was only his second experience at bujuk fishing., but he was getting all the bites and all were above a kilo in size.The moment his bait hit the water, a burst of tiny bubbles could be seen floating up. Most of his fish were lost at the end stage of the fight when the fish gave a final burst. He was using 'no contact point system' fighting technique for street fighting brawls.He forgot that these bujuks were slump dwellers. As such sportingly thin line and light drag setting would not work here. More appropriate, would be the elbows, knees and teeth (on the ear if possible). Out of the more than fifteen strikes, he landed only two. Swee Onn landed one of presentable size.

This patch of dried grass produced the most fish.

     When another boatload of anglers from Lahat joined us, we were already worn out. With the hot sun burning mercilessly on us plus the struggle through the mud all but physically drained us. Surprisingly the newcomers immediately began to land fish. Mr. Chan was landing fish after fish from a clump of grass on the opposite bank. More than eight strikes  were registered and he landed six good size bujuks.

This was how we rigged our baitfish.

     One surprising thing here was we never encountered any haruans. All the bujuks were rounded and in very good physical conditions. Sadly though with the extensive widening and the deepening of a few rivers in the Lower Perak region, the swampy jungles of this region will be a thing of the past. With it will vanish our productive fishing ground and the plentiful water bird populations too. Well, nature lovers' and anglers' losses are planters' gain I supposed.

The Lahat folks with my gang and some of our catches.

     Leaving our new friends to carry on fishing we pointed our boat down river. Suddenly, a two kilo plus toman shot out of the water, crossed the stern of our boat and dropped back into the river. I wonder how Soon Wai (he is rather handsome) will look if the toman. with saw-like dentures, hit him in the face. Five minutes later a deja vu occurred with a smaller toman. Swee Onn was wishfully saying how nice if the fish landed on the boat. (Well, I wasn't sure I like ferocious, panicky tomans landing in our midst). All too soon we crossed under the bridge spanning the river and were back at the landing where En Isa Din has his stall selling drinks. He has a few boats for hire too.

THE 10:90 PERCENT RULES

This article was published in the June 2001 issue of Rod And Line fishing magazine.

     How many times have you heard someone exclaimed, "So lucky lah, always catching so many fish and big ones too." Yes, there are guys who somehow exude some mystical a aura around them, causing the fish to queue up to commit 'hara kiri' at their feet. There are also the 'stinkos' or 'otters' that the fish avoid like the bubonic plaque. Could this phenomenon be due to luck, or is it something more than that?

     The slogan '10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish' seems all too true when we really look at the whole angling situation. Why are these ten percents so lucky? Many might not agree, but I think luck is only a small tiny piece of the jigsaw. The rest of the pieces, I would like to discuss here as I think they are the main reasons why some have all the 'A. Ls'.  These are the people who are willing to put the extra effort that made the difference between getting their mug shots with the big catches or posing with market bought ones. Listed below are some of the reasons, which I think are the main contributing factors.

Do you think this ball bearing will give you a smooth action?

     1:  Reels should be cleaned and well oiled after every trip. Care must be taken so that sand, salt particles and other grits should be remove to prevent failure while a whopper is on. Strip and overhaul your reel at least once a year. I have come across reels where the grease had dried up like tar. Many have their ball-bearings jammed up too. The bail roller must be inspected regularly so that sand or grime does not prevent the free running of the roller. Use a water repellent spray like WD40 to protect your reels.

     2:  Drag System. Most spinning reels have drag washers that need oil on them. Care must be taken so that sand and grit do not caused the metal discs to get scratch. If water ever gets into the drag discs most will give a jerky movement, which may result in broken lines. In case of star drags no oil is needed on the drag discs to give a smooth action. As for lever drag, the drag discs are encased in a watertight housing. Should water, sand or oil get into the compartment, it will be disastrous, especially when you have a big one on. All drags should be loosen after a fishing trip. Otherwise it will stick together and may need a stronger force to turn thus causing line breakage. Of course, the correct setting of the drag in relation to your fishing line is very important. It should be 1/3 the breaking strain of your fishing line, which should be adjusted before fishing.

The pressure plate 'A' will press on the....

......drag disc 'B'.

Both 'A' and 'B' are sealed by 'C'. There should npot be any dirt, grit or oil on the drag disc.

     3:  Rod. Get the proper rod for the job at hand. A well balanced and built rod can reduce a lot of stress and strain on your casting arm (one of the reasons for custom built rods). Never bend your rod pass the critical angle, which normally is around 90 degrees. Spend some money for quality rod bag so that all your rods are not knocking against each other or some other hard objects during transit. Care must be taken if you want to leave your weight and hook on the rod while on the move. The modern graphite rods do not tolerate nicks and cuts as much as the older fiberglass ones. After fishing, they must be washed with mild detergent, rinse and dry before storing in proper rod bag. A lot of attention must also be paid to the guides, as any grooved or broken guides should be replaced immediately. It is advisable to clean your guides and reel seats regularly with an old toothbrush and mild detergent. Failure at the critical moment is the most frustrating thing to happen in fishing.

Another example of a grooved guide. Be meticulous when inspecting your guides.

     4:  Fishing Line. Mono filament and braided line both suffer from nicks and abrasions, albeit at different levels. Check regularly, especially the first five meters as this is the place most of the frictions and cuts will occur. As the ultraviolet ray of the sun is very damaging, I suggest lines should be change regularly to prevent breakage at the critical moment. Reels filled with lines should be kept in cool, dry places away from the sun's damaging rays. To cut cost, the line in the spool can be reverse once. That is the line at the bottom of the spool should be reverse to the top and those at the top reverse to the bottom. Fish should be brought in by pumping and not cranking with the line slipping as the line twist that results might cause line failure. The ever increasing pressure of the line on the spool will also cause the collapse of the spool.

You can be sure the sinker will be knocking against the rod. Any nick on the graphite rod spells disaster.

     5:  Knots. The are many types of knots for anglers. Learn up a few most suitable for your fishing. Be meticulous when tying your knots. There is no short cut to it. Be sure to wet your knots before tightening it. Any loose end or sliding in the knot will result in another "big one that got away story". There are knots specially created for braided lines. Due too their slippery nature, they must be tied very carefully to prevent slipped knots. There is no necessity to learn the myriad of knots available. If you can, master all of them, then congratulations! Otherwise, be very good in tying a few knots that give you almost 100% knot strength is sufficient. Of course they must be suitable for the exact purpose. One Karate grandmaster when asked what are the best techniques a student should learn, answered, "One block, one punch, 500 times each hand, every day". Hope you get the meaning.

These dud hooks are found in freshly opened packs of hooks. All of them are from branded names.

     6:  Hooks. Most of the lost fish stories can be traced to the hooks. Some will straighten or snap with minimal pressure. Do check your hooks before tying them on as there are always some duds around no matter how meticulous the manufacturing process is. With the chemically sharpen hook nowadays, it is still necessary to sharpen them before fishing. After an hour of so of fishing please do touch up the point with a file or a slip stone. I always carry a small piece of slip stone in my tackle box. Just a few rubs on the point is enough to restore sharpness to your point. Test it by scratching the point against your thumbnail. If it sticks then it is sharp enough.

The nail test. Scratch your nail with the hook point.

 If it digs into the nail then it is sharp.

     7:  Know Your Quarry. 'Match the hatch' had been bandied around for ages. The importance of presenting food that is attractive to your quarry cannot be denied. Fish area very finicky feeders on the whole. A bait or lure, which worked on one day, might not catch any on another day. Therefore, your knowledge of what attract the fish is the utmost and will decide whether it is a good or bad day. Do look for signs of fish and also study the water for any likely hiding places where the fish like to hang around. The temperature of the water is also important, as it will affect the feeding mood of the fish.

     8:  Local Knowledge. Never ever ignore advice from the local experts. In fact make it a point to chat up the locals and actively seek out their expertise. The pak ciks and even the adiks literally play marbles with the fish in their area, so their knowledge of the method in catching and the characteristics of the fish are indispensable.

     9:  Camouflage. Hiding and keeping yourself as inconspicuous as possible cannot be overly emphasized. The fishes in the water are being preyed on all the time. It is a 'big eat small world'. In order to survive they have to be be very alert every second. If they are whoppers they are even smarter. Therefore should they detect any danger or hear any foreign sound they'll break all the 100 meter sprint records in  the world. Try to keep quiet when you move around and stay behind any bush or tree if possible. Do keep back from the edge of the bank too. If you are using a boat do have some rubber mats on the floor of the boat as sound gets transmitted and amplified into the water. Try not to wear bright clothes so that you will not be so conspicuous.

     10:  Go Light. With modern technology at hand, I can't see why thin line cannot be use. The present premium lines are very thin and tough for their poundage. The thinner the lines the less visible they are, which translate into more bites. When I say thin here, I mean thin and tough lines. Too thin and low poundage lines will prolong the fights, which will cause irreparable damages to the fish thus defeating our catch and release program. The size of the sinker too must be suitable for the job. Try using running sinkers, as you can feel the bites earlier and easier. The fish will hold on to the bait much longer too if they do not feel the weights. Many anglers like to use snaps and swivels to connect the leaders or trace. Choose the branded and good ones to prevent any disappointments due to breakages or the snaps opening by themselves.

     11: Do Not Be A Stinko. I always keep my hands clean from chemicals. Try washing your hands before fishing and after you have handled any chemical, like sun block, petroleum products or cosmetics. The fish can detect the tiniest amount of such chemicals in the water.

     Well, I guess these are some of the tips that I can think will help you to be among the ten percents. If everything is in order then pray hard and the finals piece, that is luck, will fit in to complete the puzzle. There are of course plenty more ways to improve your catches. Hopefully you cam learn through your experiences and share them with us.

(Note: Equipments shown are the kind courtesy of Perniagaan Wing Sam, Bercham , Ipoh).