GO FISHING WITH PUPPIES

This article was published in the December 2000 issue of Rod And Line fishing magazine.
 

These were only part of the catch. Except for two fish the rest were released alive.

 Ever heard of anglers taking puppies along to fish? That was what Loi of IGFA Sports (Ipoh) told me. When he ask me whether I was interested to go bujuk fishing at a new spot, my answer was an understandable yes.

This bagful or rather net full of assorted fish caught in traps set by the local professional, indicates the abundance of fish in the area.

 
     According to him, a customer of his told him about this still virgin swampy jungle. My eyes popped out of their sockets, when informed that the catch was 20 bujuks of more than a kilo each in just one hour! Boy, this must be fishing paradise, I thought.
     The problem here was, one got to bring along a puppy. When he saw my puzzled look, Loi laughingly explained that the place was so untouched and wild that pythons and crocodiles were the Tai Kohs. The chances of coming in contact with these Tai Kohs were much easier than striking the four digits. If ever we meet one of them, the poor puppy will be thrown as sacrifice so as to buy time for us to escape. After discussing and arguing over this new spot, we were quite sceptically about the puppy part. You know lah fishos are famous for exaggerating their stories.

A beaming James with his sebarau.

     Someone asked how are we going to carry a puppy in one hand and fish with the other? Not to mention the bags, knives and fishing rods that we would be bringing along. Finally, Loi suggested taking James Wong and Richard Lau with us. When we queried why he mentioned the two of them in particular, he laughingly answered that all of us could outrun the two of them. His theory was, 'as long as you have someone behind you, you're safe'. (I guessed that was what the scientists called survival of the fittest. Trust Loi to come up with such outrages suggestions.
     On Saturday, 11 November 2000, we were in two cars heading towards the swampy jungles of Kampung Gajah area. With the sketchy map provided by Loi, James Wong, Richard Lau, Soon Fong, Raymond Wong (Ah Wai) and I managed to find the spot. We brought along our tackle for haruan fishing and managed to catch a few juveniles.

The sebarau that grabbed my shad rap.

     According to the locals, the big bujuks were to be found further up the jungle stream. There the stream flows swiftly through the swampy jungle where the bujuks never heard of the 'morning after pills'.
     The next day (Sunday 6.00 am) our convoy of two cars with two car-toppers was at the bank of the jungle stream. After unloading our gears into the boat, James and I decided to try out for sebaraus at a fast flowing part of the stream.
     On my second cast, my shad rap was whacked by a dark missile, It shot out to the main current and managed to take some line before I pulled a sebarau out of the water. It was released after its photo was taken. Seconds later, James locked onto another.  I had to record its mug shot after which the fish was released. Both fish were about 600gms. After these two fish there were no more strikes even though I could see dark shapes following my lure before veering off near the surface. As we were impatient to test out the bujuk country, we pointed our boats upstream. In the swift current, I was worried of hitting sunken tree stumps.
     Somehow we made it safely to a quiet lubuk where we unloaded our gears. Even before I could get down from the boat, Richard was already fighting his first fish (Very fast for a guy with a weak ankle). The fish was not too bad for it weighed more than a kilo. By the time I was ready with my tackle, Raymond was seen straggling to haul another bujuk out of the swamp.

I and one of my bujuk.

     Moving upstream I found an opening in the jungle bush and managed to toss my frog out. It was whacked the moment it landed in the water. I lost my first fish when it tangled some sunken roots. After tying on another frog I flipped it to a clump of roots. With just a few twitches of the rod tip the frog was grabbed. Lost this one to the roots too.
     Fishing here was very different from the usual fishing that we were used to. Here the bushes and trees grew right up to the edge of the swamp. We had to look for some slight thinning or holes in the thick foliage. Once found we got to widen the opening. Poking our rods and heads through holes, we then slowly swing the frogs like a pendulum. Flipping the frog a meter in front was enough. Usually the frog would be taken the moment it landed on the water.
     Sometimes, a few twitches of the rod tip were enough to trigger a strike. The bujuks were so plentiful here that they would rush to any disturbance in the vicinity. The whole bunch would be watching with bated breath and eyes riveted to the swinging frog (just like tennis fans watching a match). Their competition for food was so great, the moment the frog hit water they would grabbed it without thinking (not that they have that much grey matter to start with in the first place).

Soon Fong proudly showing his only fish.

     Most of the time, we could hear the 'coop' sound when the frog was sucked in by the bujuks. Line would be given for the fish to back into their hiding places with the frogs in their mouths. Slowly we would tighten the line and pulled so slightly, which would trigger an opposing tug by the fish (Newton's Law of motion, or is it?). That was when we struck hard.
     The bujuks were the masters in their territories, They fought hard and rough, making full use of the many sunken trees, roots and vine to their advantages. Coupled with the fact that most of our rods were of about seven feet, striking hard and setting the hooks were a real problem as the thick foliage and canopy of branches were in our ways. Out of ten strikes we were lucky to land three.
     Our problems were neutralized by the fact that the bujuks here were only educated up to the kindergarten level. Fish after fish could be taken from the same spot! The longest wait was only fifteen minutes. What was so surprising was the bujuks here averaged more than a kilo in weight. Not one of us tangled with or landed a cheroot. After landing two fish, I decided to explore further into the swamp. Stepping gingerly from stumps to branches, I moved slowly above the mostly 60 cm deep water. Stopping once in a while to flip the frog to some likely spots.

Ah Lek, James and Richard at the landing. The swampy jungle is in the background.

     Most of the time the bujuk would rushed out from beneath the tree roots where they were hiding to grab the frog. The three that I landed here must be the unluckiest fish as it was impossible to set the hook. Well, they were still lucky as all of hem were released.
     While moving through this thick swamp, I had to keep a sharp look out above me too. This was Python Country. They would normally hang from some branches and drop down on their unsuspecting prey or crazy anglers like me. Once they coiled their bodies around you, there would not be time to say your final prayer There were also the fearsome crocodiles. Being a swamp near the coast added weight to that possibility.
     By now Ah Lek and Soon Fong were staggering back with a bagful of bujuks. Both of them had also picked their way into the swamp. Soon Fong was not equipped for this type of fishing for he only got one bujuk to show for his effort. With only 12lb line on his reel, he lost most of his fish through line breakages. Ah Lek had about eight fish of more than a kilo in his bag. How he managed to lug the lot out of the swamp was a wonder to me.

James doing his Sumo Fishing. See the opening in the jungle? The fishes are right inside, waiting for our frogs.

     Poor James and Richard both got one fish each. Strikes were aplenty, but they could not land the fish, no thanks to the many roots and branches. Somehow the hypothesis "the first fish is the last fish" had come true again.
     We moved upstream to cast for sebaraus at a fast flowing stretch without much success. Hundreds of casts later, we decided to cool ourselves in the clear cool water. Raymond's imitation of a striking sebarau with its accompanying 'clop' sound was so realistic that I nearly cast my Rapala towards him. my suggestion of him holding onto my lure and swimming out to the swift current was declined. I just wondered how it would be like to fight this giant imitation sebarau in this fast jungle stream.

Raymond holding his bujuk and his 4ft rod which is excellent for fishing in thick undergrowth. A satisfied Richard was beside him.

     We unanimously agreed that we had never experienced such fantastic bujuk fishing in the past before. I think all of us would not hesitate to go again even if we had to fight pythons and crocodiles to do it.