DREAM SIAKAPS OF KUALA KURAU

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

    For the first timer, going to Kuala Kurau can be quite confusing if you are not familiar with the place.You see, this fishing town is situated on both sides of the Kurau River. It depends on who was giving direction to you. If you were told to turn off at Bagan Serai, then you'll be at the main part of the town. Turning off at Simpang Empat, will lead to the other side of the river. And that was where James and I found ourselves one Sunday morning. We were in Kuala Kurau because one of James' friends, Wah Chye, told us that he had been catching siakaps as though catching tilapias!. That was news to us as we only knew Kuala Kurau as a prawning haven. Whatever it is famous for, as long as we can enjoy fishing, we will get excited. Needless to say, my thick face begging began working overtime again. The end result was we were 'invited' to fish with Wah Chye.

Wah Chye and his giant. (Feel like superimposing my face on that photo).

     Looking around the jetty we could not see Wah Chye and his boat anywhere. Through the headphone (a boon for us anglers) we were told to board the ferry and cross over to the other side of the town by our host. Before driving on to the ferry, James was mumbling aloud about not feeling safe sitting in his car on the ferry. He said he would join me outside as soon as he had driven the car on to the ferry. Sometimes, even the best laid plans could go wrong. Watching him squirming and fidgeting  in his car really made me laugh. The bicycles and motorbikes had hemmed him in on both sides. The ferry crossing must be the longest of his life.

A jewfish. James always wear that grin when he catches a big one (how I hated it).

     Wah Chye was waiting with his boat near the jetty on the opposite side of the bank. After unloading our gears, we were off. Heading up the Kurau River in Wah Chye's boat was an experience itself. Driven by a 70hp outboard the 26 feet craft twisted and turned with the deft steering of our captain. At the speed we were going, I was rather worried we might hit some underwater logs or stumps. My fear were unfounded as Wah Chye practically knew the river like the back of his hands. Before we could start fishing, our guide went to check his set lines. All six of them were empty, but one of them had its 4X hook almost straightened by a monster causing James and I to ooh and aah. Somehow visions of a smiling monster siakap kept appearing in my mind. For his set lines, our friend used garfish as baits. Pointing his boat upriver, we reached the first of his secret spots. Slowing down, he eased the boat gently up to an overhanging branch and tied the boat.

This was the ferry that James and I boarded.

     When James and I took out our casting gears, our guide almost rolled into the river laughing. When he showed us his, we nearly fainted. His rod was  a ten feet bamboo pole (3cm in diameter) with a piece of 100lb mono attached to a 4 X hook! When he demonstrated his way of fishing, I guessed that outfit could sometimes be  inadequate. What he did was attach a live prawn to his hook, lowered it into any likely looking snags (the more snags the better). Should there be siakaps around, the prawn would be grabbed and the battle would start. He even warned us to be careful as a big fellow could pull a man into the water quite easily. From the stance he adopted, I was more than convinced.  Silhouetted against the light he looked more like Wong Fei Hoong (a famous kung fu master).

Wah Chye helping James to net his jewfish. Look at that bend in the rod.

     There was no taker at all at the spot that we tried. At one of the spots, a local, using the same jigging method pulled up a 2 kilo plus siakap, just five meters from us. Well, at least we saw how it was been done.

As for James and I this method was not our cup of tea. Using lures we cast until our arms ached and 

cramped with not even the slightest nudge. In the end, we tied on live prawns as baits. The method of tying was taught to us by our guide. The whole rig was snag proof. Casting to some likely spots, the prawn was then reel back like a lure, but in very slow motion. Once in a while it should be twitched to impart some life like action. During one of my retrieves my prawn was grabbed. I reacted too fast and my crustacean friend came back headless and shelled too (getting too impatient lah). Cursing under my breath (in Cantonese of course, as it was more 'flowery'), I rebaited. Hundreds of cast later we had to surrender to the unbearably hot sun. Tying the boat to an overhanging branch, we had our lunches.

Heading for home when the sun's yellowish ray casts its golden glow on us.

     Wah Chye and I must have dozed off, for we were suddenly brought out of our slumbers by James shouting for assistance. Wah Chye was fast as he grabbed hold of the landing net and waited. The mist clouding my mind cleared in record time when I saw James' rod bending almost to the water. After three more runs, the 3.5 kg jewfish was safely in the net. That creature had gulped down James' prawn which he had been dragging along the bottom of the river. When he struck, it shot out to the center of the river. Realizing he had a big one on, he had then shouted for help.

One of the more relax stance that Wah Chye adopted. Note the spot where he was fishing.

     As it was still very hot and stuffy , Wah Chye related one of his experiences to us to while away the time. At a spot not far from where we were resting, he had seen something chasing some bait fish. Tying on a prawn he cast it to the spot where the disturbances to the water surface had occurred. Before he could say 'Jonathan' the prawn was gulped down the hatch. When he struck, his heart nearly stopped. Out of the waster jumped the biggest siakap he had ever seen in his life! Praying hard, and fighting the fish at the same time (still couldn't figure out how he did it), he lost count of the number of times the fish ran. He sure needed the prayers as he was using a spinning outfit loaded with 20lb line. Someone up there must have heard him for he finally netted the biggest siakap of his life.....a 13.5kg giant! How I wish it was me. Of course that was not the only siakap that he had caught. To him, 6 kg and 7 kg fish are too common to be recorded on film. I nearly sank the boat with my dripping saliva.

Our live prawn rig. The tail must be cut off and the hook embedded in the prawn for it to be weedless. it is preferable to tie the tail end with a piece of rubber band. To fish it, cast it out and slowly drag it along the river bed, twitching it once in a while to add life to it.

The garfish rig was use for set lines.

This type of garfish is the best and most effective for casting. There is a white spot on ate tip of the beak. According to Wah Chye this type has a special sheen on it.

A garfish could also be used in place of a prawn. Tie it as in the diagram and fish it like a prawn.

     Our guide added that it was easier to  fish for siakaps at night as  they are more willing to feed. Grabbing the chance, I began my thick face begging again. Sensing something was behind his lame excuses and reluctance to fish at night, I began to dig for the answer. He finally relented and told me that the experience of having a crocodile surfacing next to your boat was very unnerving. Many a times he had seen them basking in the sun on the river banks. Well, since we didn't had the physique of Tarzan nor do we wear our under wears on the outside, we headed home when the sun's yellowish rays cast its long shadow on us.

This 4X hook was almost straightened by a monster that got away.

A 2 kg siakap unceremoniously hauled up by our local friends.

SHORT-LIVED SEBARAU HAVEN

This article was published in the January/March 2001 issue of Asian Anglers' World of Singapore.

 
 A tract of land at the edge of a jungle was being cleared for water melon plantation. I was told by one of my colleagues. And a stream running through the area was offering up a good  number of sebarau (hampala macrolepidota). I sprang into action and phoned Mr. Raju, a water melon exporter, for more and better information.

The result of logging.

     The information I got from him was really exciting. The swampy land fringing one of his water melon plantations was being cleared. Together with the logs, fish of all sizes were being carried out by the loggers there. Immediately, an appointment was wrangled from him (you have to be thick skin here).

     Come Sunday, James and I waited in vain for Mr. Raju, who was to guide us to his plantation, to turn up. It was my fault for I had forgotten to remind him of our meeting. One thing I pride myself on, is my persistence, when it comes to searching for fishing spots. With the help of Mr. Raju's directions given over the phone, we managed to find the plantation. It was at the edge of the jungle near Sungai Durian, Tanjung Tualang, in Perak.

     We saw sawn logs strewn all over the place. They have been cut and were to be dropped into specially dug canals, which will transport the logs by boat to their destination. Our fishing spot was a stream flowing through this jungle. Without a boat, our joy was short lived, for we could not gain access to the stream.

     Chatting up the logging contractor intensified our fishing itch. He told us of a three kilo sebarau that panicked and jumped into his boat in the narrow canal. (Hmmm) He advised us to bring along a small boat the next time. When we were leaving we met a group of fishermen coming back from their trip to the stream. They must have heard the news too. Their catch was mainly bujuk or murrel.

     The ensuing seven days before we made our second trip to this jungle stream, were the longest of my life. The sheep I was counting in bed changed into sebaraus leaping over rapids!

     Next week saw James, Foong and I pushing off into the stream in Foong's boat.  But it was not to be our day. We cast spinners, lures, live fish and almost our entire tackle box too, but no strikes at all! The water was like teh tarik. (the color of milk tea). Changing to worms, Foong managed to land four small terbuls (member of the carp family) from one of the canals. Another frustrating day was chalked up in our fishing diaries.

     Fishing enthusiasts never say die. We had to make another try. There were four of us on this third attempt at the sebarau.  Four well-fed anglers were cramped into my old Sunny, plus equipment and a boat tied topside. With so much weight on board, I had to drive very slowly along the muddy, bumpy dirt road that led to our destination. I took my hat off to my old jalopy for staying in one piece and transporting us safely to the edge of the jungle.

This small sebarau put up a good fight.

     Unloading the boat and all our gear was a cinch with four pairs of willing hands. Ah Wai eased the boat out into the canal and we were excited when we saw the water condition. It was perfect for sebarau fishing. The color was neither too clear nor turbid. Having overflowed its bank, the jungle stream had flooded the surrounding jungle. the current in the main stream was fast, which could signal sebarau!

     Mooring our boat about ten meters away from the fast-flowing stream, we walked the rest of the way so as not to spook the fish. It was torture walking on the soft, water-logged peat soil. A careless step and we would find our feet sinking into deep muck. Occasionally, a wading boot would be left stuck in the goo and the unfortunate owner would have to bear the stench of rotting peat while he groped for his boot.

     But I wasn't complaining too much. The fishing to be had would overcome this slight discomfort. Casting several time into the rushing water with a Shad Rap did not produce any strike. It was a totally different story when I changed to a minnow-shaped lure. Something grabbed it, ran and my lure came back with its treble straightened. (I hate to use thick trebles on small lures as they impede the action).

     Changing to a jig fitted with a soft rubber fish, resulted in the sebarau following and turning back at the surface. The Blade Runner saved the day for me. Fish after fish were caught and released. The moment the lure went past the turbulent water, wham! ...another fish would be on. The fights were short and furious as most of the sebaraus were small.

Some of our catches.

     Variety is the spice of life, so the saying goes. A small Rattling Fat Rap was sent into the water to try its luck. There were two powerful whacks, but no hook-ups. The third strike got result. Quite a scrappy little fighter too.

Lures the author used: (top left) no strikes despite many follows. (bottom left) hook-ups occasionally. (top right) many strikes, but hooks did not hold.  (bottom  right) the best of the lot.

     Ah Keong, who was on the opposite bank, was using small, live fish with silvery bodies without any result. Putting on a small lead shot changed everything in his favour. The moment he began reeling in his line, his bait was hit and he was happily landing fish after fish. The sebaraus were hitting deep and only at the turbulent part of the stream.

     I heard Ah Wai curse when his line broke for the fourth time. He was fishing further downstream, drifting his live bait into the swift current. He would give his rod a few twitches and "pow", the fight would be on. The sebaraus here were expert street fighters. They were well trained in fighting dirty. The moment they were hooked, either they headed for the sunken branches of which there were plenty, or the sharp mengkuang leaves hanging over the water. Unable to land any fish, Ah Wai moved upstream from where he managed to land two beauties. One of them even put up an acrobatic display before being netted.

Ah Keong landing his fish.

     By 2.00pm the sebaraus went for their siesta and we were left with no action at all .Well, if the sebaraus were not cooperating the we would go for the bujuk. Clambering over tree stumps and branches, we tried jigging over likely bujuk spots. With the whole place flooded the bujuks were out gallivanting somewhere for we failed to raise any response.

This live bait beats them all.

     By five we had enough fun and headed back. This was one of my best sebarau trips. Though the fish were small compared with what I had caught in the past, they made it up in sheer number of strikes.

PULAU SEMBILAN FISHING SAFARI 2001

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

     On the 23-24 June 2001 the fishing complex at Kampung Acheh was a hive of activities. There was an air of festivities with loud music blaring, banners flying and many well decorated stall contributing to the excitements. It was the annual Pulau Sembilan Fishing Safari again.

Datuk Malik Jaafar b. Gazali (T-shirt) and En.Md. Shah b. Abd. Hamid (vest) "horning" off the competitors, accompanied by En. Sallehuddin.

     At 8.00am 23rd June Saturday morning, the complex compound began to be filled with anglers of all shapes and sizes. Most of them had their rods tied to their backs looking like the heroes of those sword fighting flicks. Each participant was given a personal and group number. The referee assigned to the group would gather his flock by holding up the placard displaying the group number. When he had all his group accounted for, they would then proceed to the jetty to board their boat. All fully boarded boats were ordered to wait at a distance of 500m away. By 10.30 am the 134 eager anglers on twelve boats were all ready and the Pulau Jarak Pari Category (bottom) was flagged or rather 'horned' off by Datuk Malik Jaafar b. Gazali, Director of Agriculture, Perak and En. Mohd Shah b. Abd. Hamid, Director of fisheries, Perak. The second wave of Pulau Sembilan Pari Category was similarly sent off at 3.30 pm without any hitch or delay. Watching the whole display from the jetty, the waiting boats circling around before being sent off, reminded me of the landing crafts scene from the show, "The Longest Day". All in, there were 282 participants put onto 35 boats in this category.

En. Rahim b. Omar with his 1st prize pari of 3 kg.

    This year the organiser had earned another feather on his cap by introducing the Beach Fishing Category. All these years, Pulau Sembilan Fishing Safaris had been almost the exclusive rights of the males. The Beach Fishing Category not only catered to those anglers who preferred to fish from Tera fir ma, but also encouraged the participation of many from the fairer sex. Actually, part of the beach fishing was done from the jetty.

Group 7 anglers with their taikong, Peter (holding placard) waving happily prior to departure for Pulau Jarak.

     At 5.30 pm the anglers queued up to draw for their fishing positions, which were to the right and the left and the jetty itself. By 6.00 pm the competition started. A small palm size silver grunter had the honor of being the first to be landed. Suddenly, there was a commotion from the shore to the left side of the jetty. An angler was seen straining against his bent rod. The seesaw battle lasted almost 5 minutes with the angler scrambling everywhere trying to keep his line from entangling with others before a 3 kg pari was finally landed by En. Rahim b. Omar. Suddenly shouts of encouragement were heard from the direction of the jetty. Casting to the foot of the jetty ( a very wise move) En. Mohd Sallehuddin was connected to a siakap of 2.24 kg. Fellow anglers showed their brotherly spirits bu helping to net it.

     Half an hour later, another big ray was hooked but it got entangled to some fishing lines and couldn't be brought in. Someone waded into the waist deep water to gaff it, but the line snapped allowing the fish to escape. What a waste, as I guessed it could be eligible for one of the top five prizes.

     Early Sunday morning, even before the sun's ray could cut through the darkness, the 42 participants (most of whom were on their own boats) sped off into the darkness. The Marlin Category (trolling) was in progress. Most of the boats concentrated their trolling activities around Pulau Sembilan areas.

After failing to gaff the siakap, a net was used and the 2.24 kg fish won the 2nd prize (Beach Category) for En. Mohd Salehudin A. Rahman.

     The Pulau Sembilan Fishing Safari 2001 had made history in the peninsula with the inclusion of the following rules. Syabas to a job well done!

a) Fishes protected by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, 1975), ie. sharks, sailfish and marlins were not accepted for competition.

b) Fishes weighing less than 2 kg/ fish would be disqualified (except for the Beach Category).

c) Each boat was given a plastic trash bag to keep all their rubbish in. The organizer finally had heard the concerned voices of the sport anglers, environmentalists and conservationists. I would like to suggest that the trash bags must be deposited back with the officials before the boats could be send off from the jetty. Sometimes, old habits die hard, you know.

d) The inclusion of a referee on every contesting boat (even those that competed in the trolling event) should be lauded. In the past, there were a lot of argument, red faces and unhappiness over unproven accusations.

At the end of the competition, En. Ahmad Zaini Mohd was seen proudly carrying his GT of 121.04 kg to the weighing station.

Proud winners of the Beach Category

     There were some bad news though, as a pleasure boat with some tourists on board hit some submerged rocks and sank. Luckily there were no casualties and all were saved.

Top: Sharil with the most expensive fish, a 4.24 kg jenahak. Bottom: The overall champion, En.Abd.Muaz b. Aziz.

     By around 10. am the Jarak Category crowds slowly trickled back. There were many happy, smiling but tired faces, while other wore grumpy looks. When asked about their luck, the thumb down sign was shown. If the ancient Roman Emperors showed it, it meant only one thing.... a one way ticket to hell for the recipient. The whole scene was replayed at around 3.30 pm when the Pulau Sembilan anglers began berthing and unloading their passengers.

This GT won the 1st prize (Marlin Category) and the 2nd prize overall for En. Ahmad Zaini Mohd.

     Overall, the catches this year was not as plentiful and big as in the previous years. This could be due to the strong current prevalent on these dates. Coupled to the strong wind and high sea on Sunday, this type of catches could be considered satisfactory. Leaving the catches alone, the overall running of the competition can be said in one word - Perfect! Credit should be given to En. Sallehuddin Ismail, Penolong Pegawai Perikanan, and his team of very cooperative and dedicated fishery staff. With 14 competitions under their belts, there should be nothing except success.

Happy and smiling winners of the Pulau Sembilan Category.

     At the end of the competition, Y.B. Datuk Hjh. Mazidah bt. Zakaria, Pengurusi J/K Kebudayaan, Pelancongan, Hal Ehwal Wanita dan Pembangunan Malaysia, Negeri Perak gave away the prizes.

Winners of the Marlin (trolling) Category posing with Datuk Mazitah bt. Zakaria and En. Mohd Shah b. Abd. Hamid.

Winners from the Pulau Jarak Category.

Group photo of most of the winners and the VIPs.

GEL-SPUN SUPERLINE

This article appeared in the August 2001 issue of Rod and Line fishing magazine.

     When gel-spun line was first introduced in Malaysia, there was a lot of rumbling among the fishing fraternity. With all the advertisements praising the gel-spun lines sky high, a lot of fishos plunged into the use of braided lines only to find out that it was not what it was lauded to be.

     The lack of knowledge on gel-spun lines leads to misinformation and myths regarding their uses, strength and drawbacks. Before we wade further into this mess, let us first take a look at the history of this "super line".

The actual name for this line is gel-spun polyethylene or GSP line. It is a kind of plastic where its molecules are reoriented and the resulting restructured fiber has a tenacity or strength to weight ratio of about ten time that of steel!

Some of the Gel-Spun lines found in Malaysia.

     The Dutch fiber producer, DSM was the first to produce the polythene fiber back in 1979. Commercial production was started in 1990 at Heerland where its plant was located. They then marketed it by the name of Dyneema.

     Later, Toyobo Company in Tokyo, Japan was licensed to produce Dyneema in the Far East. The Allied Signal Company was licensed to produce it under the name of Spectra in the US. Both these companies produce and supply the Dyneema and Spectra fibers to fishing line manufacturers to be made into braids or fusion lines of various brand names.

     In Malaysia there are generally two types of GSP lines sold in the market.One is the fused line and the other is the braided line. Both are made from GSP fibers though in different ways. Fused lines are GSP fibers being laid parallel to each other, compressed and then bonded together by various chemical adhesives. As such, they are slightly thicker and stiffer. This method of producing fishing lines is faster and easier, thus keeping the cost down. Berkley Fireline and Spider Wire Fusions represent two of the fused lines in Malaysia. As for the braided camp, we have the Spider Wire, Berkeley Whiplash, Power Pro and many other well-known and good lines. As the name suggested GSP fibers are braided and woven into fishing line, which is very time consuming and complicated thus raising cost. The braids are not only thinner in diameter, but also more limp when compared to fusion and mono lines.

Method of tying uni to uni knots as recommended by a few well-known GSP brands. Good for joining gel-spun to mono backing on the reel spool.

       The following are some of the facts and properties, which I have compiled from various

sources to share with our Rod  and  Line readers.

     1. Low Stretch: This feature is the main reason why the GSP lines are been lauded so much. Being virtually non-stretch(<4 compared="" the="" to="">30%) of the mono filament, it will transmit every little nibble up the line. When coupled with today's modern graphite rods, slight nudges from the fish will be like 8.7 quake on the Richter Scale. 

     Striking the fish will be easier as you will know when the bait is been picked up. Setting the hook with a wide swing of the rod is a thing of the past. The non-stretch property of the GSP is also very suitable in lure fishing as one can feel the bottom or any snags easily. With such awareness, lost lures will be minimised.

Lure action can also be increased and easier to execute, as the slightest twitch of the rod will transmit the action to the lure. This non-stretch property can be used to stop big fish from gaining the safety of sunken snags as the anglers can control its run and turning its head better.

     Of course it is not always yes votes for the non-stretch properties. The main drawback is, a hard fighting and jumping fish might tear out the hook, as there is no cushioning effect from stretching lines. This could also mean the sudden shocking pull might result in a broken line or even snap the rods.

     To overcome this problem, a softer rod can be use. Of course, the drag of the reel must be set lighter than the usual 1/3 the breaking strain of the braided line. It is much wiser to set the drag to 1/3 the breaking strain of the equivalent mono filament with the same diameter as the braided line.

     2. Thinner Diameter: Pound for pound the GSP are thinner than mono filaments. This translates into more line on the spool. The extra length is very useful in case you are lucky enough to lock onto a big fella. The thinner line also enables us to cast further. Sometimes even the extra distance of one metre can mean the difference between fish of no fish.

     To the deep-sea bottom fishing fans, the thinner diameter is God sent. With less bellying of the line in strong current coupled to smaller weight used meant less aching arms for the poor deep-sea bottom anglers. Fish being shy and wary are not easily spooked by the thin lines, thus more willing to take baits. For the same diameter, the GSP lines being stronger can help to pull lures or rigs back should they be snagged.Care must be taken not to pull with your bare hands as the GSPs can cut right up to the bones.

     3. Lighter: The density of the GSP is less than 1, which means it will float on water. This property is a bonus for float fishing as one can keep track of the float and line. Of course, the fly fishermen are laughing too.

A braid leader knot. This is another good method to join the gel-spun to the mono filament leader. A double must be made on the gel-spun first. One good was to make a double is the bimini twist (with increase turn) or the spider hitch. A good reference book on knots for gel-spuns is "Geoff Wilson's Guide To Rigging Braid, Dacron And Gel-Spun Lines".

     4. UV Resistant: GSP are generally more resistant to UV and the heat from the sun. As such, they last a lot longer and may be cheaper in the long run when compared to premium mono filaments. Some fading of colour, which is a usual occurrence, does not mean the line has deteriorated beyond use.

     5. Knots: When gel-spun line first hit the market, numerous complaints could be heard about knots slipping. The main culprit was the fused line. Comparatively, it is more slippery than the braided and mono lines. The problem can be overcome by increasing the number of turns while tying the knots and putting on a drop or two of super glue.

     For those who find learning new knots a hassle, then a piece of mono leader can be join to the gel-spun and the usual mono knots can be used to tie hooks or terminals. In order to join gel-spun to the mono, a double must first be tied on the gel-spun. The best is to use a Bimini twist with increased turns of about forty turns. Or if you are just targeting small fish, a spider hitch will do.

     After tying the double, a braid leader knot (see drawing ) can be used to join the mono to the gel-spun double. A uni to uni knot, as recommended by most of the manufacturers, is also very good to join braid to mono filament backing on the spool.

     As for hooks and swivels, a Palomar or uni knot with increased turns are two useful knots for gel-spun line. For those of you who are fanatical about knots, a very good reference book is Geoff Wilson's "Guide to Rigging Braids, Dacron and Gel-Spun Lines". 

     6. No Memory/Limp: Braids on the whole have no memory; thus they lie flat and supple. As such this very property poses a very irritating problem. Being supple and thin, it is very easy to get wrap around rod tips, guides and reel handles.

A-D). A step by step guide to the Palomar knot, which is also recommended by some GSP brands. 1-4). Method of tying a hook with uni knot.

     Care must be taken while casting as the line might break. Being thin it too can easily dig into the underlying line in the spool thus causing bird nests while casting. Casting reels with cross laying level winds help to minimise this problem.

     The fusion line are less prone to this problems but they have their own set too. Being sticky, they tend to stick to themselves and thus reducing casting distance and sometimes cause bird nests too. Should bird nests occur with gel-spun lines, it is almost impossible to untangle, as they are limp, thin and has no memory. The easiest way out is to cut the mess to save you a lot of stress.

     7. Bad For Guides?: Most anglers have the notion that gel-spuns are very bad for the rod guides. As far as I know, guides made from aluminium oxides and other harder materials are quite resistant to gel-spuns.

As for your hands it is a totally different story. I found out too late when I used my thumb to guide braided lines onto my multiplier.

A sketch of the braided line on the left and the fusion line on the right.

     Well, from my limited knowledge and whatever I can glean from other more experienced anglers, I have listed here most of the properties of the gel-spun lines. This article is never meant to be a pro and con debate about these super lines. My aim here is to share them with our fellow anglers so that you can make your own choice.

BLUE PINCERS OF PARIT BUNTAR

This article was published in the August/October 2000 issue of Asian Anglers' World of Singapore.

     Sometime ago, at the peak of the prawning season in Teluk Intan, on any given weekend, one can find boats of all shapes and sizes cruising the Perak River looking for freshwater prawns or udang galah. Catches of over a hundred prawns per angler was not unusual and pleas for conservation fell on deaf ears.

     I used to have big arguments with some of these prawn fishermen over the danger of depleting prawn stock but their point of view was that the number of prawns would never dwindle. Well, time proved me right. These days, if you can get four or five prawns of any size each trip you were very lucky. The "prawners" sold off their boats and outboards and thus ended the prawning fever at Teluk Intan, which is on the lower reaches of the Perak River, a little over 90km west of Ipoh.

Once pinched, twice shy: Chan Chiew handles a lam kong carefully now.

     Recently, I heard that Parit Buntar up north was becoming a prawn catching haven. Fishing from the river bank, catches of ten big ones were quite common during the prawning season, which is late December to February in Perak. Fong and I sat down to plan our trip. Fong and his prawning partner, Fong Yau (translated it means angin fella), are regulars. They can stay cramped up in a 3.6 meter craft for more than 20 hours, fishing for prawns. Every time prawning is mentioned, their eyes would light up.

     Come the appointed Sunday, we pushed off at six in the morning, the two Fongs in one car, See and I in another. Being the more experience angler Fong was appointed captain. The plan was for us to exit the North -South Highway from the Kamunting Interchange and proceed to Bagan Serai where we were to regroup.

Anglers without boats trying to catch prawns from the bank.

    For almost an hour, See and I waited without any sign of the two Fongs at our rendezvous. After numerous tries to contact them on our hand phones failed, we began to worry. At long last, Fong called and sheepishly told us that they were lost! The captain had turned off absentmindedly at the Bukit Merah Interchange and went to Selama. Finally, we met up at the bridge linking Parit Buntar to Bandar Baru. Not being particularly mild-mannered people ,we had some strong words for the two Fongs.

See with one of his prawns.

     Unloading our boats, we pushed off down river. Along the way, See and I had to suffer the constant taunts of the Fongs who wanted to race. They were using a 15-hp engine while we had to putt along on my museum piece of a 4-hp. As our progress was snail-like, we decided to anchor at a spot five metres away from the bank, which was overgrown with nipah palms. The tide was moving out now and it was a good time to put in the lines. Before long, See pulled up his first prawn of a reasonable size. Then came a second and a third! He out-fished or rather out-prawned me with his one rod to my three.

     I was using earthworms while See's bait was sea worms. Switching over to sea worms, I began to even the score even though I threw back a number of thumbed-sized prawns. See's luck was still holding and he had an irritating grin on his face. Reluctantly I recorded his catches which were of good sizes, on film.

Sea worms are more effective prawn bait than earthworms.

     My luck changed after a while. My Tiny 20 rod tip began to dance. Lifting it up carefully, I turned the handle of my Tiny 20 reel and was rewarded with a powerful jerk! A few more tugs and I knew that I had a lam kong (big blue pincer prawn) on. It was some fight on ultra-light prawn tackle. Finally, a big daddy of a prawn was lifted up, its pincers flaying and snapping in the air. I was careful to grab the body just behind the pincers to prevent them from causing any harm.

     Once, I caught a giant grandfather of a prawn at the confluence of the Perlus and Perak Rivers near Karai. This fella had moss growing on its back! Thinking its pincers would be unable to reach me, I held the prawn carelessly. It was a big mistake and I was taught a painful lesson. My finger was gripped so hard that it bled before I could prise open the offending pincer.

As the morning wore on, the sun got very hot causing my face to smart from the ray reflecting off the water. I should have put on my sun-protection lotion but I hate it when it drips into my eyes causing them to burn. Of course, there is the danger of skin cancer if one is exposed too long and too often to the sun.

     Felling sweaty and thirsty, we headed for the bridge to seek shelter. This bridge spans the Kerian River and links the town of Parit Buntar and Bandar Baru. It was built after a tragedy occurred in the early 70s. The only way to cross the river then was by ferry towed by cables from both banks. When it rained, the crossing became hazardous. On that fateful day, a school bus full of students toppled into the rain-swollen river and many lives were lost, including the gallant ferry attendant. Single-handedly, he saved quite a number of drowning students before he succumbed to exhaustion. 

     Under the cool shade of the bridge, we had our lunch. There was a slight breeze and the two Fongs began to doze off while See and I continued to fish. Not only were we put off by their snoring, I guessed the prawns were affected too. With the Fongs' orchestra going, we caught nothing. 

     By then, the current had stopped moving and we decided to go upstream to another nipah clump. our attention was caught by loud splashes near the nipah roots. We thought they were caused by a siakap (barramundi) going after its prey. Half an hour later, we were proven wrong when a small silvery fish shot out of the water and dropped back in about a metre away. It was immediately followed by a haruan! Pity we were not equipped for haruan fishing.

     By four, we had enough of prawning. Cruising or rather spluttering slowly back, we noticed a lot of anglers fishing along the banks. I wondered how their luck was.

     Securing the two boats onto the car was easy as we had four pairs of hands. After checking that everything was in order, I slammed shut the car boot. "Aagh! Ooh! Aah! Fong Yau was shouting and grimacing in pain. Knowing that he was a practical joker, I wasn't concerned until he pointed to his hand. Through his yelling and shouting I saw one of his fingers caught under the lid. Panic-strickened, my hand shot to my pockets to feel for the keys, but found nothing. None in the keyhole of the booth either. Moving quickly, I found the key in the starter switch and pulled it out. That was when I heard hysterical laughter from the two Fongs. Turning around confused, I realised I had been conned when I saw Fong Yau waving his hand with one finger bent, in front of my face.

It looks realistic: Fong Yau's finger 'caught' under the car lid.

     Feeling irritated but relieved, I pulled out my fishing knife and threatened to chop off all his fingers. Through his laughter, he told me that I was his tenth victim. Everyone had tears rolling down their cheeks. They regretted that the look of panic on my face was not recorded on film. Well in life you win some, you lose some.