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.