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.