Wow, I hope that gets your attention. This is from a catch report on Spratly found in the Malaysian fishing forum. There are just so many places to fish but so little time and too much commitment in life. Click and drool here.
This is the world's record for largest freshwater fish, at 646 pounds (293 kg). It is a Mekong catfish. Giant fish researchers - led by Zeb Hogan of the WWF and University of Wisconson tried to save it so it could spawn yet again, but it died and was consumed by hungry villagers.
A 15 year old girl, Sara Hayward caught a record breaking wahoo off Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico. The fish weighs a whopping 184 pounds. That's not just 30 pounds more than the record, that's 50 pounds more than she herself weighs.
Read about it here
Multitentacled giant jellyfish of up to 200 kilograms and with diameters of up to 2 meters have returned with a vengeance this season. Fishermen in Japan say they are under siege.
Read about it here.
I was just looking through old photos on a unfettered Sunday and found this. The fishes here were caught on my first trip to Sabah from a depth of about 100 meters. I don't know what they are and never got around to ask or find out. It does look too weird and colorful to be eaten though! For now, for me at least, it remains as unknown creature from the deep. Any enlightenment out there?
This is Louis with his first ever chermin (diamond trevally), caught using his newly acquired fluorocarbon leader. He is now a fluoro convert and soon to be addict.tag: catch report
I came across this news, the squid is estimated to be between 30 to 50 pounds. It would make a lot of calamari or enough baits for a record breaking number of snappers and enough ink to last till the next generation. But I am sure the tug of war would be the most memorable - jet propelled opponent.
You will find other fishing news here.
Another squid post here.
Now I'm not asking too much am I? I hope the right person will read this and do the right thing.
tag: fishy feelings
This is a photo of the famous west lake in Hangzhou, China. I was there last year and was told that there are plenty of fishes in the lake but you do need a special license to fish in certain part of it. I did not have the time in that trip but it would certainly be heaven on earth to be able to fish from a boat in the middle of the west lake. Perfect tranquility, beautiful scenery, cool weather and a fish pulling at the end of the line ... wow!
tag: fishy feelings
These are some tips from FishSA.com that I think are worth remembering:
When playing with fish that jump out of the water, always dip your rod down to slacken the tension of the line and hook as they jump. Fish will use the tension of a tight line to try and dislodge the hook from their mouth. So it doesn't pay to always have "tight lines" !
When baiting a hook, try and use soft bait - if using squid, beat the squid to soften it prior to baiting the hook. Some fish like to "mouth" a bait prior to taking it. As it does this, you will feel a light pick on the line and nothing more. The bite you feel is in fact not a bite but caused by the fish's tail action as it swims away with the bait.
The best way to determine if your hook is sharp enough, test it on your finger nail. If the point holds on the nail, it is sharp enough.
Power and action are two different things. Action describes how the rod will bend under loading. Slow action rods bend evenly from the tip to the butt, while fast action rods bend mostly near the tip section. Power ratings are a measure of how much pull is required to bend the rod. The higher the rating, the stiffer the rod.
category: fishy techniques
As indicated in an earlier posting, I'm hopelessly addicted to fishing. Now I find myself also hopelessly addicted to this fishing blog. I just, as in less than half an hour ago, came back from a fishing trip and I'm here posting this catch report. I like to think of it as passion and not addiction.
Anyway, last evening five of us took off from west coast and headed for a spot about 2 hours away. We arrived early to wait for the turning tide. And true enough when the tide turned a beautiful golden snapper of about one half kg was landed. Just when everybody was excited and waiting in anticipation of that characteristic snapper pull, the north east wind blew. It blew and blew itself into a fury, the anchor slipped, we were all wet and swells of one to three metres came. It was frightening for me, I never knew that this could happen in local water. We were forced to seek shelter near an island and the passage to the sheltered water was tedious, slow, rocky and grossly uncomfortable. It took more than an hour just to find calm water. The rest of the night saw light rain and lots of catfish, small rays and some eels.
This is for Francis - I did not take photos, no anti-shake will suffice in that situation, I was shaking too.
Now for that badly needed bath ...
I will be off to a rather new spot 2 hours away from the west coast this evening. The last trip to that spot by some friends produced a mini harvest with fishes like snappers and groupers in the 2 kg range. So watch out for the catch report tomorrow.
category: fishy feelings
This being the first day of December, I woke up feeling all sentimental about Christmas. It is the season for renewing family ties and friendship, buying gifts, attending parties and church activities. It is also for me a season of less fishing with the monsoon haunting the usual fishing grounds. In fact I will be going on a holiday with my family on Christmas day itself. It will be a holiday without fishing since I will be herded from place to place by some tour guide.
For me the holy land of fishing has to be the Maldives. It is not just the bountiful fishes but also the variety of fishing styles available. Apparently, one can jig, pop, troll, cast, fly-fish, and off course bottom-fish. The species of game fishes are also peerless:
Trolling
Marlin, Sail fish, Yellow fin, Wahoo, Dog tooth, Barracuda, Dorado
Popping
Giant trevally, Blue fin trevally, Dog tooth, Snappers
Jigging
Dog tooth, Giant trevally, Bluefin trevally, Snapper, Job fish, Emperor, Grouper
Bottom Fishing
Snapper, Giant trevally, Bluefin trevally, Emperor, Job fish, Groupers, Ginimas
The fishing infrastructure is also well established providing comfortable or even luxurious fishing.
Anyone want to join me at the end of 2006?
Scientific name:
Thunnus maccoyii and Thunnus albacares
Size:
Both southern bluefin and yellowfin tuna grow to at least 2 m in length and reach weights of more than 150 kg, although fish of both species over 100 kg are relatively uncommon, especially in inshore waters. The much rarer central Pacific bluefin - a near identical fish to the giant Atlantic bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) of northern waters - grows to a weight of more than 350 kg, and any tuna over 200 kg taken in our waters are most likely to be representatives of this central Pacific species
Description:
The southern bluefin is a very heavily built tuna with a cylindrical body and short fins. It is blue-black on the back and bluish-silver on the belly, often with broken vertical white bars and dashes on the flanks and belly, especially when young. The fins and finlets are yellowish, but never as bright as those of the yellowfin tuna. However, the caudal keels on the tail wrist, ahead of the tail, are conspicuously yellow, especially in smaller fish.The yellowfin colouration is the most striking of all the tunas. Freshly caught or live specimens are blue to steel black on the back, silver to silvery-gold on the flanks, and silvery-white on the belly. A band of bright gold or iridescent blue (sometimes both colours, one above the other) runs along the upper flanks, separating the dark back from the lighter belly. The stomach area sometimes carries oval, colourless patches and vague, broken vertical bars of white or off-white. As its name implies, the yellowfin's fins are bright yellow, particularly the small finlets. However, the caudal keels, ahead of the tail, are dark or dusky. Larger yellowfin (over 30 or 40 kg) are characterised by extended, strap-like second dorsal and anal fins, sometimes called "sickles".
Fishing Techniques:
Southern bluefin and yellowfin tuna are taken using a range of angling techniques. These include trolling with lures - especially skirted, Konahead-style lures, pushers, jet-heads, rubber squid, feathers, jigs, minnows and flies - as well as live baiting, dead baiting, lure casting and even fly fishing. A favoured Australian technique for taking larger yellowfin tuna is to use un-weighted flesh-strip baits or whole and cut pilchards in conjunction with a berley trail of fish cubes. This is called cubing or strip baiting. Big tuna are extremely powerful and demand the best in tackle, rigs and gaffs. Most are taken on study overhead reels, short, strong rods and lines of 15 to 37 kg breaking strain.
Eating Qualities:
The southern bluefin tuna has dark, red meat with a relatively high oil content, and is highly regarded by the Japanese for use in raw fish sashimi or sushi dishes. The yellowfin's flesh is slightly lighter in colour and less oily, but also demands a high price on the sashimi market, as well as being rated just behind the albacore in terms of its cooked flavour. All tuna destined for the table should be killed by a solid blow to the head immediately after being brought aboard, and bled by severing one or more arteries. The carcass should then be cooled as quickly as possible using ice or an iced brine "slurry", before being eaten fresh or snap frozen for future consumption.
source: http://www.sportsfish.com.aucategory: fishy feelings, fishy techniques
In addition to GPS and echo-sounder, boatmen seriously need to learn how to take digital photos. This picture was taken by the boatman - my head was nearly chopped off, the picture was blurry and the composition left much to be desired. If the picture looks decent to you, it is attributable to my photo manipulation skills.
You should have seen the other photo taken by him. The fish heads were truncated.
But all are forgivable if the catch is good.
category: fishy feelings
Notice the grin, the smack of satisfaction, a total contrast from the sullen look a minute ago. That's the magic of fishing. Again the pleasure is firmly re-embedded in the neurons of the brain and the waiting and disappointment relegated to the remotest region. Overtime the brain is addicted to the pleasure associated with fishing and it pines for the next experience and the next and the next ...
The catch in the last few trips sucks big time. Maybe my expectations have gone sky high recently but whatever the reasons I'm both angry and disgusted - my ROI (particularly family time) has been way below par. I feel like a terrible investor.
November 18 evening, the six of us (Daryl, Seng Chee, Frank, Albert, Gary and I) set off with high hope for the Marine Parade wreck on Yew Seng's boat. We were dreaming of big groupers or at least some golden snappers. The baits were good and we even netted a good number of live squids. Despite the good weather, current and baits, most of us had our hope dashed. The result:
And that's it folk!
Having said that I must say that the company was great and Yew Seng was very hardworking in netting the squids.
I'm going fishing this Friday evening (18th Nov) on Yew Seng's boat. My last two encounters on his boat have been a dismay, a big fat zero on both occasions. This, I hope will be the trip that breaks the spell.
Hope, the magic that warms the heart,
When all things seem so bleak and dark.
I went fishing yesterday (12 November) with Frank and Vincent. We were fishing around the ubin and tekong area. The boat was very comfortable for the 3 of us but the catch was just plainly, simply, purely PATHETIC. To begin with, it was the boatman who called and told me that the current was pretty good and I enthusiastically invited my friends promising them good catch. The rain in the early morning could have been a factor but still it was embarrassing, I almost did not want to post this catch report. The only saving grace was understanding friends and great social bonding. Anyway the catch:
Tide Pattern:
12/11 0833 2.6 H
12/11 1439 1.3 L
I can think of a hundred reasons, I'm exaggerating, maybe 10 reasons why I should buy this reel. It is not the color, I hate gold. It is not the brand, I'm not the Shimano type. It is not because it is level-drag, my fishing style is simply to lock drag and crank. It is not the technology, I know next to nothing about things like washer, drag disc, alloy and ball-bearings. To be honest I don't know why. It is just unadulterated lust. Now I'll have to look for a trip to appease my conscience and justify the purchase. Man, I'm in heat!
This is a kingfish that was caught in my last trip to KK but it was caught by someone else. In fact quite a few were hooked up in that trip but it simply eluded me. I'll be looking out for you king in my next trip.
As a side note, this fish despite its power and fierce run is actually toothless .
category: fishy feelings
I have fished intensively for 2 over years and the most important lesson I have learnt is how to react to a fish bite. The human tendency is to strike or pull in the opposing direction of the fish bite with the intent of setting the hook. I have now learnt that this is not the best reaction.
The best reaction is to go against human impulse and that is to dip the rod and slack the line for a second or two before striking. I found this to be extremely difficult to do initially, it is just so anti human nature. But building the right reflex action has paid off, I believe I have better hook-up rate resulting from the re-conditioning of this reflex action. Try it!category: fishy techniques
OK, roll on the floor and laugh! In a pervert sense I found this very humorous. I guess it is safer to go fishing relative to swimming and diving. The picture gives a new meaning to this quotation:
Humor is a reminder that no matter how high the throne one sits on, one sits on
one's bottom ~ Taki
What the heck happened to Hosburg? Where have all the fishes gone. It used to be a fun and productive fishing ground just hours away from our shore. The photos above was for a trip in April, 2004. The picture today is very different - the catch reports for Hosburg these days are pathetic. Given the fuel hike and hence higher charter prices and the poor catch, Hosburg is out for me .... unless the fishes return .... it would be a miracle ...
The catch today is rather poor. The snappers are gone, the fun of fishing the Jurong island area is as such greatly diminished. The other fishes are reluctant to bite.
There were 4 groupers in total and Francis (pic on the left) who caught only 2 fishes today caught the 2 biggest groupers. The boatman who also caught 2 fishes only today caught the remaining 2 small groupers. I caught the rest. But in terms of size and quality, Francis is the indisputable champion. See picture below for total catch.
Boatman: Ah Eng
Area: Jurong Island
Method: Drifting
Tide Pattern:
05/11 0645 1.4 L
05/11 1216 3.1 H
05/11 1856 0.2 L
I had no chance to go fishing during this block of holidays and as a result suffered an attack of fishing nostalgia. 
Have not been to TP for over a year and decided to join this group (8 anglers) for 2 nights of fishing. I must say that the thing that I enjoyed most was the service. There is no place like TP when it comes to service.
The anglers wanted good eating fishes rather that just big fishes and told the boatman specifically not to target bulat. As a result, not a single bulat, my first trip to TP that has no bulat.
Anyway the fishes:
red emperor - 4, biggest about 2 kg
have plenty of fresh squids on the first night
I bought this in September and matched it with a newly made calstar 30-80 in preparation for the Tanjong Pinang trip in early October.
I used to do fly-spinning for peacock bass at Lower Pierce Reservior, the biggest I have caught is about a kg. It gives great fight and aerial display on light tackle. Now I can only imagine what a fellow like this (picture) would do. I am sure it would be one tenacious tug of war between beast and man.
I should put this on my post-work (retirement) fishing agenda but by then it would be beast against old man. As someone said, "age is matter of the mind, if you don't mind it doesn't matter". Wish I could believe that ....
I bought this watch a while ago. By setting the longitude and latitude it will predict the fish biting periods by calculating moon phase and tide pattern. It ranks the level of fish activities with a scale of between 1 to 4 fishes.
It even has a fish alarm that will buzz you during the biting period.
The accuracy is obviously affected by other factors such as temperature and pressure. But the most important factor is without doubt a productive spot.
I can tell you this, a watch like this will mean that at times it would be hard to concentrate on work.
The fishes are biting ....
Louis, Vincent and I went fishing today. Alas, this is a trip that left me yearning more for fishing in KK, Sabah.
Boatman: Ah Eng
Area: around Jurong island
Fishing style: drifting
The water condition was great and we drifted from 9am to 5pm and for some strange reasons the fishes were not biting or absent. This is what we caught:
3 groupers, all below a kg
1 parrot, below a kg
12 chocolate hinds
I caught 2 of the groupers and 6 chocolate hinds. The 3 groupers were caught around 10am.
Tide pattern:
29/10 0928 2.4 H
29/10 1524 1.3 Lcategory: catch report
I dream of non-stop fishing actions. I dream of parabolically bent rod. I dream of fishing in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
category: fishy feelings, catch report
