Life is Fishing: October 2005

Monday, October 31, 2005

Watch The Watch

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 ....

category: fishy feelings

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Catch Report - 29/10/05

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 L

category: catch report

Friday, October 28, 2005

Dreaming In Anticipation

I dream of non-stop fishing actions. I dream of parabolically bent rod. I dream of fishing in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

It's unbelievable, I have already booked a trip with the KK boatman for April 27-30, 2006. A whopping 6 months in advance. I have never in my life booked a family holiday 6 months in advance.

What is even more amazing is the fact that 7 other anglers have already indicated their commitment to this trip.

But it's 6 long months more ..... I guess I just have to keep on dreaming ... in the meantime!

Last KK trip's catch:

category: fishy feelings, catch report

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

I Need My Fix

I'm addicted to fluorocarbon leader. Without doubt it has given me comparative success - in many instances when the fishes are easily spooked (seem very often these days), I out-fish the unbelieving anglers. Now I use it on all fishing trips, day or night.

I even experience withdrawal symptoms when I don't have it. In one particular trip, without my fluoro I felt terrible, depressed and lost. Needless to say, my fishing confidence waned.

Now I cannot imagine going on a fishing trip without my fluoro. I 'm so hopelessly addicted. Help me! I need a fluoro rehab centre.

I take comfort from the following review:

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewseaguar.html

category: fishy feelings, tackle talk

The Bee Stings Again

I hate his artificially inflated ego, ceaseless chattering and disparaging & mocking remarks but I do miss fishing with him.

Damn, I read in fishingkaki that 2 anglers on his boat harvested 45 pei tiam. I don't care whether these fishes are wild or released, I just want the non-stop action.

Alas, the last non-stop action that I had was Ah Seng (catfish) on Ah Chong's boat.

category: fishy feelings

26/10/05 Fishing With Ah Chong

Francis, Louis and I took leave today to go fishing. I think we are plain mad, spending our precious leaves just to catch a few miserable fishes. I have 42 days leave a year and that definitely makes the other 2 guys more mad than me.

The fishes were all caught between 12 to 5pm with the most happening time between 12 to 2pm. We spent the whole morning waiting in vain for chermin at the naval base area.

The highlight for me was when I was reeling in a 500gm snapper I saw a huge fish (I think it is a grouper) chasing after the snapper. It must be aleast 5 or 6 kg. Subsequently, I tried live-baiting with a ACK but ....... I will be back, I know where you are now!

My catch rate was pretty impressive today. It must be attributable to flurocarbon.

Tide pattern
26/10 0726 2.1 H
26/10 1054 1.9 L
26/10 1611 2.2 H

category: catch report

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Gears Are Ego Extension

Sometimes I wander why like many other anglers, I suffer from a compulsive obsession for gears and gears and gears. Do I really need an Ishida or a Blue Heavan?

I think it is an ego thingy. Just like cars, rods and reels are psychological extension of a man's penis. I'm sure Freudian believers would have a field day with this.

In contrast, nature's way seems functional and simplistic but it does have its own brand of beauty and elegance.

My new philosophy for this season - buy less and fish more!

category: fishy feelings, tackle talk

Superstitions & Insecurities

I have come to the following conclusions that overcome personal superstitions and insecurities:

the rod that I use most often catches the most fishes
the reel that I use most often catches the most fishes
the rig that I use most often catches the most fishes
the more my rod is in the rod-holder the more fishes I'll catch from the rod holder
the more I'm on the phone the more fishes will seem to bite when I'm on the phone
the more I fish the more fishes I catch

There are no unlucky reel, rod, rigs and etc. It is all a matter of probability. The law of large numbers will predict the eventual outcome.

category: fishy feelings

Monday, October 24, 2005

Local Singapore Catch

There are some surprises in the Singapore water too!

to see more:

Hooked For Good

Fishing can be and is for me all consuming. It is like narcotic, it literally hooks you and the prospect for escape is rather bleak.

Now when I planned a family holiday, I try to find a destination that allows me to smuggle in some fishing. When I visit the supermarket I tour the fish display and try to identify the fishes. On last count I spent more than 50% of my annual leave on fishing trips. I have also spent more money on fishing related gears and activities than all my other past and presence hobbies combined. Notice that no dollar value is given here – just in case my wife is reading this. My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for. And last night I dreamt of a rod tip bending and I woke up in excitement.

When I first started fishing, my wife saw the enthusiasm and the glow in my eyes and she thought that I was having an affair. She now realized through strategic communication on my part that fishing is ‘hubby safe’. I used to tell her that most anglers are men and occasionally you do have some female anglers but they all look like man.

Good Time and Good Friends

Sabah, KK, 2004 on Sotong's boat. 3 nights of almost non-stop actions

This is one of my most memorable trip. Great fishing and great kakis.

Photo:
Back (from left): Tiong, Nick, Alex, Tony
Front (from left): Frank, Me, Francis, Albert, Daryl

Catch Report 21/10/05 - Drifting Jurong Island Area

I just came back from China 2 days before this. I felt the unstoppable urge to fish. My dear friend Francis was not free to fish and all the good boatmen were taken up the Saturday to come. So I went out with Ah Eng on Friday 21/10/2005.

We started out at 9am and began fishing at 10am and stopped at about 3.30pm.

Catches:

4 snappers - 2plus kg
1 snapper - sub kg
6 groupers - ranging from 1 kg plus to about 2 kg

Most happening time at about 2pm

Relevant tide pattern:

21/10 0718 1.2 L
21/10 1239 3.0 H
21/10 1922 0.2 L

category: catch report

"Gone Fishing" oophs it should be "Gone Swimming"

I was in Fremantle (Australia) last year to jig for the almighty samson. It was a family holiday and fishing was just 'by the way' - at least that's what I told my wife. The day came but the weather was bad but the captain said that I could go along for the morning since they were filming an episode of 'Fishing with ET'. I was excited at the prospect of not just fishing but maybe appearing on TV along with ET.

To cut the story short, the swell was big and I was moving to the railing of the boat with my newly made seed rod and my saltiga z40 with a 500gm jig, the swell came and my hand missed the railing and I found myself flying in mid air and into the water - 100m of the Indian ocean was below me. Somehow I managed to surface and I heard someone shouted 'man overboard'.

I lost my gears, did not manage to get any samson and lost alot of pride that day.

On the positive note, I now have a story to tell - I have gone swimming in the Indian ocean. Have you?

Memorable Catch

I just want to show you some of my memorable catch todate since I started fishing 2 years ago. Not much to show but they have given me great memories and pride:

Sail fish - Rompin

Giant Trevally - KK, Sabah

Giant Grouper - KK, Sabah

Ang Ko Li - KK, Sabah

Mangrove Jack - KK, Sabah

Spanish mackerel - KK, Sabah

Lepoard Ray - Tanjong Pinang

Jew Fish - Singapore water

Sabah, KK, 2004 on Sotong's boat. 3 nights of almost non-stop actions

Others:

www.flickr.com

More of Private Choices' photos tagged with fishing

Hello & Welcome

This is me. At my age very few things turn me on or give me the kick. Fishing is one of two that does that; I won't tell you what the other is since this is about fishing. My mission in this blog is to give you an update of my fishing activities, fishing aspirations and tackle lusts. Have fun here and please visit often as I will be fishing often too.....

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Boatmen Contact

This is a list of boatmen that I have fished with that in my opnion is worth fishing with again:

Local Water

Ah Chong Tekong Area 96953036

Zainol Ubin/Tekong Area 96205742

Ah Eng West Coast Area 96654730

Ah Tan West Coast Area 94313191

Ah Bao West Coast Area 96239789

Ah Chai Changi Area 91014520

Overseas

Ah Liang Rompin 60-129012383

Ah Jia Tanjong Pinang 62-811774078

Mr Tee King Chong or Mr Chong Kampong Balai, Merchong, Nenasi 012 - 2974364

If you use the number here please tell the boatman that you got the number from HenryKoh. You are most welcome to add on to this list - use the post comment function.

category: boatman