I am ready for Kota Kinabalu on 23-27 June 2009. In addition to the above reels I borrowed Steven's Commander H5 electric reel. What is needed now is fine weather and plenty of fishes, particularly the mutated giant gold fish.
I have decided to make a small come back to the fishing fraternity. The lure (pun not intended) is still irresistible. Do come back for some catch reports ...
The following links to some great parrot fishing clips were sent to me by Chris and there is only one word for it - wow!
http://www.turitalo.jp/video/kandai3.wmv
http://www.turitalo.jp/video/kandai4.wmv
tag: fishy fun
May all my fishing trips this year result in such unadulterated pleasure.
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?
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.
tag: fishy feelings
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
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.
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
