JB-Layang Floating Kelong Trip

The Malaysia Johore Exploring Trip

Time: 0800am ~ 0500pm

Tide:
30Nov07 0352 2.3
30Nov07 0839 1.4
30Nov07 2233 0.7

Chinese Calander: 十月二十一



Sign directing us to the fishing land

Last week, was informed by my fishing kaki, Arthur, whom found a nice fishing place and had caught a 2kg Grunter (Gu-hook) . I was pretty impressed with his catch and the place he went. So, we arranged a Friday morning trip to this new fishing ground at Malaysia.

Arthur brought has wife and daughter along and also his friend, Teck Chin came along as well. We met at Permas Jaya early in the morning and the 3 cars head off to Rakit Layang, our new target fishing ground. The journey to R-Layang was a bit confusing but luckily, I have my GPS, it does helps a lot on directing the way for the trip. The toughest part of the driving is the last quarter of the journey where the road condition is not really pleasing to drive with a saloon car. Frankly speaking, at that point of time, how I wished that my ride is a 4WD….hohohooo!

The Convoy led by Arthur



One way lane



The Entrance to our fishing ground

Finally, i saw the sea

Upon reaching the fishing village, there was a pretty nice freshwater reservoir whereby there is a dam separating it from the sea. The place was nice and I have never expected that we are able to visit this kind of old style fishing village which had already disappeared from Singapore for long…long…time. Our fishing spot is not inshore but on a floating Kelong own by the malay villagers. The floating Kelong is not really a fish-rearing Kelong but a Kelong built for visitors to fish. There is a few such kind of Kelong in this area but too bad, it’s not as popular as Sibu Kelong and getting here definitely needs a transport or maybe your personal transport to be exact.

The weather was not really good as I can see some hint of dark clouds and it was pretty windy whereby the sea tends to be choppy. As this month is the monsoon season, the water in this area is sort of murky. The catch rate was not up to our expectation whereby not even a single bite for nearly a couple of hours. Moreover, I believe that there are many small fishes which have stolen our baits which causes our live prawns to be either dead or gone missing. Not a single 500g~1kg specs soul had come to rock our fishing gears. However, the only thing which keeps rocking is the floating platform. The rocking was caused by the incoming waves but no worries as it was not as bad as on a boat.

Layang information sign board

The fishing village

Our boat to the floating Kelong



Sheltered floating Kelong



Wow...so windy and where is my fish?

No fish then have a good rest

My Mee Goreng Lunch..Yummy!!!


At around 1530, Arthur had already landed a total of 3 small puffers, 1 Whiting (PasirPasir) and 1 Gelama. TeckChin landed 1 Duri, 1 Gelama and 1 puffer. For me, I landed a small eel which drops back into the water as it was trying to swallow my whole piece of prawn and luckily the hook did not set on this small fellow or else I would have a hard time cutting my line from this slimy creature.

Our lunch came pretty late and there was not enough live bait for us to use. I can feel that Arthur was not very happy as the live baited which we had requested was not delivering to us. Moreover, the tide window was closing and without live prawns, the chances of big catches were somehow equals to zero. Through Arthur’s wife, we got to know that they had some problems with the prawns as their stock had died due to the poor water condition. Luckily, TeckChin had brought some Kelong Ah Fatt’s Squid which he has kept for nearly 3 months in his fridge which comes in handy for targeting some fishes. As for me, without any live bait, I got to think of some good ways to fish. Without live prawn, we are really handicaps at this point of time.

Boxfish for fillet as bait

C'mon...where is my fish!!!

As for me, I’m pretty desperate to get some baits to attached onto my hook. So, i finally came out an idea to fillet the boxfish which Arthur had caught. As the weather is windy and there wasn't any bite, we decided to call it a day. While all of us started packing up, I went over to my Shakespear contender rod which I use a piece of boxfish meat attached to the hook. Upon retrieving, it seems i had caught sometime heavy and I thought i might have hooked onto some plastic bags. There wasn’t any fight or resistance and I just keep reeling it thinking it was not a fish. To my surprised, when the thing came up to the surface, it was a decent size grouper. Another grouper day for me as it seems i have been landing grouper in my recent fishing trip.

Yahoo..a Grouper finally!!!

Wow..a big mouth

Boat fishing anyone?

Going back home.

This fishing spot seems pretty decent and promising. Both Arthur and me decided to re-visit this Kelong once the monsoon is over and for sure, we will arrange for a offshore boat trip on our next JB-Layang trip.

Ah Chong Boat on 15th Nov 2007- CHANGI

Offshore Fishing at Changi on Ah Chong Boat

Time: 0800am ~ 0600pm
Tide:
15Nov07 0250 2.5
15Nov07 0745 1.6

15Nov07 1313 2.9

15Nov07 2003 0.5

Chinese Calander: 十月初六

The Diamonds

After reaching home from Airport on 10th Nov from my NZ trip, I straight away logon to FishingKakis to check for any available boat trip which I’ll be able to join in. I was really lucky that there will be a Thursday Changi offshore trip with Ah Chong which is a very precious chance not to be missed. All the while had wanted to join Ah Chong boat as the catch rate on his boat is pretty good and all the catch report posted in FK had Chermin(Diamond Trevally) landed. Immediately, I PM the thread starter, Sebastian and got a confirmation with him on the Thursday offshore boat trip.

At 0730, I reached CV to have my Prata with Teh-Tarik breakfast at the hawker center. At 0755, Sebastian (the organizer), Desley, Linus, Kai kin and his dad met up at the Changi Jetty and all of us headed off to our battlefield with a strong determination on conquering the land or maybe sea of Chermin.


Sebastian with his big Gu-hook

Around 1100, our first fish of the day was landed by Sebastian who caught a big 1.3kg Gu-hook (Grunter) with his handline. At around 1130, our first Chermin, the biggest one in our trip was landed by Linus. As the "man of the match" was using light spinning tackle, a good fight was performed between the big fish and him at the boat rear. The strength from the 2kg fish was indeed powerful as the reel was screaming like mad and the line was peeling off like no body business. While Linus was busy fighting his big fish, Kaikin’s dad who is using hand-line also had a strong tug on his line. Our boat had hit a small school of Chermin but only 2 lucky guys manage to get a bite from the fish. After around 10 minutes, Linus’s fish was landed and Keiken’s Dad fish was also landed after that. No escape for both the fish.

A 2kg Chermin for Linus

Kaikin helping his dad on the Chermin

My 8 years old Abu 6000C


As our boat is drifting, Desley who wanted to get some Ang Kuey (Crimson snapper) had his chance to land it. However, the snapper was not very big and hence, it was not much of a challenge for him. My line finally had some response and without much hassle, a 1kg Grouper was landed with my Abu 6000C pairing with a 6ft Shakespear Contender. In fact, my aim on this trip is to catch nothing but the Chermin. Landing a big fat grouper is indeed a bonus for me. After landed my grouper, I drop my line back into the water and immediately, I felt something on my line but the fish managed to escape whereby it could be the reason that the hook was not set properly on the fish’s mouth. How unlucky for m....Hiazzz. After a while, Uncle Chong, the boat man landed a decent size grunter and Desley landed a decent size Duri. Strangely, there is no bite from the deep and its became so quiet than most off us almost give up.


Happy Desley with his Duri


Captain Chong's Gu-hook

Yum..yum..1kg fat grouper

At around 1500, Ah Chong parked his boat at the spot where we are able to see CNB and the white lighthouse. Besides us, Raju’s boat had already anchored at that spot before us. Not long after we parked our boat, Ah Long and Ah Fong’s boat also join in. With four boat fishing on the same spot, the surrounding was a bit tense and everyone on the boat fishing is hoping to be the first to land a big one. The Angler’s in Ah fong’s boat seems to get bored in waiting for the bite as they started to fillet their Queenfish which they have caught earlier. At 1530, the weather was unfavorable to us as it started to rain. The rain was on and off for nearly an hour. After the rain, Sebastian was being waken up from a tug on his handline and our organizer managed to land the third Chermin on our trip and for me; I landed another grouper as well. Since then, there were no response from the deep and we call it a day at around 1800. Uncle Chong told us that, the catch rate for other boat was not very good and one of the boats was zero-fighters throughout the day.

Another Grouper for me

The last Chermin caught



Is this good enough...?

Our Sexy and Charming...Captain Ah Chong

It was really a much enjoyable trip compared to the last Changi offshore boat trip which I had few months back. The catch on this trip was pretty decent and the fishing spot was indeed better....hohohohoooo, maybe it’s my luck. Anyway, it’s a rare opportunity for me to fish on Ah Chong boat and especially one thing I would like to emphasis is that Uncle Chong boat does not have any GPS or Fish Finder which you can see in most fishing boat. However, with his “Fish Finding” instinct and all the wonderful Catch Report from all the anglers, you will never ever give his boat a miss.

New Zealand Fishing at Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu

Time: 2pm - 5pm (NZ) [SG time= 9am - 11am]
Date: 7th November 2007 [Day 6 in NZ]
Location: Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, New Zealand
Fishing Method: Lure Trolling

New Zealand is such a wonderful and beautiful place to live in and its very much a heaven compare to where i'm living in currently. In New Zealand, you wonldn't feel any stress or pressure at all. Life is really carefree and its the best place for retirement.

Boatman explained on using the equipments

DownRigger and my rod

Seriously, I had never ever thought that i will have a chance to fish Salmon or Trout in my whole life but this day finally arrived and i not miss the chance to catch one. Since i'm having my honeymoon trip in New Zealand and my CO (Commanding Officer) gave her greenlight to fish on the 6th Day so as to prevent me from disappointment.

My first Salmon fight...Easy job

As i will be the only one fishing, i paid NZ$100 for a 2 hour trip and my wife as an observer will have to pay NZ$50. I was really excited as this is my 1st time catching Salmon and Trout and my target is to get a big juicy fish for my sashimi dinner. The main reason why my CO allowed me to fish during our honeymoon is because she will be able to eat the freshest catch from the lake and this reason is enough to lure a Sashimi lover...hahahahaaaa.

Knock out the fish before taking out the treble hook

Trolling fishing is pretty simple and not much experience is needed. All you need is to release your line to the required length and a downrigger is used to set your line to the specific depth.

With all this done, all you need to do is to wait for the fish to strike. As i'm pretty lucky, my fist catch came within 5 minutes. The fight was not much for the salmon as is not really big and less than 2 minute, the fish landed. Another thing to take note is that when fighting the fish, do not strike too heavily as the salmon has a soft mouth. Hence, got to fight with care to prevent fish lost.

My very 1st Rainbow trout

Cleaning up the fish

Total catch

A big brown trout surfaced for food

Big Eel are hungry too!

Within the 2 hours time frame, i landed 3 Salmon and a decent Rainbow trout. It is pretty fun and a wonderful experience for me which i will not forget in my whole life. When the Boat reaches the Jetty, the boatman helped me to cut and clean the fish so that i'll be able to bring my catch to the local restaurant to cook. The intestine of the fish was thrown into the water and immediately, a big brown trout surfaced and grab the food. The boat man told me that Fishing near the Jetty was strictly prohibited and all fish at the Jetty are protected by law. Indeed, fish in New Zealand are really lucky ...if it is in Singapore...hohohoooo!

Rainbow Trout Sashimi for dinner...anyone?

As my wife loves Sashimi, I bought my catch to a Japanese Restaurant to prepared it for Sashimi which cost me NZ$15. The Texture of the Rainbow trout was superbly tender and the fresh taste really sweet without any soya sauce and Wasabi. My wife and i cleared up everything and nothing was lefted behind. Hahahaha...This is what i call fresh Sashimi. The 3 Salmon were brought back to my motel for my next day breakfast, lunch and dinner. The fish were cooked with salt and pepper using microwave and all i can say is wonderful and delicious.

A Luring Night trip on 25th Oct07

A fruitful night

Tide:
25th Oct 07 0405 0.7
25th Oct 07 1001 2.9
25th Oct 07 1618 0.5
25th Oct 07 2237 3.0

Chinese Calender: 九月十五

Since my last fishing trip with Arthur, my fishing urge was growing and I was unable to stop thinking of the big grouper which he has caught on that day. Therefore, I sms Arthur for a night luring trip on this Thursday as the water should be ideal. Darren, another fishing kaki was also interested and hence, we decided to meet at the East side before going to our productive spot.

On the Thursday morning, SMS was received from both Arthur and Darren. Arthur was asking whether the night trip will be confirmed and where else Darren informed that he was not able to make it for the night trip. Although one kaki couldn’t make it, it doesn’t reduce my growing urge to get some good fight.

My luring gear

Arthur and I met at a nearby hawker center near our fishing spot at 1945 to fill up my stomach making sure I have enough strength to fight the fish. At 2030, we reach our fishing spot. My arsenal for the night is a Pinnacle 1 piece 6ft BC rod which I have bought in year 2000 and have not been using it for not more than 5 times. This rod was used to pair up my Quantum Iron Bait-caster with 10lbs Tuf braided line. Another setup which I have brought is my 10ft Surecatch Prokat rod pairing with my Shimano GT Biomaster 4000 coupling with 30lb braided. For the first 30 minutes, no fish was caught and the night is really quiet. No surface action was seen and I was a bit disheartened. After so many casts on my newly bought sinking lure it doesn’t look promising at all although I have a good feeling that I might get something with it.

The first catch of the night






Hard to resist Berkley SP

My first grouper on lure

My 2nd Grouper on lure

The grouper terminator

Even a small glass fish could not resist it

What a hungry fish

Soon, the biting frenzy started when Arthur’s SP caught a 200g grouper but was release back to the water unintentionally which will be better not to mentioned it. Luckily Photo was taken on his first catch. Since then, the night becomes much better for both of us where we started to land fish one after another. Surprisingly, I caught my fish grouper on a lure and I can see that I have bought something which is effective for this trip. The Grouper seems to be unable to resist the temptation of our lure.

Give that man a beer...!

At about midnight, I move to another location near our spot to try out my lure. My 1st cast was a disaster as my lure was struck to some bottom object. Luckily, I managed to retrieve it. Out go my 2nd cast and was utterly shocked to see the rod which I’m holding on was bending like no tomorrow. My 10lb line was tearing out from my Quantum Iron in a fast pace and the strength of the fish was unstoppable. After a tough fight with the unknown biggy for around 10minutes, a silvered-bodied fish at a length of 3ft or more surfaced. My initial feeling on the fish could be a Barramudi(Siakap) but I’m wrong….. It was a BARRACUDA and a big one.

The big monster which harressed my sinking lure

The rear treble hook on my lure was securely hooked onto the mouth of the Barracuda and I’m pretty lucky that my line was not caught at the mouth of this big fish or else, I have no chance to see this fish surfaced. Even though I have won the battle seeing the exhausted fish floating, I had another problem. The fish was too heavy for me to lift it up from where I’m fishing and I can feel the amount of stress on my leader line and my rod. Without a Gaff, It’s extremely difficult for me to do anything. Eventually, my leader could not hold on anymore and off goes the big Barracuda and my 11 dollars lure. With despair, I see my fish sinking down into the bottom. As this is the very first big fish I landed on lure, I wanted to take a good picture of it. At that moment, I unloaded all my stuff on my body (with my shirt and shorts on) and jump into the water to salvage it. Due to the depth of the water, I can hardly do anything as the fish was gone from our sight.

A wet man with his toad fish

What a handsome face

With my whole bodied soaking with saltwater, I continued with my lure fishing with sadness. After an unexpected battle lost, the night becomes quiet and no fish was biting on our lure. Managed to land a decent sized Toad fish with my 10ft rod and nothing was landed after it. The tide was going down at a rapid speed and the current was strong underneath. Lots of rubbish was seen floating on the water and both of us called it a day at 0200.

It was a pretty fruitful night for both of us and I have a very satisfying encounter with a big Barracuda. With this experience, I have more confident in doing luring and it will be a very good alternative for me if I’m not going for an offshore trip. Do stay tuned on my blog and I will update my luring activities to you soon.

Our take home prize