LKY Fish

Biggest Grouper So Far

2009-12-29T12:22:00.004+08:00

Caught this by walking my last prawn. Groupers love to hide in corners to wait for their prey and simply couldn't resist a swimming target! Armed with this knowledge and technique, I'm looking forward to bigger targets...

Biggest snapper so far

2009-12-23T19:48:00.002+08:00

This is my third try here at 6-pipe for sea bass after the last defeat - due to inexperience fighting drain wars... Though I did not catch one yet, I have a feeling my sea bass is closing in...
Last round, I caught a hotlips. Today a snapper! What would be next...?! I certainly hope a seabass - of any size will do!
Jeremy cycled by to visit me. Had a good chat and he helped me modelled the snapper. :)

Still waiting for my sea bass...

2009-12-17T14:14:00.003+08:00

Spent a few hours today at six-pipe waiting for my ellusive sea bass.

Because of the construction at the sea side, I believe the fishes are spooked. So I went further up towards the highway to fish. This is not the best spot but at least, I reckon the fishes here will bite.

I suspended a line from over the highway and cast another line from the side of the drain.Within minutes of casting the side line, a hotlips shown here bit! But after that, it was quietness all through.Well, i'm consolated with at least this catch.

Mr Sea bass, till the next time. Wo zhong you yi tian deng dao ni.

War Declared with Sea Bass of 6-Pipe

2009-12-06T17:20:00.003+08:00

Went fishing at 6-pipe with a bag of live prawns.
Originally intended to cast out into the sea. But because the jetty was crowded, I fished at the long-kang side instead.
The time was 1pm and it was at its highest tide of 3m.
I lowered an apollo rig with size 1 hook and live prawn into the opening of the 3rd drain with my 10ft rod. I used a super heavy weight so that it would not drift into the drain. The water flow is super fast.
Within minutes, the bell rang. Upon retrieving I saw the prawn 3/4 eaten.
I changed in a new live prawn and re-lowered. Within minutes, bell rang again! I retrieved line and found the hook missing!
I retied a new hook and re-lowered the 3rd prawn. Within minutes bell rang again!!! This time, it was hooked on. A big fish! It fought hard. After a short fight it dash right into the covered drain. Must be a sea-bass!
Now the tragedy... because I was ill-prepared to fight a sea bass and was using only thin 30 pound line, it snapped on abrasion with the cement drain edge.

This is my first close combat with a huge sea bass. It is indeed a formidable enemy. Cannot be subdued easily. Not even the 3kg stingray I just caught comes close in terms of its fighting strategy and spirit. Basically, sea bass won resoundingly today!

It simply means I must grow stronger. I'll return with a stiffer rod and way thicker line and better fighting strategy. May the best man / beast win the next round. May God set the stage for the next big match. For now, I must indeed admit defeat.

New spot big hopes

2009-11-30T23:08:00.002+08:00

Decided to try a new spot today. Somewhere relaxing - able to read and fish at the same time. So I came to this water breaker outside the prawn fishing place. It has a tree near by where I could take shelter and and still close enough to the rods.

It was high tide (2.8m) at around 9am. I fished with kelong sotongs and dead prawns. At around 11am, my 12 feet rod with a sotong bait rocked violently. I rushed up to retrieve it but there was already nothing on the line. It must be a big fish that got away. I was disappointed and changed to a better hook. But now I also know this is a good spot and sotong is a good bait!

At around 12 plus, my 5 feet rod rang slightly - like a small fish bit. But as I jerked back the line, the weight was tremendous! Then the fight of my life began. This thing on the other end was really strong and though my drag was very high, it still managed to pull some line away. But after a tedious fight, I finally managed to see this stingray and then land it on the rocks. Then carefully I brought it onto the land.

This guy must be aroung 3kg. Biggest for me so far. I know the bigger ones can go beyond 10kg. But I believe this is a good orientation for me!

This is really a good trip. Learned many things. Also observed a man who caught sand worms skilfully. Must try one day.

I'm also very pleased with my 5 ft rod, braided line and daichi hooks. They are truly trustworthy. I feel like switching to daichi hooks for good!

Anyway, looking forward to my next trip to this spot!

Final photo ready!!!

2009-11-26T17:37:00.008+08:00

Yeh! Caught a sicklefish today at jetty outside road safety park. I always thought this is "barren land". But today it proved me wrong. Decided to try this place out again because there are simply too many nets set by fishermen around Carl's Jr jetty.

The fishing trip started off not looking well. Besides catching one whiting, I was retrieving empty lines all the way from the time I started at 7plus.

But I kept in mind what a Malay man told me recently - there'll be a 2 hours stretch where no fishes will bite, but after... they'll start biting! So I persevered... up till the last sand worm!

So this one was caught with the last sand worm at 11am (1 hour away from low tide at 1.6m today at 12pm)

Any way, I'm still trying to find "Ah Lim" - the illusive guy who sells sand worm at East Coast park. Can someone tell me how to find him!!! Now that Mark's shop is closed, I need new supplier!!!

OK, with this fish caught, I'm now finally able to print out the last few photos for putting into my photo frame... My office will look so much nicer :)

Grouper the classical way

2009-11-26T17:31:00.003+08:00

Remember in my previous post, I shared about seeing a guy catching a grouper in a particular way? Well I tested the method out on Monday (23/11). The only difference is that I used kelong sotong instead of live prawn. And it worked! I caught this small grouper at the same spot where the other guy caught his grouper. It bit when I was pulling the bait up. So now I know groupers attack moving targets! (As well as where they like to be hiding...)

Also had great fellowship with David Moser - fishing and eating pigs trotter together. And not forgetting to pray for each other... :)

Making a come back...

2009-11-16T16:22:00.004+08:00

Decided to fish at 6-pipes after all the failed attempts at Carl's Junior. I knew the tide will be high at 10am. So hoping to catch something - since I reckoned fishes are most active near the canal openning at this time.

True enough, caught 2 medium sized blackspot tuskfish (website said the meat is good!) with my small hooks used for catching whitings. They bent the rod alright and the fight was fun. Finally I caught something!

A couple of men came at around 10am with a thin 5-ft rod and a packet of live prawns. One man went to the corner of the 6-pipe canal and hooked on 2 live prawns on 1 hook (size 1/0 I think). By jiggling it, he caught a medium sized grouper! He said he caught sea bass this way too. One day I must try this method here!

Anyway, my finished all my baits and I left at around 11am. 6-pipe: I'll surely be back.

Long-eyed Swimming Crab

2009-11-05T21:38:00.003+08:00

Day visit to the kelong

2009-10-28T13:03:00.005+08:00

Spent a relaxing day at kelong... :)

(Man feeding groupers)

(Chermins swimming but not mine)

All night long; All day long

2009-10-19T14:30:00.008+08:00

(teenage grunter caught at first cast; gave to malay friends)

(a beautiful sicklefish caught by my 12 feet; returned to sea)

(Riana and her beautiful emperor fish - she caught a few other!)

(Ma Qian and her whiting; became bait later...)

The trip started last night with a stop at Mark's to pick up worms and live prawns. Then I proceeded straight to 6-pipe as there are often sightings of sea-bass there (they eat live prawns!)

The campaign started promisingly with a strong tug on my 10-feet 5 minutes into the first cast. A teenage grunter (photo) came up. It definitely gave a good fight. I thought the night was going to be good. But it turned out to be a really quiet night. Not even catfishes - only one came up. Of course I thank God that there are no catfishes. They are a nuisance.

I packed up at about 1230am and went to Macs to freshen up, have a double cheese burger with hot milo, and watch soccer on their big screen. Felt tired and retired in the back seat of the car.

The alarm woke me up at 630am. After freshing up, off I went to Carl's Jr for part two of my campaign.

When I reach there, I discovered that all my live prawns except one died. The pump must have died in the middle of the night.

After fishing a while alone, Joshua and his kids joined in, and then Riana and Maqian! Riana and Maqian were such good fisherwomen that they each caught a few fishes and our little "fish tank" was filled with fishes!

The trip ended with a good KFC meal with the Doulos girls.

Thank God for everything.

1 fried 1 steamed

2009-10-16T13:01:00.003+08:00

Steamed silver biddy

fried threadfin bream

12 feet and 10 feet each score 1 !

2009-10-15T15:52:00.004+08:00

Interesting fishing experience.

Caught the biddy first with the trusty 10 ft rod. The rod did not shake at all. But as I retrieve the line, a good sized biddy came at the end of the line!

Then caught the bream with the new 12 ft rod. This time, the entire rod fell sideways like something has given it a huge tug! Turned out to be the biggest threadfin bream I've ever caught. :)

12 feet; feel confident!

2009-10-06T22:49:00.005+08:00

(small flathead returned to sea)

(12 ft rod from Mark's; Decommissioned after 2 use because joint too tight - then spoilt!)

(Monday) Was not a good day to fish - rapid water flow and cold waters.
But Roland, Joshua and I still met up to fight our fate at Carl's Junior Jetty. We were armed with prawns, worms, and sotong!
I felt extra confident because I was armed with a new 12 feet rod! Bought it from Mark's on Sunday.
True enough, I was the only one who caught something (with the 12 feet rod) - a small flathead. Better than nothing!
Near the end of our fishing trip, Ah Hwa turned up. Happened that all 3 of us knew him separately!
So I made it amply clear to him that we are all from the same church. And I passed him my namecard and suggested he visit us on Sunday. I certainly hope he will!
Ah Hwa, if you are reading this, we love you!

Steamed

2009-10-02T14:37:00.000+08:00

Karyn, Peng Peng and I enjoyed this for lunch today. :)

Another huge sicklefish in 2 weeks

2009-10-01T12:40:00.004+08:00

Praise God. He has been good to me.

Another huge one landed this morning at Carl's Jr at 8 plus using frozen sea worms as bait (works every time). This one is slightly bigger then the one caught 2 weeks ago.

This guy did not put up much of a fight while I was reeling in, but struggled hard when it came right in front. For a few times, it just took the line and dived. I have to struggle with it for a while.

After lifting it off the waters, I secured it with a fish keeper hook and returned it into the waters to keep it alive. Because it was hooked on the lips, it was still very active and it remained alive all the while in the waters and even after I reached home!

One surprise was that I discovered the Daichi hook was broken at the tip! Thank God it did not escape. This lesson tells me always to keep the lines tight while fighting fishes!

I used kelong sotong too in this trip. But it did not yield anything. Instead it attracted puffers. I still have 3 packs in my fridge! Maybe will bring them along for the kelong trip that I'm likely to take with Thomas (a church member) later this month.

Big enough

2009-09-29T16:36:00.002+08:00

Caught 2 silver biddy on Monday morning with sarong.

The bigger one is my biggest record for silver biddy.

This guy though smaller than other fishes, gave a better fight.

Anyway, steamed them on the same day. Definitely delicious.

At least something

2009-09-24T12:37:00.004+08:00

Arrived at about 7am. Within a short time, the sky was pitch dark and the wind swept strongly. Thank God all my things are secured.

But I chose to battle on. I put on my trusty raincoat and got myself ready for the rain - which turned out to be only a drizzle.

I fished with left over baits of worms, prawns and a whiting. It is the whiting that yielded result.

This stingray bit my second serving of the fish fillet. But there was no ring. Only when I retrieved my line did I realised there was something heavy at the other end.

At first, it just felt like a piece of really heavy dead weight. So I just kept pumping it back. But as it was really heavy, like it was "scraping the bottom", I started suspecting that it might be a fish.

Finally, I felt some jerking. I started to get excited but stayed calm and kept on pumping back. At times, it felt like it got "sunken". But as I pulled hard, it gave way slowly.

Finally, I saw it! This "small" stingray! I thought it must be something bigger given the drag it produced.

Nonetheless, I'm grateful the trip yielded some excitement and some thing to bring home. :)

Steamed Cao-Xi

2009-09-14T21:03:00.001+08:00

Looks ugly but taste alright. Not as good as grunter, but one should give thanks for fresh fish any time.

Way BIGGER Cao Xi :)

2009-09-14T16:27:00.006+08:00

Caught a way bigger Cao-Xi this morning! Am I happy. :)

I picked David (Moser) up from his home at 6.30am and off we went to the Carl's Jr jetty - my favorite spot - for good reasons (nice sunrise, quiet and often serves up good fishes)!

We fished with sea worms. I didn't catch anything in the beginning. But David caught 2 whitings for me to use as baits.

But I pressed on with the worms with my 2 longer rods. Finally, the rod shaked slightly at around 9am - it was high tide (I think around 2m). I striked and realised there was something heavy on the other end.

As I retrieved it, it did not fight much but boy was it heavy. I was quite certain it was a sea creature because of its slight jerks. But as the "creature" came nearer to shore, it started to fight. Once, it managed to overcome the drag and swam away. But of course, it finally gave up and as it came closer, we realised it was a beautiful and huge cao-xi (or sicklefish).

As it was gut-hooked, I was more confident about lifting it out of the water by the string.

It was a beauty, we were both impressed and started taking pictures... Thank you GOD!

Now David is convinced that there are big fishes in our waters. :)

We finished the trip at 10am with a good breakfast at Old Town. The sharing was great and we managed to put in some prayers...

Cao Xi

2009-08-26T12:04:00.004+08:00

Nice drizzling morning.
Came here to Carl's Jr Jetty at 7am and set out to fish with sea worms from Mark's. They were fat and juicy.
Caught 2 whitings. Fillet one for fishing (no catch) and kept the other for future trips.
By 9am, the bell on my 10ft rod rang. Not very violent but obvious enough.
So I striked and started retrieving. There was definitely something significant on the other end! :) But it did not fight like the other fishes. It gave short spurts.
Finally, I saw it! A beautiful Cao Xi (sicklefish).
1 or 2 weeks ago, I saw another man catching 2 of these at this same jetty - 1/2 hour apart.
So I set up for another bite.
But by 10am, when there was no more action, I went home satisfied.
I've seen this one being landed a few times, but never by me. I always wondered when it'll be my turn. Today happened to be my turn! :)

Staff Retreat - Prawning

2009-08-19T20:29:00.005+08:00

Best staff retreat so far. We got the girls to try out prawning. Can see Peng Peng enjoying it. Can catch and can eat - who don't want?

Dead Silence...

2009-08-12T21:45:00.003+08:00

Reached Carl's Junior Jetty at around 6:30am.
Happy that it is totally vacated.
Started fishing with my 3 rods. Used worms and prawn meat.
The tide was really strong and the weights kept on drifting to the right.
Anyway, I fished till 11am and there was not a single major catch.
In fact, nearing 11am, even the baits were not taken at all by small fishes. All the baits were intact when retrieved!
Well, fishes have their fasting and holidaying days too.
PS: The dawn scene is just as nice. And weather was great. :)

Delicious

2009-08-11T14:50:00.002+08:00

Roland and Malua came over for dinner last night. Steamed the grunter for them. Turned out the Malua is a fish lover. I'm happy to enjoy it with someone who love it!
Btw, the fish was really good.... :)

Marvelous Catch

2009-08-08T10:24:00.005+08:00

Couldn't believe I caught 3 good sized fishes in 2 hours!

Left home early at 6am. Had a leisurely ride to Carl's Junior jetty. The ride was especially pleasant as the roads were quiet and cool.

When I reached the jetty, I saw a big group of Malay boys there. They must have fished overnight. As I set up my 2 rods, they were singing to the accompaniment of guitar. Their singing was melancholic and beautiful!

I used the frozen worms I prepared and also prawn meat.

After sunrise, Winston joined in.

Then the fishes started coming.

First was a good sized biddy. It took the worm.

Then a grunter bit too! It took the worm too. The rod, though secured with the reel to the fencing, must have rocked so violently that it tipped over, falling into the water! The Malay boy who was next to the rod quickly grabbed it for me. Thank God for him! Otherwise I would have to say sayonara to one more rod!!!!

Then my kids came and I started packing up. But as I retrieve my line, I found a scat attached to it! It made no noise though the bell was attached.

All in all, scored 3 in 2 hours. My best result in my fishing career.

Thank you God for an exciting morning.

New Equipment - cheap and good

2009-08-07T17:51:00.003+08:00

Purchased for myself a 5. 5ft rod (surecatch, $12) and a reconditioned reel (okuma, $10) at this shop which I just discovered at Ubi Road - Winston brought Josh and I there.

Got the new rod because I simply have no confidence that my old 6ft telescopic can handle a major catch!

Got the reel as a spare. It is old but looks fierce. Don't play play.

Next time to get cheap equipment, will go there!

Cool man!

2009-08-07T17:46:00.002+08:00

Josh took this picture of me fighting a fish last Monday.
Just by looking at the way my 10ft rod bend, you know how fierce the fish is.
Anyway, you would have guessed (since you did not see the picture of the fish!) that I've lost the fight.
I was simply too impatient and pulled too hard and the line broke. It must either be a stingray or grouper because these 2 have a way of getting itself lodged on the seabed when hooked. I should have simply waited for the fish to move again. Nevertheless, even that would not promise the catch.
Anyway, I used a filletted whiting for this bite. They always work. :)

Mixed Feelings

2009-08-04T18:17:00.003+08:00

(Mini-jetty outside Carl's Junior East Coast)

This is a place of mixed feelings.

Most of my prized catches were landed here. For example, I landed 2 grunters here, one bigger than the other. I also caught a large mantis shrimp here. Other than these, I caught small delicacies like sting ray, flounder, sweetlips and whitings here.

This is indeed a great spot to fish.

However, I lost my rod here as well. Some rouge fish dragged my whole rod away! Of course, it is my inexperience and complacency that costed me the rod and the fish.

All in all, I know I will keep coming back here - near to my house, convenient parking, good food nearby, nice view, and most important - good fishes.

Wonder what will be my next catch? :)

A prayer of submission

2009-08-01T15:24:00.005+08:00

Always in fond memory: died 1 Aug 09 , 10am, Carl's Jr Jetty

Cause of death: violent abduction by unknown fish

Dear God,
My 7ft rod (literally) flew away today.
A big hungry fish must have taken my very small bait.
Anyway, the fish is gone with the rod.
This incident revealed my attitude towards fishing... I'm simply not expecting the best from you. I was only expecting a small fish and that was why I did not secure my rod. Now I know big fish will take small hooks (and small bait)!
God, none of these are beyond you. You knew even before I set off for fishing today that I'll lose this rod. Yet you allowed it. The Bible tells me you have my best interest in your heart.
By faith, I know what just happened is good for me. Your discipline always bears fruits.
Therefore I give thanks for your goodness. For all that you have given me. I give thanks for the lost rod and lost fish. I give thanks for the joy of hoping for a fish. I give thanks for the sun and the sea. I give thanks for stories like this to tell. I give thanks for allowing me to lose and not win. I give thanks for this lesson about disappointment. I give thanks for this lesson about preparation. I give thanks for this lesson on submitting to your will.
God, you are good because you are good. Your will is the best.
And I am glad to be found in your Son Jesus Christ.
All praise and glory be to the creator of this beautiful and mysterious world!
Amen

Some fishing related pics

2009-07-31T17:38:00.004+08:00

Now, before I post my next picture of any God-given catches, here are a few pics which I took with my mobilephone cam.

The first picture is that of my de-commissioned 8-ft rod. It was being converted to a flag pole used as deco in my office. :) It is there to remind me of my 2 passions (which needs no reminder actually) in life - first Jesus Christ and a far second, fishing.

Took this photo on Monday morning at the outdoor table of Hans restaurant. It was raining and I was forced to take refuge here. Otherwise I will be fishing.

Took this photo before the previous. The water (and therefore the rod) is so still that even a dragonfly decided to take a rest on my rod tip. Obviously no fish.

Grunter landed with first cast!

2009-07-24T15:15:00.005+08:00

Felt like a short fishing trip this morning. So I took my frozen left-over sand worms from the previous trip along with me to the jetty at Carl's Junior.
When I reached the jetty, I noticed that the tide was really low (about 0 meter) and all the rocks were showing along the 2 sides of the jetty.
I took a fat sand worm, defrosted by now, hooked it up and casted out on my 8-ft rod. The cast was not so powerful and the weight landed not too far off. But I let it be anyway.
Then I went about getting busy setting up my other rods.
Suddenly the bells rang, and I quickly retrieved my line. I felt something strong on the other end - stronger than usual!
Nonetheless, it was not able to counter the drag and was slowly being reeled back.
When the fish came near, it put up a bigger fight (and the line was pulled away a few times) and finally I saw a big grunter on the other end of the line. I was elated!
Determined not to lose it while lifting it out of the water, I fought it awhile longer to tire it out. Then I dragged it towards the shallow rocks, and lifted it out from there - in case the line broke, the fish would still be on the rocks.
When I finally landed the fish, I discovered that the clip has already openned up! Must have been forced open during the fight. Thank God I did not lose the fish! (From now on, I'll make sure I use stronger clips.)
I'm now more convinced about using worms. The last time I used sarong, I caught a sizable stingray. This time I used sand worm, I caught a sizable grunter.
Thank you God, tonight's dinner will be delicious steam fish :)

Pokemon fishing

2009-07-14T16:23:00.003+08:00

Justin joined me for fishing on Monday morning. He brought his pokemon toy and camera along. Go to his blog (http://guardiangel-thewhiteknight.blogspot.com/2009/07/fishing.html) to see full story.

Anyway, we each caught a threadfin bream. His is of a good size. So I asked him to bring both home for his mum to cook. Looks good in the frying pan. :)

Met an angel

2009-07-10T10:20:00.007+08:00

Yeh yeh... After a long reprieve of not catching anything significant, I made a come back last night at the Pasir Ris beach with this bluespotted stingray using sarong as bait.

The night started very interestingly with this other guy at the beach beside us (Josh, me and Chris!) getting 3 bites consequtively while we just sat and watched with our jaws dropping (and almost cursing)! And one getting bigger than the other! He started by catching a "large-enough" grunter. Then he went on to catching a large milk fish. Finally, he got a fish so big the reel just kept pulling out into the sea. Finally, he lost it.

After that we waited a long time without any catch (not counting catfishes!).

Finally, that man left. So I took over his spot. I was using live prawns but decided to switch to sarong instead. Because in my opinion, sarong is just more "fragrant" in the water. And I was rewarded with this stingray!

Thank you God.

Maurine?

2009-07-10T10:17:00.001+08:00

Caught this new sign board at bedok jetty on Wed morning. The lady right in front looks just too much like Maurine! And she said she loved to fish for taman....

New to replace lost

2009-06-13T10:59:00.002+08:00

Lost 2 of my rods and reels yesterday.
Was packing things into my boot when I left out my very first old and rusty kiddy 6-ft rod and another old but trusty 6-ft rod which I purchased from Changi Village. They were attached with reels too. When I remembered I left them out, I was already home. And when I return to fetch them from the beach, they had disappeared - of course - given those greedy people! It was about $50 worth of equipment there (if brand new).
So I went back to Henry's with a vengence. Bought a 8-ft rod ($18) and a daiwa 3500 reel ($22). The rod was stiff and the reel really smooth. Tried it just now at Carl's Jr jetty. Can cast really further than all my previous rods. But due to the hard cast, the prawn meat tend to fly out too. So must hook properly and observe as you cast.
Nonetheless, no catch (except 3 sea snakes! Argh!).
But thank God for the sea and the opportunity to fish!

At least some activity

2009-06-09T14:16:00.004+08:00

Yesterday was a tamban day. Saw swams of tambans swimming near the surface for the whole morning and early afternoon. Joshua and I caught a bucket and he brought them home. As for me, I caught a todak on a hand-reel. When I cleaned the fish, I found the tamban which I used as bait in its stomach. I guess this one is kind of hard to digest.

My Precious (Rod)

2009-06-05T21:01:00.003+08:00

Imagine I've been in and out of Malaysia for the last 1 week and even when I stepped into my house, I did not have any chance to say hello to my precious. Some serious redressing has to be done after all these M'sia stuff!
Anyway, absense is always good for the soul. My creator knows what I need... and come to think about it, I read in the Bible some where that "the heaven is like a huge sea".... That'll be great.
PS: Blogging at the hotel at Seri Alam - free internet access ma!

Flathead and a lost Talang!

2009-05-29T17:08:00.008+08:00

(God gave me a consolation in the form of a flathead which I released to the sea)

Dear God,
Thank you for giving me the exciting experience of fighting a queenfish on a taman hook! Considering the cool headedness in my fight, cutting it more slack and finally reeling it all the way in, I guess I did well. But I lost my cool when I realise there is no one to help me hook it up and made the silly decision of pulling it up from the water anyway - as a result, it broke free. If I were to think clearly then, I would use my net to bring it up instead. I would do better next time.
Though I felt sad about the loss, I would still thank you for so many good things in my life - having the opportunity to fish is one! So help me o Lord, in the future to always be thankful for the opportunity to fish, irregardless of whether I catch a fish. But if you do give me a fish, I would also give thanks!
Thank you for the precious lesson. Giving thanks to you is the antidote for disappointments and loss. Because it reminds me of how much you love me.
Amen.

Now I know...

2009-05-26T08:56:00.008+08:00

Now I finally know why I kept going back to the sea, even after being beaten time and again by the fishes. This can be quite puzzling considering the hurt i felt after being beaten each time.
My desire: I fish with an objective - to catch big fish!
My belief: I believe that the big fish will be mine if I wait long enough
Therefore, every time shortly after my return from an empty trip, I would be planning my next counter attack!
(PS: My next counter attack will be Thursday night!)

(Todak caught with tamban hook - these are supposed to be stronger hooks bought from Mark's shop)

(One whole basin full of tamban. Good catch today. Spent 30 min cleaning and packing them into nice ready-to-fly packets!)

Beaten

2009-05-19T09:56:00.004+08:00

Philip, Winston, Josh and I went for night fishing!
Philip and Winston caught a fair number of toa-bak. This is their virgin catch. Good for them.
After that, Philip returned home and the remainder set up a huge 6-men tent to catch a wink.
The next morning, Winston and I continued to catch a good amount of tamban.
Then we went for breakfast at Old-Town.
When we returned to fish, it started raining and the game is over.
Throughout... Not a single big fish!
PS: But God did grant good weather and good fellowship. :)

Showdown

2009-05-16T17:43:00.004+08:00

Night fishing tomorrow with Josh, Philip and Winston!
May God grant us good weather and fellowship.
As for me, big fish as well - please God...
Will report back after tomorrow!
(Anyway, saw a boy with a seabass at carl's jr jetty this morning. He must have caught it during his overnight fishing)

Giant Giant Travelly

2009-05-09T17:46:00.004+08:00

(Jie Xin holding bicycle on the right)

Time: 10am; Venue: Bedok Jetty; Full moon; Tide: 2.2m rising.
This is the biggest fighting cum landing I've witnessed! The guy fought it in an experienced manner using his thin 6-ft rod! It took a long time to land it. And a helper used a fork to pierce it and pull it up.
This guy is at least a 5-kg!
One day, it would be me... O God, when?

From sea to table

2009-04-28T09:30:00.005+08:00

Into the steam wok

After steaming

Deshelling was a breaze

Great as salad!

Best present :)

2009-04-28T09:13:00.005+08:00

Didn't come to the beach with a hopeful heart because it is one day after full-moon and usually not a good day for fishing. But the day started with my catching my largest grouper so far (above). But still not big enough for the table. So released it to the sea.

But the surprise come much later after I caught my only whiting and used it as bait. This foot-long mantis schrimp was foul hooked near the tail - most likely savouring the whiting and getting itself hooked as it swam around the hook.
The line shaked, though not violently. So i decided to retrieve it. When retrieving the line, it felt like dead weight of a branch. So I was a little disappointed. But when the prized catch appears, I was overjoyed.

Didn't know we have such huge creatures on our shores :)

Biddy Biddy Biddy...

2009-04-25T17:21:00.005+08:00

No picture of my catch to show.
But just to testify that I caught a good-sized silver biddy again today using the short 1 hour beach break I had with my 3 kids.
They are starting to enjoy fishing with me. I'm glad. :)
Also, tried out my new 7' telescopic rod which cost me $26. Stiff and give good distance to my throw. But feel that it is a little too "skinny". Well, still my best rod so far...

Pesky catfish!

2009-04-24T21:39:00.005+08:00

The kids tried fishing again. And this time, all catfishes! Gave them all to the 2 Malay boys fishing there, who happily accepted our gifts. Nonetheless, Jie Xin caught 3 more whitings which grandma fried for dinner. They loved it.

This time, it is proven possible to bring them to the beach and fish at the same time. Just need to set up tent for them at the beach and give them a walkie talkie. They'll play on the beach and periodically visit me at the jetty or call me on the walkie talkie to talk.

Stormy morning

2009-04-20T20:08:00.003+08:00

Day started quiet. Caught 2 small fishes and put in the keeper's basket. Later a great storm attacked. So went to hide at Old Town.
After the storm, I returned to discover that a big lobang has developed at the bottom of the keeper's basket and both fishes were gone. No problem, small fishes anyway.
These 3 fishes were caught after the storm. The flounder was caught with live prawn. :)

My kids caught fish - first time!

2009-04-18T13:42:00.004+08:00

Suddenly got an idea to let them try fishing again - since I now know this place which consistently yield small (edible) fishes and I've figured out the way to catch them :)

Indeed, the 2 older kids had a great time! Each caught a whiting and a juvenile grunter. Grunter returned to sea but whiting to home!

I guess they'll be asking me to bring them for more trips after this experience.

Prediction quite true

2009-04-17T13:53:00.003+08:00

Got 2 bites on my live-prawns today!
But each time I retrieve my lines, I only retrieve sunken weights... Ok, so now I got 3 free weights.
But that means got fish!
But God is nice to me. He gave me the biggest silver biddy I've ever caught. This one is caught just near to the jetty structure. Consistently, medium sized fish feeds there - regardless of tide situation.

Buy a boat?

2009-04-17T13:50:00.002+08:00

Saw this one man boat at Toys-R-Us. Only $36! I think it can help me catch big fish!
I can pump it up at home and tie it to the top of my car and transport to the beach! Good idea!

Strange day

2009-04-16T12:12:00.006+08:00

Yesterday could be one of my strangest day fishing experience. Caught 4 catfishes, 1 sea snake and 1 moray eel (see video) all in the day time. I thought these guys are more active at night.
Fortunately, I also caught 2 silver biddy. Otherwise, would have been a very miserable trip.

Doing my predictions...

2009-04-14T15:45:00.003+08:00

According to my tide-table, the conditions that result in my catching the big javelin grunter is returning again! I'll have my chance this Friday late-morning!
Praying for good weather conditions and of course, a space at the jetty...
Will be back to report on the results. Wish me all the best. And may God bless me with another big fish.

Lost a Scat!

2009-04-14T10:09:00.008+08:00

Fished the whole morning at Carl's Jr (yesterday) without much substantial results. Finally, decided to try the "favorite corner" of the jetty. A medium sized scat and small grouper bit at the same time! Thought I'll not go home empty-handed this time.
In order to keep the scat alive, I put it in my keeper's basket and returned it into the waters. Alas! The scat escaped through the top hole in the basket because it cannot be secured properly. (So got to use this photo from the internet to show you how my beauty looked like).
Later in the afternoon, went back to the jetty to expend all my live prawns. Nothing again.
But I saw a huge squid floating right next to the jetty. First time saw such a huge one...

My First Hotlips! (the sea is full of surprises)

2009-04-09T10:35:00.005+08:00

Went fishing at Carl's Jr jetty yesterday afternoon about 3pm after a productive time of work at East Coast McDonalds (free internet access there).
Because it is nearly full moon, the tide was strong and the fishes just did not bite.
Started off by catching a sea-snake which wasted one of my hooks. Then it was barrenness all the way after.
But I had a great time reading Edmund Chan's "Growing Deep in God" while waiting for the fish to bite. Was tearing like a cry-baby when I read a testimony about how God answered a prayer of a little girl at an orphanage.
Nearing 5pm, I was getting ready to go home.
But a sudden idea came to me, why not fish near one corner of the jetty? The water there is muddy and shallow but it was sheltered from the beating waves.
Just seconds after I lowered a simple drifting rig into the water, something bit and dragged the line all over! I quickly retrieved it and it was my first hotlips!
After that I went home satisfied.

Another sunrise picture

2009-04-01T12:40:00.001+08:00

Taken with "sunrise" setting in my handphone camera.

Awesome. 7 whitings 1 silver biddy 1 grunter with 7 prawns!

2009-04-01T12:31:00.008+08:00

Started at 9am at Carl's Junior jetty. At the lowest tide for today - 0.4m.

Using 2 telescopic - 1 of which is operating on a faulty tip.

1 self-tied "taman"-rig with 4 size-4 hooks; 1 appollo rig with 2 hooks.

All the above were caught with the taman rig!

Also caught 2 of the above tripod fish (both together), 3 small snappers and 1 small grunter. Some returned to sea and some used as bait. Btw snapper meat is bad bait. No fish wants to bite. Finally, even hooked up a crab! (see video) This one was returned to sea too.

PS: Consistently, javelin grunters are caught at low tide at Carl's Junior jetty during day time (morning segment) with either dead or live prawns.

Sunrise

2009-03-27T11:20:00.003+08:00

Beautiful sunrise photo taken from Jetty outside Carl's Junior.

Reached there this morning at 6am to watch the sunrise and fish. Left at 9am.

(The grunter below must be a fluke? No grunter today!)

A Bigger Javelin Grunter!

2009-03-20T15:15:00.007+08:00

The journey started last night.

After sending the family home from Sentosa, i took off alone with all my fishing and camping stuffs for 24 hours (actually less) of personal retreat.

First stop was Mark's. Picked up 200gm of live prawns. I asked for large ones, which he did give. (Mark was really committed to serve his customers. Open till 11pm!) After that I went straight for 6-pipes. The place was dead silent when I reached at about 10pm. I was the only soul there. I quickly set up 2 reels at the river side with live prawns. Hoping to hit seabass!

Then I proceeded to the sea to do my fishing. And coming back now and then to check my lines. I stayed here till about 3am. Caught like 8 catfish! (What for? I subsequently threw them all away) It'll be some time before I return here for night fishing again. No fun catching catfishes.

As for the seabass... no luck.

Then went to East Coast Macs to wash up before retiring in the backseat of my car. Slept till about 8am when my day started again.

With the left over live prawns from Mark's shop and a small size 6 hook (daiwa), I caught this good sized grunter at the mini jetty just outside Carl's Jr at about 12nn (lowest tide @ 1.1m)! Seems like Javelin Grunters feed at low tide. This is my first delicacy-category fish of this size. I am thrilled. I am keeping it alive with an air-pump. Hopefully, I can bring it home alive.

(Oh, now blogging at East Coase Macs.)

Rainy Day

2009-03-17T11:26:00.005+08:00

Went fishing yesterday.
Was drizzling and raining throughout. And for no reason, my raincoat was torn! So got to fish in the cold.
Other then catching an exceptionally huge miserable looking yelloweye puffer - which is of course good for nothing, except wasting one of my good hooks - nothing was landed!
This proves a wisdom: never fish when the water is cold, never fish when the water flow is fast (0.5m per hour or more).
Will rest from fishing for a while (I mean a few days lah!)
Thank God I am saved from the thunder (those who went Synod AGM would understand what I meant).

Sharp hooks work!

2009-03-14T14:23:00.004+08:00

Went night fishing yesterday (between 8 - 12 midnight; from low - 0.6m - to high tide) at longer jetty near Carl's junior. And tried out the new sharpen hooks I got from Mark's shop.
By 8.10pm, it hooked up a good-sized javelin grunter!
This guy flipped and flapped the whole while I was trying to reel it in. And it stayed alive all the while that I kept it in the submerged basket. What a fighter.
After this, caught a catfish. Then silence all the way till I went home.
So lesson is, some times low tide then got fish.

The fillet works!

2009-03-10T14:56:00.005+08:00

Fish loves fish fillets!

Caught 2 whiting yesterday and fillet them (as per suggested by Joshua) and tried fishing on a float.

The bait was promptly taken by todaks!

Eventually, one got gut-hooked and became my possession. The other escaped.

PS. Anyway, the Bedok Jetty is not open yet, according to Mark. Well, wait some more... I bought some new chemically sharpened hooks. And am keen to test them out!

Night Fishing with Results!

2009-03-05T11:55:00.007+08:00

Went with Josh for night fishing after yesterday's EDC meeting. I jokingly told him that if I do not catch a fish of at least 500gm, I'm not going home! That got him really worried because he needs my car to go home!
When we arrive at 6 pipe (left hand side extension), 2 friendly Malay comrades were already fishing there. We set up shop and started fishing! In a short time, my 6-ft rod bent dangerously. In a while, I retrieved a sand whiting of a good size.
Then over the next 2 hours, I landed another 4 good sized catfishes!
All these while, Josh and the 2 Malays could only watch in disbelief that the fishes chose only food presented by me. They did not have a single bite.
Satisfied (me, not Josh!), we packed up to go home. On the way back to the road, we met this boy who has been fishing at the canal side (instead of the sea side) with live prawns. He caught a good 2 to 3 kg sea bass!
He taught us how to catch sea bass: (1) Use live prawns; (2) use thick lines; (3) use good sharp hooks that can set; (4) come on days when the low tide is not to low and high tide is not too high; (5) wait like siow.
I was inspired! Josh was incinerated!
I gave Josh 2 bigger catfishes and my newly bought lantern as consolidation...
This is the first night fishing trip for me that yielded something. God thank you!
PS: One more thing, my 6-ft telescopic is finally decommissioned. The tip broke off. Time to buy a new one (:

One more Silver Biddy!

2009-03-04T14:01:00.004+08:00

Fished at jetty opposite road-safety park on Monday morning.
The guy there said that since this is the first sunny morning after 2 days of rain, the fishes must be feeding.
He was right. There were quite some actions. First, caught the silver biddy above. Then a flounder which I released since it was too small. Then tried cable-car fishing using tamban. The tamban was being dragged away, but the predator did not hook on.
Left hurriedly at 12nn because wife needs car.
It was a good trip.

6-Pipe

2009-02-28T15:43:00.005+08:00

Went for a short trip with Josh to 6-pipe. What's special here is that the plane will fly right over your head!

Caught 2 small fishes which we subsequently threw back to the sea. We did catch lots of sea weeds though. And Josh did manage to hook up a wallet (empty).

Octopus in a bottle!

2009-02-23T16:44:00.006+08:00

Caught an octopus with a kek-kek as bait. After wrapping around the bait, the octopus went into a glass bottle. So I caught it together with the bottle! When I held it in my hand, the tentacles just wrapped my hands and the suction cups just sucked onto my hands! Irky!

Caught 2 Lost 1

2009-02-04T13:52:00.003+08:00

Took a short break at the jetty with just one rod. My trusty telescopic.
After some long distant throws, I decided to fish near the jetty side.
Started catching fishes!
First was a John Snapper. Juvinile. So returned to sea.
Then was a flounder, in picture.
Then was a (must be) grouper, which got lodged in the rocks again! I did not increase my tension, so it easily pulled away. After that, when I tried to pull hard, the string snapped. (sigh)
After that, decided to tighten my tension. But no more grouper...
Instead a fat rabbit fish emerged!
With 2 fishes, I'm home!

Fishing with the kids

2009-01-28T19:04:00.007+08:00

Fishing at East Coast at the canal next to Road Safety Park. Training my kids so that one day when I'm old, they'll bring me fishing. Impressed my kids by catching a puny rabbit fish. (What else can you catch from a drain?) Video as proof.

Marina South

2009-01-28T15:14:00.005+08:00

Tried a new spot this morning with Joshua. Marina South - next to the Marina South Pier.
I arrived earlier and started my usual way of fishing - fishing with weights.
Action began pretty early! What seems like a garoupa bit my bait, but remain lodged in between the stone crevices. There is no way to coax the fish out. Tried pulling, relaxing, and everything! And these happened not just once, but 4 times! There must be lot's of garoupas here... Anyway, lost all my rigs.
Josh, seeing my state, decided to fish from the water surface. He used floating baits, and he caught 1 todak and 3 halfbeaks within 30 minutes! Happy man!
I've learned my lesson about fishing garoupas... There is no way to beat them by force... At least not this way... I shall go back to my "shifu" (Henry from my usual fishing equipment shop) to upgrade my skills... Will be more prepared the next time... You garoupas, watch out!

1+1+1=?

2009-01-23T14:48:00.004+08:00

Caught 1 malabar grouper, 1 brownstripe red snapper, 1 diamond wrasse. But all mini versions! Well, at least there is action! Hope to catch bigger ones next time... Anyway, an old friend (Wee Kwong) came to the beach to meet me for lunch (and I also ran out of ammunition - i.e. prawns) and we had Ipoh Hor Fun at Old Town Cafe. Was a good catch up session.

At last!

2009-01-05T14:55:00.004+08:00

This is a Silver Biddy - a kind of bream - I think. Happy to catch it at the jetty close to Carl's Jr. It doesn't fight much. But at least the trip yielded something... And the meat tastes good! :)

Hound Needlefish

2008-12-15T14:58:00.005+08:00

Went to Bedok Jetty this morning. It was drizzling so less people... good! So set up shop with 2 rods and 2 hand lines. 4 chances!

Soon 1 unknown fish bit but got away. Then, 2 todak bit when I was away at the toilet. Thank God for Ah Boon who helped me retrieve the lines. One escaped and the other is this one in the photo.

Later, when I was pulling in my hand line to call it a day, another todak bit the tamban on the line. I quickly let it loose so that the tamban can run and swallow the fish. But the todak escaped too.

I thank God that this is an eventful day.

PS: 1 lesson learned today... Always use new hooks. They are sharper and increase your chance of a hook-up.

A catch is a catch

2008-12-03T11:09:00.004+08:00

Has some left over live prawns from last night fruitless trip at Kelong Walk, so went to exhaust the ammunition this morning at 7am at mini jetty outside Carl's Jr. The live prawns lured nothing but the dead prawn meat landed this one.
This guy may be small but very strong. Once hooked, it buried itself sturdily under the sea-bed such that it created a "sunkut" feeling for me. But I was not about to be tricked. I left the line alone and once in a while pump it in. Finally, I pulled directly on the line and it gave way. Happy to land my first stingray. Small, yes, but it will be an experience for me to deal with it's bigger cousins next time.
Finished the morning at 9am with a delivious breakfast at Old Town Cafe. :)

Todak caught

2008-12-01T16:55:00.006+08:00

This (bigger) 2kg "todak" (or hound needlefish) was NOT landed by me... unfortunately. But by Ah boon. Spent $5 to buy from him to show my sign of a good supportive customer. The other smaller one is caught by me though.

I have another bite by a queenfish. But it escaped because I did not tie my knots properly. From today onwards, I am going to use good lines and tie my knots so dead that even godzilla cannot escape!

Bedok Jetty is CLOSED!!! =(

2008-11-24T17:22:00.004+08:00

Went early in the morning (around 6am) to secure a place at the jetty. By around 10am, a group of workers came to announce that the jetty is closed for renovation! (What is there to renovate? If they add a toilet, I'll be grateful!)
So, for the next few months, will have to say goodbye to queenfishes....
Hopefully, other places will not become too crowded as a result.
Anyway, packed up and went to the "jetty" besides Carl's Jr. Caught a palm-sized flounder. Otherwise, very quiet....

How to catch a queenfish

2008-11-18T15:53:00.000+08:00

Twin catch, again!

2008-11-17T13:44:00.007+08:00

This is the 3rd twin catch this week! (See previous posts for 1st two)
But of course, this time, it is the most precious catch so far - queenfish!

Actually, there was an earlier bite this morning which got away because my hook came loose. After that, I retrieved all my hooks and re-tied them.

The second bite (which is first fish I caught) was nabbed with live prawn on a drift line. Live prawns are like "magic bullets"! :)

The next fish was caught after I changed the rod to the opposite side as the fishes seemed to be coming up from there all the time. True enough, the switch paid off.

PS: Gave left fish to Karyn and right one to Josh...

Catch report: Date - 17/11/08; Time - 1200; Venue - Bedok Jetty; Low - 0740, 1.6; High - 1340, 3.2

Catfish attack!

2008-11-15T09:35:00.008+08:00

Actually quite disappointed to catch these "low class" guys. Reason: they are not like the gramourous "up class" deep sea fishes that travel the oceans which we usually see in pictures. Furthermore, though edible, the fact that their meat needs some processing with asam and lemon juice to remove the "ba-wu" (smell) gives me the creeps.
Nonetheless, here are the few consolations: (1) They gave a good fight on the line - helps train my skill, (2) They are big enough to make a meal, (3) I saw them swimming around in a fish tank at a Chinese restaurant - hey, no bad!

Troubles come in twos

2008-11-13T23:14:00.005+08:00

Caught these 2 cat sharks (just look at the cat eyes!) at the mini-jetty mentioned in the previous post with live prawns. It's also interesting in that it's got leathery skin. After bringing them home to show (off) to my kids, I returned them to the sea. These guys are strong and never said die.

Barren day

2008-11-12T20:09:00.002+08:00

Had a really barren day yesterday at Bedok Jetty from morning till night. Nobody here caught anything. How dismaying.
But there are lot's of tamban, which I'm getting bored of. Caught a bag of them (1kg plus?) and gave it to Josh for dinner.
By noon time, Josh and the girls from office came to the beach hawker centre for pig's trotter. Gave them a treat. Other then their famous trotter, still have bak-kut-teh, taupok and pig's liver. Most of it are high-cholestrol stuff.
I'm going to try out the new spot. Water not so deep. But better environment. And less competition.
Bedok Jetty, I may not see you again for a long time....

New Spot

2008-11-12T20:06:00.003+08:00

Found this beautiful spot along East Coast that is ideal for family time and still fish!
It has a small jetty, nice beach, lot's of shade, good food (Carls' Jr and Old Town), and toilet!
Next visit with my family, I'll be here.
(will include picture later)

Lessons from my fishing trips

2008-11-10T12:04:00.000+08:00

Picked up fishing a few months ago. The experience brought me through a roller-coaster-like discovery of myself. Here are just some lessons that I’ve learned.

Fishing technique matters
To the casual observer, fishing is just a fishing rod, a hook on a line, and a piece of meat on the hook. Try using that method and you should be prepared to wait for eternity without a catch.
There are details to the kind of rod, line, hook and bait to use. Furthermore, your ability to land a fish is greatly affected by the skill of operating all the above.
You want to be a fisher of man? Sharpen your skills.

You thought you’re catching the fish, actually the fish is catching you
Fishing is an addictive activity. For every fish you catch, you want to go back for the next one. Before you know it, the fish has caught you!
Enter the fishing-for-man industry with your eyes wide open. Because you’ll be addicted to changed lives!

God brings the fish
This is the most important lesson for me at fishing.
All the enthusiasm and good techniques would come to naught if there is no fish in the waters! But when God sends the fishes, and your lines and hooks are ready, you’ll get tight lines all the way!
Don’t be discouraged when all your efforts at fishing for man seemed to yield no result. God has his timing. Use your waiting time to pray and hone your skills. The fishes are coming…

Sure Catch

2008-11-08T11:17:00.006+08:00

Josh and I each bought a 10ft "sure catch" rod yesterday at the tackle shop at changi village. Only $21. Cheapest in Singapore. We thought this will be our chance to show off our "extra-long" thingi at the beach. So, we took our new gear to Pasir Ris beach to try it out.

To our dismay, the old man at the beach took one look at our "sure catch", lighted his pipe and said, "Sure catch? Sure spoil one." Nevermind, at $21, even spoil won't feel that bad!

That night, my "sure catch" got its first catch at Bedok Jetty. It was an useless sea-snake. It wrapped itself around my bait and suffocated itself. No wonder I felt a few jerks on my line and then... dead silence again. I hope "sure catch" will do better next time...

Lizardfish?

2008-11-06T13:40:00.003+08:00

Saw the 2nd fish on the 3 Nov post? I was wondering whether it is a flathead. But later, searches on the web for photos of flathead is far from similar. My next best guess is "lizardfish". Look at the photos above of lizardfish which i download from the net, similar, right? (Of course, Josh disagreed. But he is wrong)

Tamban day

2008-11-06T08:07:00.004+08:00

Left office at 4pm yesterday to try my luck at the jetty before going for the "Promise Musical" rehearsal. Turns out to be a tamban harvest! Within an hour, I caught at least 2 kg of this mini-delight - that comes to more then a hundred fish... Tamban is a ikan-kuning-like fish that visits the jetty in swarm once in a while. Most of the time, you'll just get a few at a time... (To prepare a feast with tamban, remove their scales, then cut of head and remove intestines, finally deep fry them and you can eat it whole with the fine bones!)

A gift and a strange fish caught

2008-11-03T19:25:00.007+08:00

Ah boon gave me a live teenage Indian Threadfin Trevally aka chermin (see video below) today. He is a nice guy who appeared to be staying on the jetty - because whether it is in the morning or at night, he is there!

It is now in my aquarium waiting for that faithful day again. This guy is really fierce and kept knocking into the glass walls and splashing water out of the aquarium whenever anybody goes near...

As for me, I caught a strange looking fish (see below) unexpectedly as I reel in my main fishing line. The MAJ (man at jetty) said it is edible. So I'm going to down it.

Went online to try to find its name. I think it is "flathead". As I found a picture below and it sure look like this when I fish it out of the water...

Like father like son

2008-10-31T12:26:00.004+08:00

I could foresee Sean (Josh's son) becoming a fishing sportsman one day. He is seen here holding the bream which Josh caught on a fishing trip in Sydney. Just look at the pro-way he held the fish.
(PS: They should have fishing as an Olympic sports)

How it all started

2008-10-31T12:21:00.003+08:00

My fishing (for men and for fish) buddy - Josh - caught this pomfret-looking fish one day with his "toy fishing set". So I got my own toy set too.
But I got no luck. And so I went fishing only once in a loooong while.
Until one day on a stormy morning on Bedok Jetty, I caught "tons" of tambans.
Since then, there is no more turning back...

Live Yellowtail Fusilier

2008-10-31T10:26:00.004+08:00

On the same day, caught a teenage yellowtail fusilier. Managed to keep it in my aquarium for a few days before it became tablefare...

Sorry that all the fish I caught has to become part of me.

Back issue #2

2008-10-31T10:09:00.003+08:00

This was the other queen fish...

Caught on 21 Oct 08 morning. This time I was more "pro" already and used a "tamban" as bait. And I faught the fish myself. But still need my Malay brother to help me hoise it out with his strong arms. But guess I'm improving! :)

Now, I'm preparing myself for #3. God be with me.

Catch report: Date - 21/10/08; Time - 1100; Venue - Bedok Jetty; Low - 0920, 1.8; High - 1511, 2.9

Some back issues

2008-10-31T10:03:00.003+08:00

Caught 2 queen fishes in the last 2 months. Starting from the first...

This is the first major catch of my life, caught on 22 Sep 08, morning @ Bedok Jetty with an unassuming "kelong" as bait. Certainly beginner's luck!
For this catch, I was caught off guard and shouted loudly for help. So some Malay brothers came to my rescue and helped me fish it out of the water with a net. Thanks bro!
Tide info - 9:10am - 1.7m; 3:20pm - 2.8m

Introductory Post

2008-10-31T09:56:00.000+08:00

Finally got down to blogging all my fishing stuff.
These are great memories that should be preserved at least for the span of my life.
I hope to be able to post many pictures of great fishes in the coming days. :)