Thursday, October 27, 2005

One Fathom Bank – Catch Report

Location : One Fathom Bank
Date and time : Departure from Tanjung Harapan Jetty – 10:30 am, 21 October 2005, Arrival back at Tanjung Harapan Jetty – 12:00 pm 22 October 2005.
Anglers involved : Sharma, Navin, Jeishen, May, Hari, Kavitha and Vasu Uncle
Boatman (tekong) : Encik Nazami (019-3477766 or 012-9233793)


The night before the fishing trip, I was supposed to be tying my rigs and hooks, but instead of doing so, I was out with Navin. We were at Fisherman’s Wharf having a few drinks, talking about the fishing we would be doing and shooting some darts. I finally got back home at about 1:30 am and only then that I started to do my rigs.

The next day (21/10/2005), I had to wake up early. I was supposed to meet the others in Taman Desa at 8:30 am. After a quick breakfast, I proceeded to Navin’s apartment. As usual, all of our fishing trip never seems to start on our intended time. Jeishen was late and we had to take a slight detour to Shah Alam before proceeding to Tanjung Harapan.

We arrived at the Tanjung Harapan jetty at about 10:00 am and after unloading all our fishing gear from the car and loading them onto the boat, we finally made our move at about 10:45 am. The ride there was quite ok I guess. Not too bumpy. Our boat had three 60 hp outboard engines and halfway through our journey, one engine just died. Uhh… oooww…. Anyway, thank God that nothing bad happened. We did get a little scare, thanks to the Royal Malaysian Customs. While we were on our way to OFB, we saw a small boat headed towards us at full speed. We asked the tekong what boat was that and he said it was the Royal Malaysian Customs chasing us. Nothing to worry he said.

We arrived at OFB at around 12.30 pm and we immediately started jigging using Apollo from the boat. Jigging was fun and every time we put our Apollo jig in the water, we would end up with a minimum of at least 3 fishes. We kept the fishes alive as we intended to use it later as life bait for bottom fishing. May and Jeishen we feeling kinda wozzie due to the rocking of the boat. They were both feeling seasick. We wanted to go onto the lighthouse as soon as possible but were unable to do so. One of the reasons was that there was a Malaysian Marine boat which was at the lighthouse. According to the tekong, the marine guys change personnel every 10 days and today happened to be the day that they change shift. As long as the boat was at the lighthouse, no one else can go on the lighthouse. Another reason why we couldn’t go onto the lighthouse was it because of the tide. When we arrived there, it was low tide and our boat was too small to be ‘parked’ at lighthouse. The tekong did try to ‘park’ the boat but ended up smashing the boat against the beams of the lighthouse jetty. There was another boat, much bigger and made from wood which arrived shortly after our failed attempt at parking the boat. The bigger boat managed to park at the lighthouse. Our tekong then proceeded to tie his boat to bigger boat and we all had to hop from our boat to the bigger boat. Only then we could board the lighthouse.

Once we were on the lighthouse, there was a little bit of drama going on. Our tekong neglected to inform us that the lighthouse was undergoing some renovations, thus the rooms couldn’t be used. Everyone was feeling a bit upset and some even wanted to back that very evening. After much deliberation and talking we decided to make do with what we had and rough it out.

After that little incident, we quickly rigged our gears and proceeded to do some Apollo jigging. Some of the sizeable fishes were quickly thrown into the cooler box and some we used as life bait. We were having a whale of a time. We were getting hookups after hookups. We were filling up our bait box as well as our cooler box.

At about 4:00 pm, our tekong asked us if we wanted to fish from the shipwreck. Navin and myself jumped at the opportunity; hoping to catch monster fishes. The others decided not to follow up, instead, they opted to fish from the lighthouse. Before leaving, the both of us were already imagining the fights that we will be having at the shipwreck.

We arrived at the shipwreck and wasted no time. We immediately started jigging for bait fish. After getting a few bait fishes, we then proceeded with bottom fishing. There was another boat beside us who were also fishing at the shipwreck. Navin who was busy jigging away on his Abu Garcia rod, suddenly gave a shout. His Fenwick rod, which was placed in the rod holder was twitching away wildly. He had a fish..!!! He quickly passed his jigging rod to me and proceeded to play with the fish that was on the Fenwick rod. After about 5 minutes, he landed the fish. It was an ikan jenahak. (He claims it to be. But after checking out http://www.fishbase.org/, it could be a jenahak or tanda. The English name for the fish is either Onespot snapper; Lutjanus monostigma or dory snapper; Lutjanus fulviflamma). About 15 minutes later he had another hook up. The way he reacted was as though he had a 10 kg fish hooked up. He was pumping his reel and at the same time was getting prepared to land the fish. It was one hell of a fight. He took almost 10 minutes to land the fish. The fish was a rather feisty little fella. It was swimming all over the place. When Navin finally managed to land the fish, our tekong and myself had a good laugh. Instead of a 10 kg fish, the fish he landed barely tipped the scale at 1 kg. It was another jenahak (benefit of doubt given to him). We fished at the shipwreck until about 9:00 pm. There was no more action after the 2 hook ups that Navin got. As for me, I didn’t manage to land anything. A few bites here and there but no hook up.

We returned to the lighthouse, but instead of going up to fish, we opted to fish at another location. The reason why we returned to the lighthouse was to get some bait. After getting our bait, we made our way to the old lighthouse. After setting anchor, we started to fish. The current was VERY strong, and the waves were quite rough. We were already felling a bit wozzie from the tumbling in the sea. Almost had seasickness… but being true fisherman, we were able to steady ourselves. We had hoped to land some monster fishes at the old lighthouse but I guess lady luck wasn’t on our side. We were not even getting any nibbles on our line. The sea was getting rougher, up to the extent that we were unable to stand to cast our line. The boat was rocking like a rocking chair. Damn..!!! What a wrong decision we made in deciding to fish from the boat. Then at about 3:00 am the worst possible thing happened. IT STARTED TO RAIN. Mind you, it wasn’t any normal rain. More like a thunderstorm. Bad enough we were stuck in the middle of the ocean in a small boat, we now had a thunderstorm in our hand to contend with. There was nothing else that we could do. We can’t fish, so might as well sleep. Quite comfortable though to sleep, feels like sleeping in a cradle. The boat was rocking and we just had to make do with whatever sleeping position that we could get.

We woke up at about 7:00 am and the first thing that we did after waking up was Apollo jigging. We were still hoping to catch the biggies that are lurking around the old lighthouse. NOTHING. NO BITES, NO HOOK UPS. We gave up on the location and decided to head back to the lighthouse. We are in for a big surprise.

Once we were on the lighthouse, imagine our horror when we saw the catch that Jeishen, May, Hari and Kavitha had. They had a red snapper, a few sting rays, and a lot of ikan gerut-gerut (saddle grunt; Pomadasys maculatus) and a bucketful or smaller fishes; namely selar kuning (Shrimp scad; Alepes djedaba). Both of us wasted no time and hoped to catch a few fishes before we leave the lighthouse. Our tekong said that we should leave by 10:30 am as the tide was going down. If the tide is down, we wouldn’t be able to board the boat; and the next time to depart will be at around 5:00 pm. Since Hari will be working later in the day, we had to leave by 10:30 am. Navin and myself were desperately trying our very best so catch a few more fishes before leaving. But then again, as usually with us, we didn’t manage to get any biggies. We only caught small fishes on our Apollo.

It was time to leave. We boarded the boat at around 11:00 am. We with a heavy heart, we left OFB. Navin and myself wowed that this would NOT be our last trip to OFB. There will be a second trip. When it will happen? Depends on our financial situation and time availability. This time, we will make proper research on the tides, weather conditions and wave conditions. When we go there the next time, I will definitely be fishing from the lighthouse. No more boat fishing for me.

We arrived back at Tanjung Harapan at about 12:30 pm. After unloading all our stuff from the boat, we took the opportunity to take some photos. We arranged all the fishes that we caught on the floor and took photos of the fishes. After satisfying ourselves with photos of our catch, we divided the fishes equally among ourselves. After a quick goodbye, we all headed back to our respective homes.

As a whole, it was an enjoyable fishing trip and we hope to do it again some other time.

For photos of our trip, go to http://crazyfisherman.multiply.com/photos

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

One Fathom Bank – Final Update before Departure

Wednesday, 19 October 2005. 11.00 am.

As I am writing this, we (Navin, Jeishen, May, Hari, Vasu Uncle, Kavitha and me) have about 48 hours to go before we leave for our fishing expedition at One Fathom Bank.
I don’t know what preparations the others have made, but here are the things that I will be bringing and the preparations that I have made.

  • Fishing RodsFenwick 6’6”, Abu Garcia 8’, Figo 9’, Daiwa 10’
  • ReelsMitchell (65 lb braided line with spare 40 lb mono), Okuma (80 lb braided with spare 25 lb mono), Penn (25 lb mono)
  • RigsA few types of rigs meant for bottom fishing and surface fishing
  • HooksVarious size and types
  • WeightsVarious size (Ranging from size 5 – 10)
  • Swivel & ClipsSuper strong swivel (Can take up to 150 lb of load)
  • Apollo Jigsabout 15 packets (Size 6,7,8,10)
  • Metal Jigs60g, 80g and 100g jigs
  • Leader Linesmono leader (30 lb, 60 lb, 80 lb), wire leader (45 lb, 100 lb)
  • Fighting belt
  • Gaff
  • Gloves

I think I have almost everything that is needed for the trip. Judging from what I have read from the internet and the story that the boatman was telling Navin and me the other day, we should all be having a ball of a time at One Fathom Bank.

Stay tuned for the fishing and catch report in the next post. Adios amigos. Till we meet again.

"Anglers...exaggerate grossly and make gentle and inoffensive creatures sound like wounded buffalo and man-eating tigers." ~ Roderick Haig-Brown

Monday, October 17, 2005

Royally SCREWED thru the ASS

This post has been removed by the author due to the sensitive nature of the post. However, a copy of the post is still available. Please contact the author if you need a copy of the post.
The author feels that the message has been delivered to the intended person and there is no need for further damage.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Fishing Tips : Part 2 (Knots)






Here are some knots that I usually use. They are quite ok and quite strong. Give them a try.




Fishing Tip : Part 1

Estimation on Weight of Fish

The measurements are all in inches and the final result in pounds, but this can then be transformed into kilograms.

The girth of the fish is measured on the greatest part and then squared.

This number is then multiplied by the body length of the fish, measured as illustrated.

This result is then divided by 800 to get the weight in pounds.



Example:

Girth is 3 feet 4 inches = 40 inches
Body length is 8 feet 4 inches = 100 inches
40 x 40 =1600
1600 x 100 = 160000
160000 / 800 = 200 lbs.

To get the result in kilograms, the final number is then divided by 2.2.

Example:
200 / 2.2 = 88 kg.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Crazy Fisherman Photo Collection

Hye there fishing enthusiast and non fishing enthusiast. Do check out Crazy Fisherman's Photo Collection. This is where I store the pictures take during our fishing trips. Do have a look and don't forget to bookmark the page as I will be updating it every now and then. New photos will be added whenever I go out fishing.

"Even if you've been fishing for 3 hours and haven't gotten anything except poison ivy and sunburn, you're still better off than the worm" ~ Unknown quotes

Friday, October 07, 2005

One Fhantom Bank Expedition - Updates

Yet another e-mail received from Mr. DHL. This is regarding our fishing expedition to One Fathom Bank.

"Greetings to all,

Well it seems that we are now just 2 more weeks away from our big trip. In terms of planning we now know the target species, rods and line poundage required, the possibilities of a dream catch and so on. I have spoken to boatman Nozami yesterday, telling him to mark his calendar for the 21st and that there should not be any excuses. He says “Encik Nabin, saya sudah store you punya nombor, jangan takut”. However, I think for safety reasons Sharma and I will visit him somewhere next week and pay his half the amount so that there will not be any last minutes surprises like the one I had experienced with Fauzi the idiot! I also made it clear to him that he is to be with us throughout the period and be efficient enough moving us around to good spots. He says “itu memang saya akan buat you jangan risau”. Some important information on the tackle:

  • Boat fishing: Suggested no more than 8' feet rod. Must be hardy. No kuci stick rods - if not better not fish! (Rawang shop comments)
  • Lighthouse: Ideal length 9' feet and above. Sharma now holding record with 13' footer. Longer the better, baru boleh layan.......
  • Reel: Medium to big (line capacity 300 metres and above)
  • Line Poundage: 40 lbs and above
  • Leader: Encouraged to use wire leader for Tenggiri, Barracuda/Parakuda
  • Rig: Tackle shop owner will brief us on appropriate set-up/use
  • Lure/Jigs: Can be used over there - Rawang shop demonstrated technique of 'how-to'.

So I guess we will be spending a few hundred ringgit on the above. As for me, he laughed at all my rods except for the 9'. One of my reels is OK for the trip. You could take light tackle but remember it is for Apollo jigging. Anyway now that we have the information on the above, we need to plan other stuff such as food, drinks and other necessities that will be deemed necessary. Also need to plan on how many ice boxes, the ice, lights, bait, net or gaff etc.

Please do provide your suggestions on what is needed. As far as possible we should travel light bringing only the required items. Please provide me with suggestions so that I will come up with a list and also appoint who is to do what. Sharma has volunteered to bring the 'tempurung' to disarm the pari in it's lock position (it works, basically you glide the coconut shell down the line, and this will tickle the pari to loosen up its grip - then you wank up a.k.a "Tempurung Strategy"). Jeishen you may want to invest in a lifejacket if you are not sure of the one that will be provided. As time is nearing, and as all would like to have a rewarding trip, please do provide feedback and comments on how we go about this and items needed.

Thanks and regards,

Navin a.k.a. Mr. DHL"


Looks like all of us extra bersemangat. I hope this time will be THE GREATEST fishing trip ever. Hopefully lar.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Expedition- One Fathom Bank / One Fathom Bank

Here is an excerpt of yet another e-mail that was sent to me today by Mr. DHL.

"Dear folks,

This has been yet the soonest confirmation that I have received from all sides. Well all is looking and sounding good. Boatman has agreed to discount RM100 from his asking price. Well as Sharma had it in his blogspot that if this trip does not pump his adrenaline he would be hosting a garage sale, letting go of all his prized fishing equipment. I know I would be bombarded by all of you should this be the case. Anyway I am willing to place high stakes on this trip as I am more than convinced that this is where the biggies lurk and to the 'lucky angler' satisfaction would be the end result. Although that, please be informed that the boatman did warn me that there were instances when some went back empty handed. Now, now I hope I would not be blamed should this be the case. Currently I am awaiting confirmation from Mr. Alfonso, if he is able to join it would be just ideal. Provided below is more information that I have gathered through my telephone conversations with Mr. Nozami who would be our designated boatman and fishing consultant:

  • Boatman: Mr. Nozami
  • Destination: "One Fathom Bank" / Lighthouse
  • Ownership: Malaysian Marine Police
  • Facilities: Air conditioned rooms, toilet and cooking at Lighthouse. Charge of RM20 (big room for 5 people)
  • Fishing: legal. The area is controlled by the Marine Police who patrols there from their base camp at the lighthouse
  • Hot spots: Ship wreck and areas within the radius of the lighthouse
  • Methods: Appolo jigging/Trolling (morning) /Bottom Fishing/Lure Casting/Live Bait
  • Bait: Live Selar Kuning (best), Appolo, Lures
  • Best time: At night - selected locations
  • Weight: Sizes 7 - 1
  • Essentials Each pax must bring (minimum 10 packets Apollo jig. Size: 8-10)
  • Fish: Kerapu, Snapper, Queenfish, Siakap, Trevally and many others
  • Season: Tenggiri and Barracuda (current season; common catch)
  • Date: 21 October 2005 (confirmed)
  • Depart time: Yet to be confirmed (pls provide suggestions (early/mid am, afternoon/evening)
  • Depart from: Tanjung Harapan (Port Klang)

Mr. Nozami had suggested that we purchase our "Apollo" from the Rawang Tackle Shop in appreciation of his recommendation to contact him. Also the guy there has been to his place 4-5 times and knows the best practice and rigging methods. As such Nozami said that we should pay a trip to the Rawang shop for some words of wisdom from the experienced on tackle, bait etc. Boatman will be taking us around to well known spots and suggested that we can rest at the lighthouse and have some food there. The area is 'SAFE' as it is patrolled by the Malaysian Marine Police who has base camp there for protecting the waters. Not everybody is given permission to step at the lighthouse area. Only a few angling operators with a long track record has been given this privilege. The lighthouse is very busy during the weekends. Some choose to fish all day from there while others move around a certain radius within that area to hot spots. Nozami says it's up to us what we choose to do for the fishing period of 24 hours. He has suggested that we start with jigging for selar and tamban, then start for the bigger catch around the ship wreck and other sites. Then he could take us to the lighthouse for some rest and continue with bottom fishing at night. Following morning he could take us trolling for 2-3 hours. This is just his suggestion, do provide your comments and action plans.

By the by Sharma, Mr. Alfonso has confirmed our trip to Kuala Selangor this Sunday at 5:30 am for a warm up session. We will be at destination at around 6:30 am for breakfast and then take the boat for some great fun on light tackle!!!

Thanks and regards,

Navin Panicker"

Looks like someone really bersemangat this time. Hopefully everything will turn out how it is supposed to be. What Mr. DHL forgot to mention in the e-mail is the size of hook that was recommended. According to Mr. DHL, the boatman asked him to use hook size 12/0. CRAZY!!!!! I wonder why do we need to used such a big hook. We went to a tackle shop during our lunch break and the guy at tackle shop started laughing when we mentioned size 12/0 hook. He said to catch a Marlin doesn't require such a big hook.

Both of us will be going down to the Rawang tackle shop later. Hopefully we can get the proper tackle to be used.

Adios amigos....

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Fishing 4 Big

Here is an excerpt of an email that was sent to me today by Mr. DHL.

" Dear guys and lady,

Listen to the news I have. I am sure all must be very very tired of going fishing with no results!!!! Well I have done some background research, called up a few places and bang! found the best fishing location which will promise us the fulfillment of having our rods bent with every cast. Well I had this long conversation with the tackle shop guy in Rawang (40 minutes). He recommended "One Phantom Bank" !!@$&^$%! Yes! He says no regrets! Among his list of catch include:

  • Apollo jigging - minimum 3 ice boxes of Selar, Tamban, Whitings (palm size and bigger!!!!! whoooo hooo
  • Queenfish/Bekalang - most common catch 3-10kgs (this will take off at bullet speed) Imagine line just peeling off your reel
  • Grouper/Kerapu - 1-5kgs
  • Jenahak - up to 15kgs
  • Siakap - 5 kgs very common
  • and lots more - you tengok hah, pancing itu kadang mau tengok nasib juga, semua boleh ikan sembilang heh, kerapu heh, sikap heh, tivelly heh dulu sya ada 50kgs pun kena

So he gives me the no of the boat man Mr Nozami... i called him and the statistics:

  • 1:15 mins hour by boat - near the Indonesian boundary - I',m sure Jeishen is already dismissing the idea! anyway,
  • It's a lighthouse - equipped as a fishing destination (with all facilities for the city angler) even the bathroom's are air conditioned, cooking etc
  • He says - start at afternoon for one full day (best time for bigger catch is at night)
  • Boat (33' length 8' wide) 60 hp engine X 3 = 180hp (speedboat) Woh hoh - life jackets included for Jesihen he will throw in one additional!
  • Trip - by groups (recommended 10 people) ^6 would be sufficient and ideal
  • Boatman will be around throughout ( option to fish from the lighthouse area) or he will take us to all the ship wrecks and islands around
  • Cost $900 ringgit
  • Bait - don't need just bring plenty of appolo's (big ones)
  • Selar Kuning - 1 day (30 kgs is nothing) according to him
  • Operations - they have been operating for the past 8 years
  • Depart - from Port Klang
  • Availability: booked for the whole month October except:
  • Suggestion: 22 October (Saturday) only day available - he says is good day.

So guys if you wanna throw all the bullshit we have been getting, lets take this offer. We just need two more people and each will need to fork out $150 only for a fishing trip that you will never forget. Don't wait please provide your confirmations.

Thanks and cheers!!"

Sound very promising eh..... I sure do hope the trip will materialize... It would be a great shame if it didn't take place. Oh ya... if I don't get at least half the amount of fish that was mentioned in the e-mail above, I will be doing a garage sale with the following caption.

FISHING EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - EVERYTHING MUST GO, OWNER GIVING UP FISHING

Hehehehhe..... Okie then... bye......