Krazie Fishie's 2007 Fishing Review

The year began with a friendly wager between me and Danny. The initial wager of RM 100 somehow became a Daiwa FreamsJ somewhere in the middle of the wager. For more details of the initial wager between us, click here.

I didn't do much fishing in January. Reason being I was still quite busy with work and the weather was still a bit unpredictable. However, I did manage to squeeze in a trip with Navin to a wild pond in Rawang, but there was no catch for me to show. The lack of any fishing activity carried on until the mid of February.

Towards the end of February, Navin and myself decided to plan for a trip to One Fathom Bank. This place holds a lot of fond memories to us. Fishing there has always been a happy and relaxing affair. For a report on the trip to One Fathom Bank, check it out here.

Navin, my girlfriend and myself had a trip to Pulau Angsa in March. The catch was not so good. I did manage to catch a few gelama to kick off my fishing wager wih Danny. By this time, Danny was already leading by 20 points (if I am not mistaken).

By April, I was getting desperate. My points were low and I was loosing badly to Danny. Navin and myself came up with a few trips, but sadly none of those trips improved my points haul.

My big break came in June. I had two trips planned. One was to Penyabung (read here) and the other was to Pulau Sembilan (read here). The trip to Pulau Sembilan would be my first jigging trip. The trip to Penyabung was a big letdown. Luckily, the trip to Pulau Sembilan was a success. I had the chance to fish with great people and the catch was quite satisfying for a first time jigger like me. I managed to land 2 fishes on jigs, both Queenfish weighing about 1 kg each.

:::... Me with my Queenfish ...:::

After the initial success in Pulau Sembilan, I got bitten by the jigging bug. I started to invest heavily into jigging. More on that later. Two weeks after my first trip to Pulau Sembilan, did another trip there. This time I had Navin, Jeishen, May and Hari to tag along the trip. It was during this trip that I managed to land my biggest fish on jig (might even be my biggest fish so far). It was a 5kg Giant Trevally. For the full report of the trip, check out this entry that was done earlier.

:::... 5kg GT from Pulau Sembilan ...:::

After the Trip to Pulau Sembilan, I decided to take a short break. I had been doing 3 trips for the past 6 weeks. My girlfriend was starting to make some noise. The next planned trip would be my trip to Hutan Melintang during the Merdeka Break.

I had great expectations with regards to the trip to Hutan Melintang. I had read a lot about the place and I would be lying if I said my expectations were not high. Sadly, the trip didn't turn out so well. The weather was rough and the sea conditions were not conducive for fishing. The only consolation that I got from this trip was that I had the chance to fish with a great bunch of guys and I had the chance to land a 2kg Golden Snapper.

:::... 2kg Golden Snapper ...:::

From then on, my fishing took a nosedive. I only had one more notable trip after that, which was to Sun Vista Wreck / Pulau Sembilan during the Hari Raya Break. This trip was also a washout due to the weather condition. My consolation? A 3kg Queenfish caught on jig.

:::... 3kg Queenfish ...:::

By November, I was already resigned to the fact that I had lost the wager. However, instead of conceding my defeat, I kept taunting Danny with the phrase "It ain't over till the fat lady sings..".

Well, today being the last day of 2007, the fat lady has indeed sung.

Here is to all my fello fisho's out there.

Tightlines and screaming reel....!!!!

Krazie Fishie Loses Fishing Wager

Early this year, Danny and myself decided to have a friendly fishing wager. The every fish caught will be given points based on the weight and the type of fish. The points system can be view here.

From the beginning, the clear winner for this wager could already be seen. Danny had been leading all the way. I never even came close to a whisker in overtaking his lead.

Therefore, with 4 more days till the end of the year, I have this following statement to make.

"I, Sharma Devan Pillai, also known as Krazie Fishie, being the owner of the blog Crazy Fisherman; hereby concede defeat to Danny Lau, also known as mangooveDan from the blog thechroniclesofmyithchys-ing."

Hope for 'kelah' as history is made

:::... The first batch of 250 Malayan Masheer hatchlings or the majestic iikan kelah was bred in captivity ...:::

RAUB: History was made at the RM3.7 million hatchery at Kampung Ulu Sungai here when the first batch of 250 Malayan Masheer hatchlings (Tor tambriodes) or ikan kelah was bred in captivity. At 60 days old, the fry are reported to be in good health and growing under a controlled environment.

The result came from the research and work by aquaculturist Ng Chee Kiat, who published a book on the freshwater species titled King of the Rivers three years ago.

The 46-year-old said his project was self-funded and took shape last December.

:::... The RM3.7 million hatchery is modelled on those in India, Thailand and the Netherlands ...:::

To enable captive breeding of the Malayan Masheer, Ng had sourced for a large quantity of brood stock across Peninsular Malaysia.

"I built a hatchery complex to house mature fish stock aged one and above because these are fish that have reached maturity and are the right age for their reproduction cycle. I acquired more than 200 specimens."

For location, Kampung Ulu Sungai was the first choice for its good quality water.

Ng modelled the hatchery on facilities he had visited in India, Thailand and the Netherlands.

"India has been successful in breeding the Indian Masheer.

"And much of the technical aspect of my hatchery was adapted from the Netherlands where technology is incorporated into breeding species like the trout."

He said the adult fishes (70 per cent of his brood stock are female) were ready for breeding in March.

To harvest the eggs, he used a synthetic hormone and milked the sperm from the male Masheer to carry out artificial fertilisation.

Larvae development takes shape in 72 hours. But his first attempt to breed it ended in failure. In his second attempt, he came close to accomplishing his goal, but the hatchlings turned out to be deformed.

According to him, the paired brood stock had not reached its mature age. And instead of destroying the deformed fry, he kept six surviving hatchlings.

In September, the fish larvaes hatched with a clean bill of health.

"It was just a matter of time. I am happy with the results and, with this achievement, we can now breed the Masheer at any time."

He said since the species was also a biological indicator of the health of the country's rivers, it was imperative that efforts be made to conserve the fish.

The Masheer, which is found in Indonesia, Thailand and Indochina, can only survive in water that is high in dissolved oxygen.

"Ikan kelah needs fast-flowing water. It will die if there is insufficient oxygen and if the water quality is poor. On the average, the species spawns only twice a year. One flaw in this fish breed is its slow growth rate and reproduction cycle."

The Masheer is also threatened by the decline of its natural habitat and overfishing due to the demand for premium freshwater fish at restaurants.

Ng cited one example in Sarawak where a large specimen was landed and sold for more than RM9,000. Such demand has also threatened ikan kelah, which can fetch up to RM450 per kg.

"It is no secret that large quantities of the Masheer were harvested from the wild and ended up on dining tables. And if no one puts a stop to this, the species is doomed."

Captive breeding of the Masheer, he said, provided a chance to restock the species in the wild. He said he hoped that in five years, his hatchery could produce enough hatchlings for conservation.

He said there were efforts to save the Masheer.

At Kem Melantai in Taman Negara, a part of Sungai Tahan has been closed to fishing to breed the Masheer in its natural habitat.

"With a stable brood stock and a well-conditioned number of fishes, I can breed the Masheer all year round. This means that their fry can be made available on demand. Rivers can be restocked faster than the fish's reproductive cycle."

He said the Masheer was not an easy fish to breed in captivity due to its slower larvae development period.

An average commercial freshwater fish like the tilapia or grass carp takes fewer than 24 hours to hatch after fertilisation.

"The fish thrives in cooler temperature and in conditions where water quality is rich with dissolved oxygen. One of the drawbacks of the young hatchlings is that their parents are not around to care for them."

The omnivorous Masheer feeds on aquatic plant and fruits and has a life expectancy of 30 years.

Asked what he planned to do with the first batch of hatchlings, he said the fry would be kept under close watch.

"Now that I have stabilised the first generation of captive-bred Masheer, my goal is to condition them for spawning and hopefully, we will have a steady supply in the future."

~ By Sam Cheong, NST Online

Fishing outing turns tragic for three friends

This news is taken from The Star Online. Please click on the link below to go to The Star Online to read more.

• Fishing outing turns tragic for three friends

PENANG: A fishing trip in Batu Ferringhi turned into a tragedy for three friends when one of them drowned after their boat hit a net left behind by trawler fishermen.

Koay Hock Soon, 53, and Low Chye Kim, 33, who wore life jackets, spent more than seven hours in the water before they were rescued by two fishermen at 6am yesterday.

Their friend, Lee Kim Kooi, 50, drowned and his body was found in the sea off Telok Bahang at 3.30pm by marine police boat.

Northern region marine police chief Asst Comm Zainul Abidin Hasan said the three were on their way back to berth their 10m boat by the Gurney Drive coast when the incident happened at 11.30pm on Wednesday.

“They hit the net, then the boat overturned and sank. There were beacons and buoys on the net which they failed to spot.

“Fishermen who rescued Koay and Low then took them to Batu Ferringhi where they lodged a police report. We immediately sent out two boats,” he said.

The two survivors were later taken at the Central police station where their statements were taken. They refused to speak to reporters.

~ By Bernard Lee, The Star Online

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To all my fello fishos. Please read the above news carefully. Let it be a lessen to all of us. DO invest in a good life jacket. Accident can happen anytime.

My condolence to the family of Lee Kim Kooi.

Rapala 9 kg Lock 'n Weigh

Latest addition to my long list of necessary but unnecessary tackle purchase. Got this from Tightlines Sportfishing. There was another model which was the Rapala 35 kg Lock 'n Weigh. I decided to get the 9 kg model as I don't foresee myself landing anything more that 10 kg in the near future. Hehehe....

Click on the link below to check out the full description on Rapala's website.

• 20 lb Rapala Lock 'n Weigh
• 60 lb Rapala Lock 'n Weigh

:::... Rapala Lock 'n Weigh ...:::

:::... Rapala Lock 'n Weigh ...:::

:::... Product of Rapala...:::

:::... Patented Cam-Lock System...:::

:::... Patented Cam-Lock System ...:::

:::... Unit of measurement is in kilogram (kg) ...:::

:::... Increment of 0.25 kg ...::

:::... Rated 9kg ...:::

:::... Comes with a 'How to Care' instruction manual ...:::

:::... Comes with 'How to Use' instruction manual ...:::

:::... Coloured photo in the back of the box ...:::

:::.. Some of the features of the Rapala Lock 'n Weigh ...:::

:::.. More features of the Rapala Lock 'n Weigh ...:::

:::.. More features of the Rapala Lock 'n Weigh ...:::

Sea Tackle Warehouse Sale - 1 - 4 November 2007

Saw this posting on ShoppingNsales. This ad is for a warehouse sale at Sea Tackle Sdn. Bhd.



Click on the links below for more information on the sale.

1. ShoppingNsales
2. Malaysian Fishing Net

Netting whopper of a grouper

:::... A smiling Tan Eng Thiam (far left) posing with the giant catch. They netted the grouper while fishing in the Straits of Malacca coast near Sembilan island ...:::

TELUK INTAN: Their dragnet felt extremely heavy but the three fishermen from Hutan Melintang did not think a live 183kg grouper fish was their big catch.
Fisherman Tan Eng Thiam, 45, said the incident happened about 11am yesterday when they were fishing in the Straits of Malacca coast near Sembilan island.

Tan said the machine lifting the dragnet to the fishermen’s boat experienced technical difficulties due to the heavy catch.

He said it was common for the machine to experience difficulties when the drag net got stuck on logs at the bottom of the sea.

“However we were stunned to find what we thought were logs was actually a giant grouper fish that was still alive,” said Tan.
The 2.1-metre-long fish was brought back to the beach near Hutan Melintang. They first sold the fish to a middle-man who later sold it to a restaurant operator for RM5,500.

Before yesterday’s big catch, the heaviest grouper fish caught weighed 163kg.

~Source : New Straits Times Online~

New Blog Layout

Hi to all my loyal readers. As you can see, I have changed the layout and template of my blog. This new blog template is courtesy of Blogcrowds. I have done most of the critical links and layout arrangement. Over the next few days, I will be make some slight cosmetic changes to the blog to make it more appealing.

I would be gracious if anyone out there is willing to give some comments on this new layout. Positive and negative feedbacks will be taken with open heart.

Abu Garcia Collectors Lures

I have seen this set lying around in Tightlines for quite sometime. Didn't really think much about it until recently. I decided to get this set to add to my collection of lures. I have the Rapala 100th Anniversary Lures and this would really go well with those lures.

:::... The Box ...:::

:::... 5 Spoons in different compartments ...:::

:::... Abu Toby ...:::

:::... Made in Sweden ...:::

:::... Abu Toby Slim ...:::

:::... Made in Sweden ...:::

:::... Abu Svavgsta (I Think) ...:::

:::... Made in Sweden ...:::

:::... Abu Jungle ...:::

:::... Made in Japan ...:::

:::... Abu Droppen ...:::

:::... Made in Italy ...:::

Sun Vista Wreck & Pulau Sembilan Catch Report

Over the weekend, a bunch of us anglers decided to head to the Sun Vista Wreck and Pulau Sembilan to do some jigging. We left KL on 13 October 2007 at about 4.00 am and arrived at Sitiawan at about 7.00am. After a quick breakfast and 'tapau' some lunch, we were at Leisure Bay Cafe by 8.00 am.

We quickly unloaded our stuffs from the car and loaded them onto the boat. We left Leisure Bay Cafe at about 9.00am. The journey to the Sun Vista wreck was a back breaking, ass thumping and knee busting 2 hour. We arrived at the wreck at approximately 11.00 am.

:::... Our arsenal. All the reels are either Shimano or Daiwa ...:::

:::... View of Damien's and Sharma's sore ass as a result of the back breaking, ass thumping ride to the Sun Vista Wreck ...:::

Once the signal was given by the Captain, we all wasted no time and proceeded to drop out jigs into the water. The water was a bit choppy due to the strong wind condition. Th first hour yielded no catch. But we all did lose quite a number of jigs. Since we were fishing at a ship wreck, the chances of snagging is quite high.

After about an hour of fishing, Ken managed to get a solid hook up. The fight was brief. In the end, he was rewarded with a handsome 2kg plus GT. Shortly after that, the winds picked up and we could see rain cloud coming our way. True enough, we were hit by rain at around 2.00 pm. The boatman decided that we should head back to shore as is is not advisable to fish in such adverse conditions. No one objected to the boatman's recommendation.

On the way back, we did stop at a few locations, but we didn't register any catch. So we decided to head back to shore and prepare for our trip to Pulau Sembilan the next day.

:::... Ken with his GT caught at the Sun Vista Wreck ...:::

:::... Damien and Bruce taking shelter from the rain. Note the dark storm clouds at the background ...:::

:::... Alan and Kuan Wai holding on to the boat as it makes it back to shore at full speed ...:::

:::... Ken and Sharma feeling cold and wet as a result of the rain and sea water ...:::

The second day started rather gloomy. The sky was overcast and rain clouds could be seen in the distance. We all hoped that the second day of fishing would not be a wash out like the first day. We spent some time travelling from one place to another looking for the fishes. Although the echo sounder showed that were fishes, we were rather unfortunate not to land any of them.

:::... Gloomy weather in the morning ...:::

At about noon, the boatman registered a catch. It was a queenfish weight approximately 1.5kg plus. Were al hyped up after that catch. All of us were hoping to get one as well. The action kinda died down after that. After about 2 hours, it was my turn to get a fish. I was using my Daiwa Caldia Kix 4000 paired with a custom Shikari PE 2-4 rod courtesy of Damien. The fight was awesome and after about 5 minutes, a 3kg Queenfish was gaffed and landed.

:::... 3kg Queenfish by Sharma ...:::

After my catch, we moved on to a different spot and this time, Ken, Damien and Alan managed to get hook ups. I also register a hook up but as the fish was about to be gaffed at boat side, it made one final leap and managed to throw the hook out.

:::... Ken with his Queenfish ...:::

:::... Damien with his Queenfish ...:::

:::... Alan with his Queenfish ...:::

At about 5.30pm, we all decided to call it a day and headed back to shore. The journey back took us almost 2 hours because one of the engines on our boat broke down. We had a leisurely ride back to the Leisure Bay Cafe.

After having a quick shower and loading our stuffs into the car, we headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner and then proceeded back to KL.

Although the catch was disappointing, we did enjoy ourselves. We especially enjoyed the Whistling Brothers, Bruce and Ken who provided us with non stop whistling and jokes. I will definately be fishing with them again in the near future if time permits.

DIY Assist Hooks For Jigging - Part 2

Good day fellow anglers. Here is a simple DIY for doing assist hook. Have fun tying them. Mail me at sharma_8379@yahoo.com or drop me a message on Yahoo Messenger. My YM ID is sharma_8379

:::... Tools and materials that is required for this rig ...:::

:::... Run the kevlar material thru the solid ring ...:::

:::... Do a normal overhand knot to secure the solid ring in place ...:::

:::... Trim of the excess kevlar material ...:::

:::... It should look like this after trimming the excess kevlar material ...:::

:::... Take the other end of the kevlar material and run thru the eye of the hook ...:::

:::... Do a overhand knot over the shank of the hook ...:::

:::... Tighten the knot as close as possible to the eye of the hook ...:::

:::... Secure the hook on a mini vise ...:::

:::... Take some old braided line or dental floss and place them like the picture shown above ...:::

:::... Do about 8 to 10 turns ...:::

:::... Take the tag end run it thru the loop ..:::

:::... Using a plier, pull the other end to tighten the knot ...:::

:::... It should look like this once tightened ...:::

:::... Trim off all excess braided line and kevlar material ...:::

:::... Put a few drops of super glue ...:::

:::... There you have it, a complete Assist Hook for Jigging ...:::

:::... Assist hook ready for some action ...:::

Wish you good luck in trying out this assist hook. There are more to come. Different variations with different types of knots. Do stay tuned for the next update.