Southern Island fishing with Uncle Lim #2 - Grouper & Sagai

Arranged another fishing trip on Uncle Lim's boat. This time, there was only 3 of us. We set off after getting our live prawns. Uncle Lim suggested we try using madai again at the first spot as there were reports of fish biting and unable to bring up. So we spent 3hrs at the spot with our madais. We tried all sorts of colors of madai but not a single hookup. We actually lost 4 madai between us during the 3hrs! Not a very good return!

So we abandoned our madai and moved to another spot. I had bought this new type of hook called Tainawa and from what I understand, it was used as a hook for long-liners. It's like a circle hook but square shaped. The point is 90degrees to the shank. I had rigged it up as a Apollo setup and hooked a live prawn and sent it down. About 10mins later, I felt my prawn flicking about, meaning something was chasing it! I quickly free-spooled my Talica II and felt the line going out. My heart was racing at this time as I'm not supposed to strike because the Tainawa work the same way as circle hooks. Counted to 8 and slowly engaged the spool and lifted up the rod. When the rod loaded up, I started to reel in quickly. Fish ON! This fella gave a pretty good fight and shortly thereafter, it surfaced. It was an Orange-Spotted Grouper. Nice sized too! Lip-gripped the fella and I could see how the hook penetrated the fish. It wasn't the textbook "corner of the mouth" hookup but actually at the top of the mouth. It was a solid hook-set, luckily the Dupont 30lb mono line held up on the Apollo rig. After unhooking the fish, I could feel some abrasion on the mono line just above the hook. A few head shakes would have been all it took to sever the mono line due to the sharp, raspy teeth of the Grouper. I weighed the Grouper and it was 1.6kg. Nice!

We continued fishing at the spot but the current and wind was too strong to hold our position near the structure. We decided to move to another spot to try for bottom fish.

At the next spot, we had many small nibbles on our live prawns. Every time we reeled back to check our bait, all that was left was the section of prawn that was attached to the hook. The rest of the prawn was missing. These fish must really be expert pickers! Finally, Shawn had a decent take and reeled in this fish. At first,  I thought it was a Spanish Flag Snapper but upon closer inspection, it didn't have the sharp teeth of a typical Snapper. Also the shape of the head is closer to a Sweetlip. Upon some research and posting on Fishingkaki.com, I managed to identify the fish as a Yellow-Striped Sweetlip.

Uncle Lim now suggested we go try to catch some Sagai. We anchored up and changed our rigs to sabiki. At this time, there was a huge thunderstorm moving in over the west and central Singapore. Luckily, we were still ok out on the water. As we were fishing for the Sagai, we spotted a big school of fish crashing the surface. Couldn't make out what they were but some of us decided to change to micro jigs and try to tempt them to hit our jigs. I cast out and did a fast retrieve but they weren't interested. Uncle Lim was the first to hook up a Sagai and soon Shawn was hooked up too. I quickly changed back to sabiki and tossed it out back. Shawn was lucky that he had 3 Sagais on his sabiki but as he brought it close to the boat, one dropped but still managed to bring the other 2 on board. I soon also had a hit. I was using my new Shimano Curado baitcast reel and it was taking our some line. This fish is feisty! Uncle Lim advised to play the fish slowly and not pump the fish too hard as they have soft mouths. Pulling too hard may tear the hook out of the soft mouth. Soon I had the fish on board. Decent sized fish!

Shawn had another hookup that he thought was a few more Sagai. But soon the fish shot up to do some acrobatics and shown itself as a Queenfish. Due to the acrobatics, the fish had entangled itself in the sabiki hooks and Shawn just reeled in the fish.

As the thunderstorm was still raging on the island, we stayed at sea a bit longer so that the storm would pass. So we finished our fishing a bit later than normal. Good decision because when we reached the launch point, it had stopped raining.

Not a great days fishing but we still had some fun catching the Sagais and some quality bottom fish.

Gear used:
Rod - Okuma Nomad Travel 3-piece PE1-2 / Shimano TCurve Revolution Baitcast 6-10kg(PE1.3-2.2)
Reel - Shimano Talica 8 II / Shimano Curado I
Line - Fireline Tracer 40lb / Spiderwire Stealth 15lb
Bait - live prawn
Rig - Apollo style

Fish ID - Orange-Spotted Grouper (Epinephelus coioides)
             - Sagai aka Bumpnose Trevally (Carangoides Hedlandensis)
             - Yellow-Striped Sweetlips (Plectorhincus chrysotaenia)
             - Queenfish (Scomberoides commerson)

Broome from the air

As luck would have it, on my way to Sydney, I was planned to fly overhead Broome in the daytime. So with my camera phone, I managed to take some aerial pictures of the town as well as the fishing spots when we went on the charters.

Can see my entry in my blog on Broome fishing - Day 4. From the air, now I know why the waters were full of fish! So isolated and it's next to a deep water shelf.

Brings back some very good memories!

   
     Town of Broome, Western Australia.

Tackle Review - Shimano Stradic Ci4 3000FA & Shimano TCurve Revolution Travel Inshore Tropical

I had purchased the Stradic Ci4 3000FA reel to use for my trip to Broome, Western Australia. I knew I would have quite a few bruising encounters there so I needed a reel that could stand the test. As for the rod, I have been using the TCurve Revolution Travel Inshore Tropical for close to 2yrs now. Unfortunately, this rod is only available in the Australian market.

Reel review

I spooled the reel with Sufix 832 30lb braid and connected it with a FG knot to a 40lb Black Magic Fluorocarbon leader. The first fish that I caught on this reel was a 8kg Golden Trevally. I had set the drag before fishing but I totally underestimated the power of the fish in Broome. The first fish took the line out like nothing until I had to readjust the drag setting. The cranking was smooth and although the reel knob was smallish, I had no problem gripping and winding with it. The reel weight felt just right for casting, without feeling tired. 

Rod review

I have been using this 3-piece rod for almost 2yrs for pond and kayak fishing. It's light and rated at 5-8kg, (PE1.1-1.7). I know there is a perception among anglers that 1-piece rods are superior to all other rods but I think with rod building technology nowadays, the difference isn't that much. The 3 pieces fit nicely on each other and feels like a 1-piece rod. The Golden Trevally initial hits and fights are hard encounters. The rod performed admirably and I could control the fish with the rod. Lifting forcefully to prevent the fish from diving under the corals is possible, with the rod bending to almost a U shape! I must say I was concerned for a short while whether the rod could endure such a punishment. Impressively, the rod held up and gave me the confidence of how much the rod can handle. The length of the rod is also perfect for casting. Jig weights up to 120g is comfortable but anything beyond that becomes unbalanced and tiring. The only downside is that the rod butt is rather short and you do not have much leverage when fighting the fish, especially if its a big fish. I had to jam the rod butt on my waist pouch and hold the foam grip above the reel seat to get some leverage. I think the rod is designed more for casting lures or jigs in the mangroves or shallow water rather than fighting the brutes in deeper water. But it has proven itself in handling most of the toughest fish in the deep water. Just be prepared for some arm-aching action!

Nice bend on the rod. Holding the upper part of the rod for better leverage.

Golden Trevally, true brutes of the seas! Subdued by an awesome pairing of Stradic Ci4 3000FA and TCurve Revolution Travel Inshore Tropical 3-piece rod.

Tips & Techniques - How to reduce getting snagged

Whenever we are bottom fishing, it's inevitable that we would get snagged if the bottom is rocky or has some structure. More so if you're fishing with expensive madais. After all, these are the places where the big fish hang out. So how do we reduce getting our rigs snagged in them?

Normal bottom-fishing technique:
A. Sinker hits bottom and you close the bale arm.
B. Boat drifts and sinker gets dragged along the bottom.
C. Boat comes over a structure and sinker gets dragged over the side of the structure.
D. The sinker may bump over some holes/cracks but sooner or later, it'll fall into a hole/crack that would snag the fishing rig. Usually, if the hook snags, it can be pulled out easily. But if the sinker snags, and the boat continues to drift, you may have to pull the fishing line to break it.


When drifting
The best way is to NOT leave your sinker 'scraping' the bottom as you drift along. What I do is to let the sinker touch the bottom, and then I'll wind my reel about 2 cranks. This will lift the sinker off the bottom but still within the holding zone of bottom-dwelling fish. As you drift along, the depth would invariably change so keep adjusting the line by winding up or releasing more line, all the while 'bouncing' the sinker along to keep in contact with the seabed.

A. Sinker hits bottom.
B. Crank the reel 1-2 times to lift it about 1-2ft above the seabed.
C. Tip the rod down to 'feel' the bottom again.
D. Lift up again to about 1-2ft above seabed.
E. Repeat the lift/drop sequence, always making sure the sinker/madai is not being dragged on the bottom.
F. You can hold the rod constant if you want, until you hit the next 'bump' on the structure and then lift up again.

I've seen anglers lose $5-$15 madais one after another and they keep blaming their bad luck for getting snagged when actually they are dragging their madais across the bottom. By being 1-2ft above the seabed/structure, you can prevent getting snagged but still be in the holding zone for most bottom-dwelling fish.

This method will work on most rigs, ie Apollo, ranggong, madai, Carolina rig. The idea is you want the sinker/rigs to 'bounce' off the bottom and not be dragged across the bottom.

Try it the next time you go bottom fishing!

When anchored
If you're anchored, you can 'park' your rod in the rod holder without fear of getting sangkut because everything is stationary. However, when you start to retrieve your line, it's best to either reel in fast or jerk the rod tip up and bounce the sinker back. This way, you would avoid dragging the sinker on the bottom and potentially snagging the rig.

Early Xmas present

Been contemplating whether to get a baitcaster setup after looking through the 2015 Shimano catalog.

Decided to go ahead and buy a setup. Found out that a new tackle shop, Big Fish @The Help Hand, located near Kovan MRT station was carrying the Shimano Curado I so I paid them a visit. They were selling the baitcaster at a reasonable price so I bought it. Loaded it up with 15lb SpiderWire Stealth braid. I had purchased the 3-piece Shimano Travel Inshore Bait Cast rod from Sydney, hoping they would be a good match together.

Here they are:

I shall be bringing this setup on my next fishing trip to see how well they perform. Watch out for the reviews!

Shimano 2015 Catalog

Managed to get my hands on the new Shimano 2015 Equipment catalog. Drooling over their stuff now!

I've never used a baitcaster reel before. So I was thinking whether should I get one setup and see if I like it. Preferred combo? A Curado I with a TCurve BC rod.

Any other suggestions?

Southern Island fishing with Uncle Lim #1 - Eng Ko galore!

Arranged a trip to Southern Islands with 3 kakis, Shawn, Alvin and Brandon on a friend's boat. Bought 2kg of live prawn and off we went. Reached the 1st spot around 9am. We started using our madais. We got sangkut many times and one time, I pulled so hard on my rod that the butt joint piece came off with a loud crack! I thought my rod had broke and watched as the centre piece drifted down into the sea......... Somehow, after some effort, the boatman managed to dislodge the madai and slowly brought the rest of the rod up. Luckily my centre piece was still attached and after a quick check, it wasn't broken. Phew!! We drifted around the area for 2hrs but nothing was interested in our madais. Strange.... as this spot is usually rather productive.

Moved on to the next spot and we changed to Apollo rigs now. I tied on a Apollo rig courtesy of Shawn and it had two size 1/0 hooks. I hooked 1 hook on the head and the other on the tail. This made the live prawn 'spread out' more enticingly. This spot was touted as the spot for Spanish Flags. And true enough, we were finally bringing in a few fish. Alvin rigged up a sabiki and brought up a few Spanish Flags straight away. They weren't too big but still something for the ice box. Soon we were getting bites from other types of fish. I caught my first fish,  a Arumugam, which was promptly returned to the sea. Next bite was a little harder and up came a nice Kaci aka Painted Sweetlips. Shawn scored a couple of small Eng Ko aka Blackspot Tuskfish and a few more Spanish Flags were brought up. Then Shawn hooked up a darkish fish and was told that it was a Black Kaci aka Brown Sweetlips. It did give quite a little fight on the light tackle.

         

We had our lunch and then moved to the next spot. The next spot was productive straight away! I dropped my live prawn over and as soon as it hit bottom, I could feel the live prawn 'flicking' away. Shortly, there was a few taps. I let it go on for a few more taps before setting the hook. Fish ON! Nice little fight and brought up another table-sized Eng Ko. Re-baited and sent the live prawn back down. 15mins later, felt another few taps and striked. Fish ON! Up came another Kaci. The other guys were also catching some other variety of tuskfish. Re-baited and dropped it over. 10mins passed and was hooked up again. This time it felt heavier so I was hoping for a bigger fish. It turned out that I had hooked up 2 fish! On each hook was a Leng Chiam aka Red Spot Emperor. They were just palm-sized fish but I wanted to see how they taste like. I hooked on a bigger live prawn and sent it down quickly. Less than 10mins, I felt a few strong taps. I counted to 5 and striked. Fish ON. This time my rod was bent quite a bit but I managed to pump the fella up. Felt heavy and when it surfaced, it was a large Eng Ko! It weighed in at 1.1kg, not very big by Southern Island standards but still the biggest fish of the day so far! Shawn's Apollo rig was really working wonders!

  

Eng Ko

Kaci

Leng Chiam

Bigger Eng Ko

Boatman said that we should now go and target the Trevallys, specifically the Sagais. The seas were getting a bit rough now as there was a huge thunderstorm over central Singapore. A rogue wave hit the bow of the boat and sent buckets of seawater onto me, drenching me in the process! First thing I checked was my iPhone. Luckily it was tucked away nicely in my waistpouch and didn't get wet. Maybe next time, I'll put it in a waterproof casing just to be sure. As I was wearing Columbia's Performance Fishing Gear top and bottoms, I was dry in less than 15mins. Awesome!

We changed to sabiki for the Sagai and after 30mins or so, I felt the familiar tap-tapping on the line indicating that something has taken the hooks. Started reeling up and then saw my line rising up to the surface rather quickly! Out jumped a small Queenfish and it began to do some acrobatics, trying to throw the hook. Quickly brought it in and into the ice box! We jigged the sabiki for the next hour or so but nothing was biting. I changed my rig to a weighted jighead and slipped on a Berkley Gulp Nemesis soft plastic. Tried to jig and suddenly I felt like I was dragging dead weight. Reeled it in and it turns out I foul-hooked a Fan-Bellied Leatherjacket. Released the fella unharmed. As the rain storm was approaching, we decided to call it a day and headed back to the jetty.

Fan-Bellied Leatherjacket

The action wasn't fantastic today but we had a lot of fun on the boat.

Gear used:
Rod - Eupro Giant King Jigging rod PE0.8-2.0
Reel - Shimano Stradic Ci4 3000FA
Line - Sufix 832 30lb
Bait - live prawn, Berkely Gulp Nemesis 6inch
Rig - Apollo rig, weighted jighead

Fish ID - Eng Ko aka Blackspot Tuskfish (Choerodon schoenleinii)
             - Tee Boon aka Spanish Flag (Lutjanus carponotatus)
             - Black Kaci aka Brown Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus gibbosus)
             - Kaci aka Painted Sweetlips (Diagramma pictum)
             - Leng Chiam aka Red Spot Emperor (Lethrinus lentjan)
             - Queenfish (Scomberoides commerson)

Sport Fishing Explorer Trip #4 - Quiet but BIG!

I was informed by Alvin of a slot available on Ah Jiang's boat so I decided to take it. After my awesome fishing adventure in Broome, I was kinda relaxed for this trip, not putting my expectations too high on the catch rate, although it was supposed to be 'good current' during the trip.

Boarded the boat at Marina Country Club and we set off. Met some of the usual kakis on board as they prepared their gear. I quickly set up mine and went to sleep as the trip eastwards would take 4-5hrs. 

I was checking out the tides and according to the website, it details the best time the fish are biting. I'm planning to fish according to the said times to see how well things work out.

At the first spot, lines were in the water but I did not get any bites. Later at night, we spent a few hours catching squid to use as bait for the next few days. Unfortunately, there weren't many squid around but we managed to get just enough. 

Woke up prior to sunrise to fish. Baited my Apollo rig with a live squid and sent it down. Was still using a size 16 sinker due to the current. Felt a light tap on the rod and I waited. I slowly lifted the rod and straight away, the fish bit and took off! I striked the rod and fish ON! Quickly brought it up and it was a table-sized Ikan Tanda (Russell's Snapper).  Other anglers managed to bring up some decent-sized Ang Chor (John's Snapper) and Boon Nang (Golden Trevally). As usual, it's always the angler that's next to you that's catching the fish! 

After lunch, we anchored at a spot and I got my first fish. Small red-coloured fish. Anglers on board called it a Red Ruby and supposedly rare in shallow waters. As it was rather small, I released it. Next thing I know, other anglers were catching them on sabiki rigs. We must've hit a school of them cos they were bringing them up and filling almost a bucket! The deckies were planning to deep-fry the fish for dinner later. So I decided to get in on the action. I tied a blue jig and started jigging. Knowing that the fish were holding close to bottom, I just let my jig sink to the bottom and started jiggling the rod. Sure enough, hooked up another fish. The jig was quite large but still the fish took it. After 20mins or so, the action died down and I went back to bottom fishing.

Can anyone ID this fish?

Prior to sunset, I hooked up 2 smallish Cloudy Groupers(no pics) and a Spanish Flag. Then it was quiet all the way. We changed a few more spots with catches being spotty. Checking my GPS, I noticed we were quite a long way away from Hosburgh Lighthouse and most likely we will be steaming home from our last spot for a good 5-6hrs. So I decided to fish through the last night.

Set up my ranggong rig with 4/0 J hook and pinned a live squid on it. There was a few subtle bites and I kept losing the bait. Found a bigger live squid and sent it down. Just as I was nodding off around 4am, I was awaken by shouts of "Fish ON!". Looked up to see it was MY rod that was buckling over! Woo hoo!!! The deckie grabbed the rod first and set the hook and passed me the rod. I fought the fish and it was a hard fighter. Midway I changed my reel to low gear so that I could crank it easier. But sometimes I felt like I've lost the fish when I didn't feel any weight. But as the leader came to into view, saw that it was a Ang Chor (John's Snapper). Huge bugger! It was netted up and high-fives all around!! This is my biggest Snapper to date!! I'm going to have a very nice Fish Head Curry very soon!! Hahhahahahaa......

Just before sunrise, we headed back and true enough, it was a 6hr journey back to port. Went to sleep in the bunk and by the time I woke up, all the fish had been cleaned from our respective ice boxes. Wasn't a fantastic trip but the huge Snapper made the trip worthwhile for me.

Looking back at the solunar charts, seems that only the period of 05:58-07:58 on 30 Oct was rather productive. It actually continued till about 10am. Although the chart was for Singapore, again there is some variable to the chart as we were fishing north-east of Hosburgh Lighthouse. I think I'll be using these charts with a pinch of salt in the future. Something is better than nothing, right?

Gear used:
Rod - Expert Graphite JigForce PE3-6
Reel - Accurate DPX-500N
Line - Sufix 832 50lb with 60lb Black Magic leader
Bait - live prawn / live squid
Rig - Apollo style (day), Ranggong style (night)

Fish ID - Ang Chor aka John's Snapper (Lutjanus johnii)
             - Ikan Tanda aka Russell's Snapper (Lutjanus russelli)