Boarded Ah Fong's boat with the usual kakis and began fishing. As I've been a zero-fighter for the last 2 trips using madai & tenya, I decided to go back to basics with a running sinker rig.
Hooked a live prawn and down it went.
A few anglers were already starting to catch some fish. Waited a little while longer and finally felt some nibbles. I let the fish take the whole bait and then slowly reeled back. Hookup! Wasn't a big fish but a fish nonetheless! Came up to be a table-sized Grouper. This fella had quite a big crab in its mouth!
First fish of 2017!
All the other anglers were also hooking up Groupers of various sizes.
30mins later, I got my 2nd Grouper. I was using a Tainawa hook which is similar to a circle hook which doesn't require a strike to set the hook. Just a gentle lift of the rod while reeling back would usually set the hook nicely at the corner of the fish's mouth.
I must admit that the Tainawa hook does look a bit obtrusive when used with a live prawn. It'll probably be best used with bigger baits. A thought for next time.
Just after lunch, I felt my bait flicking and so I was ready to free spool a bit. Sure enough, the fish took the bait and swam off. Free spooled for 3secs and then tightened the drag. Fish ON! This fella felt heavier and slowly it was brought to the surface. A nice +1kg Grouper!
2 other anglers were having much better luck with 2 Groupers around 4kg each and another one at 2kg.
Foul-hooked up a coral with some marine worms.....
As our live prawns finished almost after the catch of the big Groupers, we decided to call it a day early. Headed back at 4pm!
Final catch of the day!
Gear used:
Rod - Eupro Salty Fighter PE0.8-2.0
Reel - Shimano Talica 8 II
Line - YGK JigMan X8 Ultra 50lb
Bait - Live prawn on 2/0 Tainawa hook
Rig - Running sinker
Fish ID - Orange-Spotted Grouper (Epinephelus coioides)
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