Rompin #4 - Day 1 - Back to battle the Sailfish

Booked a trip to Rompin to tackle the Sailfish on kayak again.

I didn't realize that the date given by the boat captain Mat Rompin was a day after the annual Billfish competition in Rompin. Sigh......

And even a few days before, he texted me saying that his boat sprang a leak and was not sea-worthy till repairs are done.

But since everything was already set, we managed to get a replacement boat and captain for the trip.

It was only me and Sang for this trip, together with captain Saad & deckie Din.

First stop for baitfish was at a nearby unjam. Caught enough bait for the day and off we went in search of the Sailfish fishing grounds.

The morning was rather uneventful as the seas were a bit choppy and Sailfish weren't interested. After lunch, then we moved to another location near an island outcrop. That's when Sang's rod got a bite and he hooked up a Sail! Fish was giving a good fight on his light gear setup. After 15mins, we managed to bring it alongside for a photo and duly released unharmed.

With that action, I pumped up my kayak and launched. Seas were still choppy and I had for some reason began to feel seasick. Just then another rod on the boat had a bite and the captain passed me Sang's fishing rod. I quickly took the rod and began chasing the fish. Fish ON! As I wasn't used to the baitcaster setup, it took me some time to get the Sailfish under control. Then the fish went on another speed sprint and took out more line. Then it dawned on me; I could actually pedal the kayak to catch up with the fish! Duh!!

Finally brought the fish alongside the kayak and managed to handle it safely. Brought it up for some pictures and released after swimming it for a few minutes. YES!!

After that fish, we moved back to the Sailfish grounds hoping for more hookups.

Meanwhile when I was out on the kayak, Sang managed to score a pretty good sized Cobia!

But as the day progressed, the Sails were still a bit shy and I was really feeling the seasickness getting worse. Quickly hopped back onto the boat and ate my seasick medications.

Decided to stop catching the Sailfish and went to try for Squids. We managed to hook up about 10 pcs of Green Eye Squid, ranging from small to XL! Yummy!

Sang managed to use his Kurau jig to hook up this beautiful red specimen.

Finished the day with the squids and headed back. Tomorrow we will be targeting bottom fish and Tenggiris!