Royal Pahang Billfish International Challenge (RPBIC)

Fishing Trip, Saltwater Trip, , , ,

Royal Pahang Billfish International Challenge (RPBIC) Through the eyes of Blue Water Anglers Brandon Ho FFI CCI RPBIC is the most prestigious billfish fishing competition in Malaysia and since its inception in 2004, has attracted teams from all over the world, each with one goal in mind, catching, tagging and releasing the magnificent billfish in the waters off Rompin. Being a fly angler, I have been chasing the Rompin sailfish since 2020 and the thrill of hooking and landing one has never ceased to excite me. Chasing these magnificent fish has been on my bucket list since I first heard about their acrobatic jumps and blistering runs which could reach 110km/h. James Isaac was instrumental in helping me land my first sail on fly. Every year without fail, we will book Capt Steven Chong’s boat for our rendezvous with the Rompin sails. With the pandemic closing the borders, we were lucky to be still able to fish locally. Having booked our slot for 17-18 Sept 2022, without knowing that the RPBIC would be held, we were busy tying flies, preparing our fly fishing gear for our annual sailfish pilgrimage. Later, we learnt that the competition would be held and we decided to give it a go. Having only landed one sailfish on conventional gear prior to this, it was a foolhardy decision. With our usual sailfish comrades, a team was formed and after much brainstorming, Blue Water Anglers came into being. James, Clevin, Nic and I made up the team and with Capt Steven as the skipper, we were in good hands. We registered for the event 5 days before the closing date and from then it was a chaotic rush to get our gears ready. Rod and reels were sourced to supplement whatever basic gear we had and Boon Cheng came to our rescue by loaning us some top quality gear from Penn and Abu Garcia. We arrived at Rompin Beach Resort (RBR) on a very wet Friday afternoon. The unusual thunderstorm was not expected and it caused concern for the next two days of competition. Rain was forecast for the weekend and rough sea condition was expected. But from the excited faces of the participants and confident demeaner of the organizers, all looked good. Fishing would be competitive and fun, rain or no rain. After registering our team and collecting our goodie bags, we headed to our homestay, a comfortable two-storey house with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It was perfect for the 4 of us. You know this is a homestay for anglers when you see a large chest freezer on the porch and rod holders in the living room. Dinner was at the famous Rompin Baru Restaurant and the highlight of our meal was the Sizzling Hot Plate Squid, which happened to be in season during this time. After dinner, we were back at the homestay for some last minute preparations. FG knots were retied with fresh leaders, equipment was checked and rechecked. Contents of tackle box were recounted to make sure everything we need for the competition was there. It was going to be hard to sleep that night!! We were up at 6 am and within minutes all our gear was loaded and we headed out for our Nasi Dagang breakfast, a traditional meal that consists of bonito cooked in thick curry sauce, riced steamed with coconut milk and pickle vegetable added to the side. It is one meal I would not miss when I am on the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia. We arrived at the jetty slightly after 7 to meet Capt Steven. His boat was park a short distance away from the event jetty. A short 5 minutes cruise, we arrived and went ashore to collect our tags and boat stickers. We also had a draw to select our marshal for the day. A fine gentleman by the name of Mizal, who is always ready with a smile. While waiting for the flag off, our anticipations rose. I still could not believe that we were actually part of the RPBIC. Boats were lined up and the captains were in their pilot seat, participants looking at each other, sizing up the competition. This year there were only a total of 14 teams and some came as far as India, Australia, Singapore and of course the host country, Malaysia. The siren sounded and the we were off! We were speeding towards the FAD, locally known as the “unjang”. The first order of the day was to fill up the live bait well. Multi hook jigs or better known as Apollo jigs were set up. The plan was to have 3 anglers jigging for baitfish and one to remove the hook. Every minute counted and when we sensed the boat slowing down, we all jumped into action. There was no time for small talk and jokes. Even fishing for baitfish was stressful. After 30 minutes, Capt Steven looked at the live well and said, “ Ok. Enough. We head out now.” I estimated that there were an approximate 30 or so fish in the live well. The first spot was about an hour and a half away. Fishing for sailfish is like a gamble. If the sailfish are at the predicted spot, you would have a good catch, but if they are not, then it was time wasted travelling. Moving about to find fish is time consuming and will cost you the chance at catching them. Competition like this depends on luck as much as skills. Having a knowledgeable and skillful captain is essential. Half the battle is won when you have the right Captain and Captain Steven is one of the most sought after captain for sailfish in Rompin. On the way to the sailfish grounds, we had a strategy planning and everyone had a clear idea of what to do. As we were approaching our fishing ground, we all scanned the distance to look for birds. Hovering birds was a sign…

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Eging in Pekan – Beginner’s luck on a Squidding Trip Blog / By flytiecast

Fishing Trip, Saltwater Trip, , ,

Eging in Pekan Beginner’s luck on a squidding trip Brandon Ho FFI CCI The first squid photo appeared on Facebook and then another and another. I’ve never been on a squidding trip before and when the opportunity came, I jumped onto the boat. Did some research and talked to Bong and Otto to get myself educated on this thing called Eging. I was amazed by the depth of the skills required for this game. First thing first, I needed to get my hands on some Egi jig. The first name that came up was Yamashita and they are not the cheapest. I bit the bullet and got myself some of these. After work on a Wednesday evening, I got into the Mitsubishi Prado with Bong on the wheel. After picking up Eric, we started our Eging Adventure. The three-plus-hour drive went by like a breeze with insightful discussion about everything under the sun. After settling down in the homestay, I went to bed, dreaming of the first squid that I would catch. The next morning, after a meal of chicken rice, yes, chicken rice at 7.30 in the morning, we took a leisurely 5-minute drive to the jetty. I saw our boat for the first time. In the morning light, it looked like the sportfishing boat where dreams come true. Equipped with two 150-horse-power 4-stroke engines, it was ready for everything. My hopes for a successful trip soared. Rods were set up as we cruised out of the estuary for the open sea. The muddy estuary gave way to the blue ocean. I was enjoying the trip yet at the back of my mind, worried if I could survive the trip without giving up my breakfast to the fishes. It had been a long time since I last set foot on a boat. The sky was clear but the South China Sea was decorated with white caps, indicating the wind was blowing up  one metre high waves. I managed to doze off only to wake up when the engine slowed down. We have reached our first spot. The boat was tied to one of the floats, a few jerry cans tied together. Coconut leaves were stringed on ropes and anchored to the seabed about 20 to 30 metres deep. This was the Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) made by the local fishermen. Sometimes, several strings were put close to together to form a larger Unjang, the local name for these FAD. I clipped an orange 3.0 Egi jig an lowered it to the bottom with the help of a #3 sinker. I tried to imitate the jigging motion, not really sure what I was doing. The countless videos I watched on Youtube didn’t make sense. Bong, seeing my clumsy moves, came over and showed me how to do it: cast it out a short distance, let it sink to the bottom and make a few short jigs while retrieving the line, lift the rod slowly, let it sink slowly and repeat the process. In this spot, the squids were close to the bottom. Behind me, Eric was hooked up to a squid and he expertly reeled in a good sized cephalopods. The first catch was in the boat. It was beautiful but not totally defenseless. Its first weapon was an injection of ink that spread in the water confusing its attacker and while it was being pulled up the boat, it could shoot out a surprising amount of the black sticky substance. I was horrified by the amount it could shoot and the distance was impressive. The Green Eye squid as locally known is also called the Bigfin Reef squid. They have large oval fin that extends throughout the mantle or the body, resembling cuttlefish. They can grow up to 13 inches in length. They are also recorded to have the fastest growing rate of any large marine invertebrate: it can reach a weight of 600g in only 4 short months. However, they have a short life span, dying usually one year after hatching. Males tend to be slightly larger than females. Their large eyes are covered by a transparent secondary corneas, allowing the greenish based to be visible, hence the name Green Eye squid. Laughter could be heard around the boat as everyone was trying to avoid the ink projections while others were trying to aim the hooked squid at their fellow anglers. It was mayhem and hilarious to watch. Still trying to get a hold of the proper way to jig, I suddenly felt a weight on my rod. Instinctively, I lifted the rod and the rod bent double. I just held one while the line was slipping out from the reel. Was it a fish? Not likely, as I was using an Egi jig. Once the line stopped moving, I slowly and carefully retrieved the line, pausing every time the mysterious creature pulled line out. Finally, I could see the mono line, indicating that I was about a metre away from whatever that took the jig. I peered cautiously over the side of the boat and saw my very first squid of the trip. I peered into a ball of outstretched tentacles, the body of the squid was changing colours, from light yellow to a darker hue of brown. If it could communicate, it was telling that it was not happy being caught. Wary of being shot in the face with the ink, I carefully lifted the squid up from the water and put it into a pail. The angry squid released a barrage of sticky ink, all in the confine space of the bucket. That was the first but not the last. At the fist spot, the five of us managed to land about 90 squids. Enough to fill a 20-litre bucket. Everyone was catching squid, the captain and deckie contributed to our catch. They seemed to out fish me and no matter what I did, couldn’t even come near to their efficiency. For every squid…

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Changing The Outcome Of A Bad Trip – Bait Casting on a Fly Fishing Trip

Fishing Trip, Fly Fishing Trip, Freshwater Trip, , , , , , ,

Changing The Outcome Of A Bad Trip Bait Casting on a fly fishing trip Brandon Ho FFI CCI The quest for the dream fish can take a fly fisher to faraway places, braving the elements and sacrificing the comfort and safety of home. As a fly fisher and also a fly tyer, the success of a self-tied fly brings immeasurable satisfaction. FTN Asia Distribution has recently launched a new product: The Flipper Tail. This product, which resembles the tail of a minnow, is a suitable addition to any baitfish pattern to make the movement more attractive to the predatory fish. The idea of the product was first explored by Dron Lee many years ago and I have successful caught fish with it, from the ever present Mayan Cichlid to the Sebarau in the reservoirs and rivers. The Mayan Cichlid, is a native of Tropical America, brought in by the ornamental fish trade but somehow managed to escape into the wild. With a few Flipper Tail minnows in my fly box, I was eager to test this new material. I already knew it would work and I needed photo evidence as well as fine tuning the retrieve that will give the best action to this fly pattern. The first person that came to my mind was Than, an accomplished Bait Caster and now, a very competent fly caster in his own right. I texted him, requesting info about where I could do some live testing. “ I have a friend that knows where we can catch large Peacock Bass and he is willing to guide us.” These were the magic word and without further invitation, a trip was planned and flipper tails were tied. On Saturday evening, 6 of us got into our van and drove south. Our destination: Tampin, Melaka. After checking into the homestay, a very comfortable 2 storey house, we headed to meet up with Than’s friend, Keong. Over dinner, he related the stories of big Peacock Bass. Here, the size of the fish was not measured in cm, it was measured in kg! I would have dismissed these stories as tall tales until he took out his phone and showed us photo evidences. These PB are easily 60, 70 and even 80 cm long. Later, we were invited to the kitchen of the restaurant for a drink and further discussion. It started to feel like the mafia discussion that we see in the movies. The owner of the restaurant is an avid angler and he occasionally organizes fishing trip for his staff. He will even supply them with the fishing gear. For his passion in fishing, he started his very own fishing club, The World of Fishing. He proudly wears the club t-shirt to work. After a few drinks, he took out his phone and showed us even more photos of monster PB. He was amused to see us getting excited over a fish they rarely target. They prefer to go for the Giant Snakehead, Hoven’s barb better known locally as Sultan Fish or Jelawat, and other table fish. These larger than average size are there but it won’t be easy to catch them. But we were ready. I was armed with a Vision Merioula wt8 with matching Merisoula reel. I could cast into the wind and reached the distance where the fish would normally play. At 5.30 the next morning, we were waiting for Keong. Our plan was to grab a simple breakfast and then head to the fishing spot. Before sunrise, the van was parked by the side of the road and we gear up for the fishing adventure. It was a beautiful place. The morning mist was still covering the water surface and with the rising sun, it created a mysterious yet serene scenery. Splashes could be seen in the distance and in my mind, images of 60cm PB swimming in the tannin tainted water. We spread out along the bank, each of us looking for the perfect spot to cast. The upward slopping bank, the tall grass and occasional tress made fly casting a nightmare. We spent more time untangling the fly lines than actually stripping the line in the water. The place is a hotspot for local anglers. As the sun began warming the cold morning air, more and more anglers turned up. They were sporting spinning and BC gear. They had no problem casting far out into the water. We were simply handicapped by the environment. One by one, albeit reluctantly, we took out our BC sets. Finally, we were able to match the locals in terms of distance but we lacked the local knowledge. By 10am, we were ready to move to another spot. As a consolation, Otto had a brief encounter with a teenage toman. It was prematurely released. We didn’t see anyone landing any fish. After a quick drive, we arrived at another spot. Oil palm trees surrounded this body of water. Looking at the trees and tall grass, fly fishing was out of the question. Out came the BC and we casted in earnest. Changing lures, soft plastic and Flipper Tail minnow on weighted jig, we did everything we could to try to at least get some attention from the fish. Any fish. Size did not matter anymore. Keong, who was fishing on a top water popper, managed to land 3 decent sized PB but we had to contend with several strikes that did not connect. After losing a MegaBass lure, I decided to quit. This trip was getting expensive. After lunch, Keong decided to take us to his friend’s pond in the outskirt. It would increase our chances of catching fish. He and his friends were using frogs while we opted for the Soft Plastic and artificial frog lure. There were 4 ponds and they had just been recently cleared. We casted from pond to pond and Than was the first to land a medium sized snakehead. Clevin managed to entice the snakeheads to attack…

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