The chase for the Peacock Bass is never ending. With more and more people discovering fly fishing as the preferred way to target this hard fighting freshwater sportfish, fly patterns to specifically target this species are getting more and more elaborate and some are adding more accessories to the flies that are designed to catch the angler.
EAK (Empangan Air Kuning) is a popular spot for fly fishing in Malaysia, known for its pacu and toman fishing. It is the place where you can still catch the pacus with the conventional flies like Hopper, Nymph, Wooly buggers or even baitfish. So without wasting much time, we started with a quick nymph and hopper. Based on our past experience the first cast on the water would land us something but not today. The pond was perfectly still with no pacu rising action at all. However, the tomans were strangely abundant and active, with easily more than 5-6 pairs circling and cruising around. After no willing takers from the pacus in the middle of the pond, we decided to go to the side and try our luck. Just as we reached the bridge, we saw a pacu rise, we quickly casted and wait. With a few twitches, the Pacu took the fly and instantly dash into the structure. I tightened the drag and moved as far as I could from the structures, trying to prevent the fish from going in. After a few minutes of tug of war, I managed to land the first fish of the day. Then the whole pond quiet down again and it went back to the waiting game again. Not wanting to wait for too long, we decided to chum the Pacus with some bread. However the fish was not in feeding mood that day, only after around 20-30 minutes another rise from the middle of the pond, we jogged over there and casted our flies. Just as the fly sunk 1-2ft below the surface, I felt a great tug and that’s it, another hook up! Since I remembered there were no structures in the middle of the pond, I didn’t tighten the drag as much, and that became one of my fatal mistake. I underestimated the fish and it actually took off to the opposite bank towards the big sunken tree. By the time, I realised and tried to lock my drag, the fish had circled the tree trunk and broke off my fly. It showed how vicious these species can be. With no time to repent on my stupid mistake, I retied my fly and did the whole waiting game again, only this time my drag was locked. After another rise was within the sight, I casted and landed it. Then the same routine went on for awhile before we had to leave for work. Overall, it was a fruitful short trip though not as many as before. Fishing Report: March 2023 – 3 hours of fishing – 5 strikes and hookups – 3 landed
Picture this, you have been working non stop for the pass few weeks and finally managed to squeeze in just a couple of hours to fish. As you arrived at the fishing spot and just as you finished your preparation, it starting raining like there’s no tomorrow, totally ruining the day.
The sebarau is one of the more exciting fresh water gamefish to target on fly, especially on surface fly. The take of the sebarau on surface fly is always exciting, providing a sensory overload from the visual, auditory and kinesthetic sense. The best time to target them on surface is in the early mornings and late evenings, where they will be actively hunting on the surface for any unsuspecting prey such as grasshoppers, spiders or any unfortunate insects that get blown onto the water. The use of large noisy poppers in bright colours, decorated with flashy tinsels and enhanced with UV flash works best. In the early morning, we would cruise the banks of the waterway where there is thick vegetation and if there is a tree that has fallen into the water, that’s the best place to find them hunting actively. Once we have located a likely spot, we would shut down the boat engine and slowly drift into position, careful not to drift too close. The boat will be drifting parallel to the bank about 50 to 60 feet away. We would pick a target, usually a tree trunk partly submerged or a clump of vegetation and cast to it. Once the ripple has settled, the line is stripped in a short burst and rod tip is twitched to enhance the action and the commotion of the popper. The trick here is to “ pop”, stop and then “pop” again. This action allows the popper to remain in the strike zone longer while giving time for the sebarau to examine the fly. They usually take the fly when it starts moving. There are times when they will follow the fly close to the boat and take the fly before diving down into the deeper water. Sometimes, the sebarau will take the popper on the drop if it lands near them. It is important to hang on the line at the last cast so that your hand is always in contact with the line. Some people would just let go of the line and let it fly out, adding distance to the cast. While this is good if you are distance casting, but to catch fish, the hand needs to always be in contact with the line, ready to strip strike when the fish take the fly. Lifting the rod to strike like when doing conventional fishing will only pull the fly out from the fish’s mouth. In the late evenings, the sebarau will hunt in groups and it is this behavior that gives them the name River Wolves. They can be seen charging at helpless baitfish near the surface and it takes speed, accuracy and a cool head to cast to them. In this situation, once the popper lands, start popping fast and hard. A strike usually doesn’t take very long. ~More Gallery Click Here~
If you want fish, parabellum An exact same place but totally different experience in Royal Belum Nic Chew FFI CCI Royal Belum, famously known for their jam packed top water action Sebaraus and Tomans, is a place everyone would definitely visit for an intense adrenaline rushing experience in Malaysia. The same goes for us too! After skipping 2 years of Royal Belum trip due to the pandemic, we are finally back to the place where we were hoping to satisfy our top water action thrill. That was what we thought initially. However, reality is not always what it seem. It was totally different from what we had expected, there were almost no boiling and rises in the early morning and evening. To make it worse, loud noises actually scared the fish away (we can actually see the toman swimming away from our popper) so our hope of seeing some top water explosion went down the drain and we were left dumbfounded. It was completely different from all of our previous trips. We were quite disappointed but still changed to sinking line and used flies like clouser and baitfish even in the dawn and dusk throughout the whole trip. Some of our boat mates still continue with popper but the fish didn’t reciprocate. With sinking setup, we managed to catch ourselves quite a few fair sizes of sebarau. As for the tomans, they were so spooky that they only took big gliding and most importantly quiet fly. We only managed to come to that conclusion when the tomans refused to even look at big streamers and poppers when we casted in their strike zone but took the lure instantly when one when one of guys casted a pencil lure at the exact same spot. So we suspected they want something that is quiet and create lots of waves. With that in mind, we quickly searched for our fly box for all possible big gliding flies but unfortunately we only have a 3 inches mouse. We casted the mouse and got 1 strike very quickly but didn’t manage to hook it up. When we went back to the boat house, we found out that Dron actually tied a big gliding fly, his ‘Royal Belum Special’ to target the tomans. We asked the fly from Dron and used it on the next evening. Without a doubt, our suspicion was right, the RB special was taken immediately but very gently when the fly dropped into the water and glided a few feet. Then it turned into a series of tug of war between man and fish, one trying to prevent getting catch and another trying to make sure it didn’t go into the branches. With the first successful toman landed on fly during the trip, we told the rest of our boat mates and straightaway at night, few of us started to tie the RB special. I believe you know what happened next. The next day, the rest of the gang was landing one tomans after another using the RB Special and others changed to walk the dog and pencil lure. Thus the photos and the gallery All in all, this was really an eye opening trip for us. It actually taught us to be well prepared for any situation. So next time when you see us, we are most probably geared with flies for almost all condition and any species of fish. As one of the Latin phrase goes, “Si vis pacem, parabellum”, which means, if you want peace, then prepare for war. I’mma change it to this “If you want fish, para bellum.” ~More Gallery Click Here~
Late open season sail in Rompin Brandon Ho FFI CCI Two dark shadows followed the teasers, one on each side of the boat. Among the bubble trails, a bill suddenly appeared and slashed at the teasers. The other shadow swam closer to inspect the teaser while the teaser was being reeled closer to the boat. The dark silhouettes followed the teaser closer and now it was clear, with its large dorsal fin fully opened to display the dark blue colour with deep purple hue. The two sails attacked the teaser, each jostling to get a better position to attack the teasers. As the teaser was lifted out of the water, a large pink tube fly was cast into the place. One of the sail rushed towards the fly and engulfed it. This is the crucial moment. Would the sail spit it out or will it turn and swim away? After a moment of hesitation, the sail turned and swam away. This is the perfect time to strike!! Holding the line tight and the rod pointing towards the sail, the line was pulled backwards, ensuring the single Ahrex SA270 Bluewater # 5/0 penetrated the hard bony mouth of the fish. A magnificent sail jumped out of the water 20 plus feet away from the transom. A perfect hookup!! After the initial jump, the fish remained deep. It was not doing its normal acrobatic or blistering run. It just slowly pulled line out, as if oblivious to the fact that it was hooked. After a few moments of confusion, the reel screamed and the line evaporating from the Meriosoula wt12 reel. The sound of the whizzing reel filled the air and yet the sail showed no sign of slowing down. Then in the distance, the sail did its signature tail walk across the surface of the water some 150 feet away. The speed of the fish was incredible. The rod was pointing one direction while the fish jumped at a 90 degrees angle. Simply amazing!! The fish ended doing 3 blistering runs with numerous acrobatic displays before deciding to take a rest. This was the opportunity to regain the line. With 350 metres of 50lb backing and a maximum drag of 8kg, the Merisoula reel is the right reel for the job. There is no heroism in using a lighter set up to fight the fish to the verge of death. Finally after 28 minutes of intense fight, the sail was coaxed to the side of the boat and James reached out and got hold of the leader. Mission accomplished!! The sail was released boat side after several close up shots. The fish was released after a few minutes of holding the bill to keep the fish upright with the boat moving forward slowly. Once the fish regained its strength, it was a gently released. The greatest feeling is to see the sailfish swimming away gracefully after being released. I made the unforgiveable mistake of hauling my first ever sailfish onto the boat for a photo. My eagerness for a trophy shot clouded my better judgement and that guilt and shame has stayed with me for one whole year till I was given the chance to have another encounter with another sail. I vowed never to lift another billfish out of the water for my personal gain ever. As much as I want to take credit for the success capture and release of the sail, it was not the case. The whole team worked selflessly to help me fulfil my dream. To make this a reality, a team of 4 people has to work like a well-oiled machine to ensure the safe catch and release of the fish while fully documenting the process in film and photo. Credit goes to Capt Steven Chong, Teaserman, James and Clevin, photography and videography, Nic and Clevin. You guys are the best!! ~More Gallery Click Here~
Tarpon on Fly with PFFS Brandon Ho FFI CCI After driving for about two and a half hours, I pulled up at the parking lot at the Kuala Kangsar R&R. Sunrise is another 2.5 hours away. Sitting in my car, I noticed a car pulled up next to mine. 3 guys stepped out and from their outfit, they must be fly anglers. I looked closer and the initials PFFS was cleared stamped across the back of the shirt. PFFS is the acronym for Perak Fly Fishing Syndicate, one of the more active fly-fishing clubs that I know of. Every week will be a fishing weekend. Come rain or shine, you can bet your last dollar that the club members are out there on the water with a fly rod in hand. Shortly after, Janice’s car pulled up along our car and Clevin, Darell and Nic walked out. I was meeting the PFFS boys for the first time and today Asrul, Aizat and Khairul were our guides on our quest for the Indo-Pacific tarpon or locally known as the Ikan Bulan. From Kuala Kangsar, it is another one-hour drive to our fishing destination. Our first mission was to fill our growling stomach with the aromatic and spicy nasi lemak from the famed Mayfly Nasi Lemak stall. Unfortunately, the stall was closed and we had to seek for alternative. We stopped at a random stall selling nasi lemak and the local “kueh” or cakes. We bought a variety of nasi lemak with different accompaniments such as beef, chicken, prawn, salted fish… It seemed that we had hit the jackpot with this stall. At only RM1 per pack, it was a steal, considering the side that came with it. Just as the sun was peeking over the horizon, we parked our cars and got down excitedly to set up our gear. From here, we will proceed on foot. The rain from the previous day made the trek difficult. The mud stuck to the bottom of our slippers like a remora fish sucking at the back of the ray. The further we walked, the heavier our slippers became. In this part of the world, slippers were the preferred footwear. It allowed you to inspect for the occasional leech that was waiting to feast on you. The open toed slippers also allowed your feet to dry quickly after wading through the marshy swamps. Well, when in Rome, it is best to follow what the Romans do. The occasional stop and photo session made the trek fun. We chatted like old friends and insights to the feeding behaviour was shared freely by the PFFS boys, a gesture of generosity and trust hard to come by in the modern fishing environment. We were fishing the canals along the river. The brackish water was the perfect habitat for the tarpon. In the early morning, we could see the rises that accentuated the calm surface, indicating that the tarpons were there. At every break in the bushes along the canals, one of us would walk towards the bank and cast our white #6 baitfish into the rises, hoping for a strike. The tarpons have hard bony mouths and the only way to get a secure hook-up is to strip strike. The hooks have to be extremely sharp. I was blind casting into the rises hoping for a take but it was futile. Every spot looked fishy and soon I was way behind the rest of the group. In one of the opening, the water was boiling. Without waiting for further invitation, I cast my white baitfish towards the opposite of the canal and waited for the fly to sink. Slowly I stripped the line in, pausing occasionally to let the fly sink. After the third strip, the line went tight and shot out of my hand. I certainly wasn’t expecting that and instinctively I stuck and started pulling line in. With a 16 lb tippet, I knew I could outgun the fish. In less than a minute, a gleaming slab of silver was pulled alongside the bank. My first ever Indo Pacific Tarpon! I rejoined the group and discovered that I was not the only one who struck the silver ingot. Both Asrul and Khairul managed to land one each in the deeper waters next to the palm trees. The water was calm and I was surprised it harboured large specimen there. Apparently, the fish were hiding deep in these waters. Roll cast the fly out and let it sink to the bottom before very slowly twitching and retrieving the line. Patience is key here. We walked further to try the other spots. We spread out and cast to all the likely spots. Rises could be seen everywhere but getting them to take the fly was next to impossible. In many spots, the fish seemed to be playing hide and seek with us. They were rising in front of our noses but as we cast, they just moved a little further, still rising continuously. With every subsequent cast, they just moved further until beyond out casting range. We were casting almost the entire fly line but to no avail. By mid-morning, the sun was getting too hot and we decided to take a break under some trees and enjoyed our pack Nasi Lemak. After the short break, we walked further until to come to an opening where we could get down to the bank to cast. I had walked stealthily to a bank to cast when Asrul mentioned that there was a large python in the area. Not wanting to end up as snack, Khairul and I backtracked to the path. From the higher position, we could see two trails in the grass leading to a thick bush by the canal. Judging from the width of the trial, it was almost two third of a foot wide. At another spot, there was a clearing that would allow a caster to cast. I was given the honour to cast first.…
A battle between Fly, Spinning & Baitcasting and bond of an ever lasting friendship by Nic Chew FFI CCI It’s the time where a buddy of yours whom you have not met up for a long time called you up, in my mind I was thinking of him trying to pull off his MLM scheme to persuade me to join some shady business. I was all guarded up readied to reject him, however it was just to meet up for a fishing trip. The phone conversation that did not even last for 2 minutes had set 3 of us together again. When it comes to fishing, the saying early bird catches the worm stands true to us. To catch the prey, we have decided to reach to place as early as we could. At 5.30, I have departed from my house to fetch Ah Tan and Ah Lim and then head to our destination. An hour and half through the drive to our destination, Tan decided to call the boatman to see whether the tide has risen high enough for us to depart. Unfortunately we won’t be able to head down yet, so we decided to have our breakfast before heading over. During our meal, we found out that all of us were using different gear. It was at that moment, we decided that it was a competition between spinning, baitcasting and fly, and the person who caught the least have to buy dinner for all. Now THIS IS WAR! Fly VS Spinning VS Baitcasting! Here comes 7.30a.m. at the jetty, we quickly unload our gears from the car and loaded them up on the motor boat and off we go to hunt our trophies. Without wasting any time and not wanting to lose, Lim and I quickly set up our gears, not forgetting to tease Tan for not being able to get his gear ready while he was skillfully maneuvering the boat….at first. Then we ran into a tree after that. Never jinx it, all of us almost fell into the water. When we slowly drift down from a narrow passage to an open water, the scene was unfathomable, there were boilings, tailings and rises everywhere, you can clearly see those tarpons chasing the baitfish as the baitfish leaped up the surface desperately trying to live for another day. Without any hesitation, Lim and I began frantically casting into all the possible areas we could to try to get the first fish of the day. Then there was Tan, casually lighting and puffing his cigarette while setting up his baitcasting gear. Unlucky Day? Luck was really not on our side, 15 minutes into fishing, Lim got his first hook up but lost it when he was reeling in. Then later on Tan got his too with his mini lures and lost it again when the tarpon jumped and toss it away. It was not looking good for me as I have zero bites so far. After observing the size of their lure and soft plastic, I changed into a smaller size baitfish. I then proceed to cast into a gap between the mangrove trees and stripped it in fast, suddenly I felt a big tuck on my line and it was a tarpon! Anxiously and excitedly I carefully maintain the tension to ensure I don’t lose the fish as the previous 2 guys had lost theirs. After a 5 minutes of the fish trashing in the mid-air and me reeling in line, the first silver king was tamed and landed. It was a decent sized Tarpon at 45cm, not bad for the first fish of the day. It was now 1 vs 0 vs 0! Never Jinx it. As the time passed, the rises had decreased and the result was 3 vs 0 vs 0. I caught another 2 in between and 3 of us lost a couple too, the curse was back, so we thought. We agreed to give drift down for another hour and called it a day. It was all quiet until I recasted fly and allowed it to sink. As the fly was sinking, my line was pulled strongly along with the scream of my reel, it was a take in mid water, knowing that it could be a decent size fish, 2 of my friends repetitively joke about the ‘curse’ and also to cut the line to ease my burden. After a few minutes of tug of war, the fish was finally revealed to us, it was a barramundi! When it was pulled up to the surface, it started jumping madly trying to toss the fly away from its mouth and there was I praying that my 16lb leader can hold it. Finally when you thought that fish was all tired and ready to be taken up for a photo, suddenly when I reeled it beside the boat, this bugger started his second wave of thrashing and broke off the leader. It was then you could hear the echo of my sadness and cursing throughout the stretch of river. Nonetheless, it was a fun and strange day filled with laughter and disappointment but a good outing with your buddies beats all of the frustration. What’s more I was lucky enough to get a free dinner to end the day too. Final Verdict In the end, it was a lucky 3 VS 0 VS 0 with Fly getting first place, does the result stand true for you….?
Peacock Bass on Fliptail Clouser On water test in CWS Clevin Kham FFI CCI With the launch of the FTN Silicone and Latex Fish Tail, many variations of baitfish patterns emerged and we took the opportunity to tie a few to test it out on the Malaysian favourite sportfish, the Peacock Bass. Brought into the country in the 80s as an ornamental fish, this fish found its way into the many ponds in the country. With its predatory nature and hard fight, this fish is sought after by fly fishers. Various fly patterns are specifically designed to target this fish. The long weekend, in conjunction with the National Day holiday, was an opportunity to test out this fly. The target species, Peacock Bass. The location, Perak. The fly, Flip Tail Clouser. The equipment, #6 rod with floating line. Darrell and I drove down from Kuala Lumpur and met Asrul Affendi (Asrul), Khairulniza Arifin (Ija) and Aimar Aizat (Aizat) who were so gracious to be our guide on this trip. Arriving at the location just after 8 am, we choose a spot where there was a small stream feeding into a large pond. This is the ideal sport as the PB will be waiting in ambush for the baitfish. Occasionally, the baitfish would be scattered by some large predatory fish. This was a sure sign our target fish was there. I casted my #6 floating line connected to a 7 foot leader. A chartreuse Flip Tail Clouser tied on Ahrex NS150 Curved Shrimp #6 was connected to a 20lb tipper. Many would think that clouser is a sinking fly and thus be fished with a sinking line. I decided to do the opposite. Using a floating line will allow the fly to be stripped upwards and as the fly descended, it will create an aggerated movement of the flap tail. It will have more action than an ordinary clouser, making it more attractive to the fish. Well, this was all my hypothesis. Only the fish can prove this. I cast to a spot near the outflow of the stream and allowed the fly to sink before giving it short but crisp strips. Pausing, to keep the fly in the strike zone longer. As I resumed stripping after the pause, my line was stopped and instinctively, I stripped strike. The fish didn’t like it at all and proceeded to speed off in the opposite direction. It fought doggedly, zig zagging in the water. It was a tough but short fight. Soon, a dark green fish with an unmistakable black eye fringed by a yellow circle near the tail was gently guided onto the bank. It was a good fish, almost 33cm in length. The fish was safely released after a quick customary photo shoot. The scene was repeated several times. About lunch time, we grab a quick lunch and checked in into CWS and started fishing in the fishing club house spot where the wind started to pick up. Darrell and I moved to another spot just right outside our room, successfully landed a 35 cm fish. The Flipper tail seemed to be working like a charm. It is simple to tie and easy to swim either on a sinking or a floating line. The action seems to drive fish crazy. Try it the next time you target the PB. The beauty of this fly is that can be used as a spin fly on UL spinning gear. ~More Gallery Click Here~
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…