Better Late than Never – Late open season sail in Rompin

Fly Fishing Trip, Saltwater Trip, , ,

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~

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

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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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After the Clouds Cleared – Wetting the line after MCO

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After the Clouds Cleared Wetting the line after MCO Brandon Ho FFI CCI 14 June 2020 was the date we decided it was time to give in to our secret desire after endless nights of fly tying. The venue has been selected and the final preparations made. Slightly before 7 am, we arrived the entrance of our fishing venue. The pond was to be open from 7am but there was no sign of anyone there. Ahead of us were several cars waiting to go in. All of them were observing the social distancing, standing 1 metre apart. As the rising sun chased away the darkness, a man on the motorbike rode up to the gate and nonchalantly opened the gate. We drove in and parked our car at our favourite spot. The first order of the day was to berley the huge pond to attract the fish within casting distance. This is not fair game but this is a pay pond after all. Real fishing trip is still not within our reach under the current circumstances. Our hopes were high, thinking of how hungry the fish would be after almost 3 months of zero fishing pressure. We were so wrong. The only fish that entertained us were the small lampans java or Java Barb, an introduced fish from Sumatra and Java for aquaculture. These fish thrived in ponds, preferring still water habitats rather than flowing water, eating vegetations and breeding like the proverbial rabbit. On an 8wt, it was an overkill. We were targeting the hard fighting pacu and the 8wt would give us a chance of landing these fish for a photo shoot. After landing incalculable lampans, I decided to switch to my Vision Onki 4 wt matched to a  Vision XLV3/4. Now, this made fishing for them fun and exciting. With the floating bread being hammered by these fish, all I needed to do was to cast into the frenzy and wait. If the bite didn’t come, chances were the bread fly would have sunk beyond their feeding zone. Our target species didn’t really come out until about 4 pm. The whole morning, only Nic and Clevin managed to land one each. The rest of us had to be satisfied with catching the Lampans in the 20 to 30cm range. Not too shabby considering that they only grow to about 40cm. At 4 pm, like clockwork, the pacu came out to play. Fist sized buns were being swallowed whole and each time they roll, they grey silvery body would catch the sun’s ray. What an amazing sight. These fish were smart and would only take the buns thrown 40 to 50 feet away. As the wind blew the buns closer to shore, they stopped feeding. They are like a pack of wolves waiting beyond the perimeter, ready to pounce on anything that stray too far out. The modus operandi was simple. Toss the buns as far as you can, usually about 40 feet and beyond. Not an easy task, more so with the wind blowing in your face. Then it is just to wait for the Pacu to arrive. Soon, the water around the floating bun began to churn. Something large was moving, pushing the water, causing the bread to wobble. Nothing happened for the next few seconds, then the water erupted, splashing the water and when the water calmed down, the bun was gone. Volleys of bun were launched and landed within feet of the action. The fly anglers were at ready, loose line at their feet, several feet of fly line were floating on the green olive water. In a split second, they would have to launch their heavy flies more than 40 feet out towards the commotion. Accuracy and timing counts. There was no room for error and certainly not for the faint hearted. The next fly angler would be standing less than less than 15 feet away. Any mistake in the casting would result in an ugly incident. Having a #1 hook in your face is never fun. Eyes focused on the water and at the first signs on a frenzy, flies whizzed through the air and within seconds, the white fluffy zonker landed softly on the water. A quick strip of the fly line caused the fly to gently sink. The commotion was still happening around the fly and suddenly the line tightened and shot out of the rod, burning fingers as it exited the rod tip. The reel screamed in agony but the drag did little to slow the fish down. Fly line evaporated from the reel and soon the backing was being stripped as well. Keeping the rod tip low, maximum pressure was applied to the fish and the run slowed before eventually stopping. The reel was cranked while maintaining a nice bend on the rod. The fish seemed to have thrown in the towel but as it got closer, the fish surged away, taking off the hard earned line. After several heart stopping surges, the fish was led meekly towards the net. Several failed attempts later, the fish was netted and after a quick photo shoot, the fish was released to bully other anglers. It was a frenzy to be remembered. Multiple hookups were the norm and we were the centre of attention. Curious passersby came up to have a closer look and some even took photos of the fish. While Clevin was fighting his larger than average Pacu on his double handed Onki rod, someone came up to him and said, “This look like fun. Can I try?”. He handed her the rod and guided her to fight the fish. After several minutes of strenuous work out, the fish was expertly landed and a celebratory photo was taken. The group was the alumni of UPM and their passion for the outdoors brought them here for a good meal after a morning of hiking and trekking. Each of them had a chance to fight the mighty pacu and experienced…

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FTC CSR Project – Bringing Joy To The World Through Fly Fishing

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FTC is a company that deals not only with fly fishing and fly fishing equipment but also aims to build a better community through fly fishing activities. While not big in terms of capital and manpower but definitely not small in heart, FTC has always placed priority in community activities. “Bring a child fly fishing” is a great concept to introduce the younger generation to this wonderful sport and there is a saying, “When someone joins fly fishing, you will have a steward for conservation and preservation”. This is very true as fly fishing brings one out to nature where beauty at its best can be experienced firsthand. A recent project comes to mind. As volunteer in MAPPAC, Brandon is directly involved in the Pediatric Palliative Care. One of the cases referred to him was a child suffering from Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, whose wish was to experience a fishing adventure. After being briefed about the request, FTC wholehearted jumped in to offer support and Ben, an experienced fly casting instructor chipped in with his experience and expertise. It was not a simple task as the pandemic was in full swing with restrictions in many areas. We were battling with time and time was not in Amirul’s favour. Finally, we got the “all clear” and we quickly jumped into action. On 13 May 2020, our team met Amirul and his family at the hospital. After a final briefing from the doctors, we set off. He looked like any other kid, full of excitement and curious about the world around him. His eyes were full of life and his face lit up upon hearing stories of what to expect that day. Our forward team was already at the designated fishing pond and tents were set up to provide a cool resting place. Food and drink were made available. Once Amirul arrived, a rod was passed to him and soon he was battling his first fish of the day. With guidance from the team and encouragement from his family, a nice Patin was guided into the net and gently lifted up for a quick photo session. The smile on his face was unbelievable. His energy was incredible. One can easily have mistaken this child to be any normal child. As the sun rose, the fish became more active and Amirul continued to pull in fish after fish. We were concerned about the hot sun but Amirul wanted to continue. After a quick meal, he was out with a rod in his hands again. The doctors have told us that he would be weak and unable to move actively, but none of these ever happened. Asked if he was tired, he said no but he wanted something to eat. It was promptly prepared for him. After one final fish, it was time to pack up and head back to the hospital. One the way home, he fell asleep, tired but very happy. His brother told us that he had not been so happy for a very long time. Battling the disease had taken a very heavy toll on him. The next day, Brandon briefed the doctors and nurses about the event. None of them could believe that he was so energetic throughout the trip. It was also amazing that he had good appetite as it was normal for him to refuse food. On 3 June, Brandon received a call from the doctor, informing him of the sad news, Amirul has left us. The news sadden our whole team. It was just 20 days ago when we were fishing with him and now he has gone. A video and collection of photos was passed to his family. Life is indeed short and fragile. It has been a year since Amirul left us but he will forever be remembered for his courage, determination and positive outlook in life. May his memories be an inspiration and hope for everyone. FTC would like to covey our greatest appreciation for the support, advice and commitment for making this project a success. Thank you to : Brandon Ho Phyllis Yong Ben Janice Dr Lee For more information about this project, the article on the project was published in the July 2020 MAPPAC newsletter. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12F3YVMhHljMORgXzDc40-czSWIjxLYH2/view ~More Gallery Click Here~

The Silver… no, the ‘Blue’ Lining of Hope

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

The Silver… no, the ‘Blue’ Lining of Hope Nic Chew FFI CCI It was just like any another normal Sunday morning routine where we head over to a local pond to try out new pattern and learn different fishing techniques to further polish our crafts. This trip was not any different until Darrell had an unexpected catch. This week, we decided to revisit Kok Fishing Pond at Rawang. This round with us were Brandon, Ben, Otto, Thian, Darrell and Janice. As usual, upon arrival what we can see was swarm of people and what greeted us this time was this guy beside us with his “katak reel” that sang as the patin pulled it across half the distance of the pond. Without wasting anymore time, we unpacked our stuff under the big tree for its shade and began casting into the pond full of frenzied patin. Fish on! Just a couple of minutes into fishing and there Ben and Brandon caught the first fish of the day. However, it was so hot that I had decided to wait out until it had cooled off a bit. There I was thinking how good it would be if the weather was cooler. There I jinxed it, granted the weather started to cool off but what followed after was heavy rain pouring down like heaven’s smith. One by one all anglers at the pond were packing up and ran to look for shelter, as for us we had made use of the metal bar nearby and our tarpaulin to quickly pitch up a makeshift shelter. Despite this, Otto and Darrell weren’t giving up till the last minute, they were casting one after another hoping that one would hook up. It was that time when the rain was simply too heavy and Darrell quickly reeled in his line, suddenly Otto’s rod started twitching and you guessed it, a fish! What a sight! Seeing the fish was almost on land, I immediately looked for the net and assisted Otto in landing his fish. That’s the fish you can see from the photo below. After that, we too went and hide in our cozy tent while waiting for the rain to stop. It was a quick rain though, around 30-45 minutes the rain had started to subsided, after the pulled from the patin earlier and craving for more, Otto continued to fish then followed by Brandon and rest of the gang. Not long after, Brandon caught another patin again. Even though all of us were casting to the same frenzy but Brandon was definitely catching more fish compared to all of us and I got none so far. So to put the luck factor out, I decided to change my fly from a baitfish fibre bread fly to rabbit fur zonker bready fly and that worked like a charm. I started catching one fish after another too. I wanted to experiment more with more variable with the fly but was relunctant to change the fly that worked so well. Eventually I still changed, testing the colour, size, sink rate and more. Then we were also joined by Razlan and his friends at the other side of the pond too. By 7p.m. everyone had gotten handful of catches, we had multiple double, triple or even quadruple hook ups. Fish population and susceptibility to fly is definitely not an issue here. However it was not the case for Thian, seems like luck was not with him that day. And as usual I spoke too soon, the moment I finished thinking about it that he hooked up a fish then Darrell too, a double hook up again! Thian was able to land his fish faster so I helped him to capture his trophy shoot. Suddenly Darrell began to laugh out loud as he had caught a fishing rod! Yes you read and hear it right, a fishing rod, a blue fishing spinning rod! What’s more, the fish was still hooked to the rod! We tried to reel it in but the reel and drag were covered with mud and got stuck so the attempted was in vain. The owner of the rod must have heard our laughter and saw Darrel reeling his rod up. He quickly ran over and reclaimed his rod. It was rather unfortunate that I was not able to take the photo of the scene as my hands were packed with taking trophy shot for Thian and helping Darrell to get the rod before it fell into the water again. Even so, I believe it will be a topic that we will bring up and laugh over it over a gathering for a long time. Think about it, what are the chances of one catching a fishing rod on fly? At the end of the day, it was a fruitful or fishful day for us. We were able to catch plenty of fish and validate some of our questions on the fly pattern and materials. Most importantly, the smile and joy on the face of the owner of the rod we caught it back for him just made the whole trip worthwhile. ~More Gallery Click Here~

Terengganu Fly Fishing Festival: An Experience of Tranquility in Malaysia

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Terengganu Fly Fishing Festival: An Experience of Tranquility in Malaysia Nic Chew FFI CCI Every time when we talk about fly fishing, the first thought of it is commonly trout fishing in the western countries with beautiful scenery and decent size of fish as seen from Facebook or Youtube. On the other hand when we mention fly fishing in Malaysia, the first thing that came to my mind was those adrenaline rushing and challenging saltwater fish like Sailfish, GTs, Milkfish… or some powerful packed predatory species like Toman and Haruan(Snake head families), Sebarau and Peacock bass, then the rest are pay ponds of variety species. Never once that the image of “western trout fishing scene” pops up in my mind. While Malaysia does have its fair share of nature that could even transcend and comparable to other countries, but the places we go fishing are just not up to par yet, either not having a beautiful scenery or just simply not having decent size and quantity. I believe it is the dream of many fly fishermen in Malaysia to be able to ‘trout fly fish’ in Malaysia. However, my opinion about not having a good ‘trout fly fishing’ spot was immediately slapped and changed when I experienced it first hand in Terengganu. It was just couple months ago, when we came across a poster from facebook on TFFF, Terengganu Fly Fishing Festival. The main aim of this event is to promote Sungai Berang as an eco-tourism destination for all locals and foreign fishermen and nature preservation and conservation. Seeing this as a great opportunity to promote Malaysia water and fly fishing to more Malaysian, we decided to sign up and help out. Though fishing was included in the event, it was never really in our list as we were quite skeptical about it, we thought that it can never be compared to places like in the states, Borneo or Mongolia. Then here comes 28th February 2020, the day of the event. At the dawn of the day, excitedly as ever, we first met up with Mr Brandon and departed together at 4a.m. then later met up with Mr Dron, Mr Ben, Mr Eddie & his wife, Mr Quek, Mr Chris and Mr Ong, all well-known individuals in the fishing industries. All of our cars were stopping beside the highway and we were deciding where to go for a breakfast before we continued to our 5 hours long journey. As the discussion came to a conclusion, all of us went back to our own vehicles and headed to our next destination, Karak for breakfast. Everything was going as plan until later when we realised, we actually got the wrong information and went to the wrong place. It was supposed to be Karak City but we went to Karak. After a short while, we all agreed to have our breakfast at different areas and to meet later on. Disappointed, we continued our journey and looked for a place to eat. And that’s how we stumbled across a hidden gem. We stopped by at Temerloh RnR to have our breakfast. To our surprise, all the stalls were selling Patin cooked in tempoyak. Daring we were, we ordered 2 bowls of the patin along with some common Malaysia breakfast staple, nasi lemak and teh tarik and coffee. Still feeling doubtful on the taste, we slowly scooped a spoon full of the gravy and tasted it. “Wah” was the first word that we heard, why? It’s delicious of course. Spoon after spoon, we continue to gobble our meal to the point where you can hear the sound of metal spoon scrapping against the plastic bowl. What a great way to fill our famish belly and prepare for our journey. At 10.30a.m., after the long and exhausting ride 6 hours ride, we finally arrived in Terengganu and met up with the rest of the gang, but before we proceed to the venue of the event, we went to check in to our hotel room. Following by that was our lunch. Another scrumptious meal we had, nasi dagang Kak Zah. For those who plan to fish in Terengganu, this is the place that you can’t miss, just take a detour to come here for a quick meal before going for your fishing trip, you won’t regret it. For the taste and smell of it, I will leave the photos to show you and your imagination to satisfy your craving for it. Filling another round of starving belly, we were finally ready to head to the event. The drive from the restaurant was an eye opening 45 minutes ride, though the road is narrow, it was complemented with a magnificent scenery, a field of lush green palm oil plantation, truly stunning. The serenity would just simply take all your problems away, leaving you feeling relax and carefree throughout the journey. The moment we arrived at the hall of the event, we were blessed with the sight of a decent sized Sikang which was just freshly caught by a fellow fly fisherman earlier ago. Why the sight of a Sikang would considered a blessing, some have asked. It is because it is considered one of the most challenging fish to catch despite being quite predatory and they are rare too. After gazing upon its gracefulness, we carried on to prepare for the day, setting up booth and shop to promote this unique sport of fly fishing along with others too like Dron and Brandon from FlyTyingNation Asia Distribution, Ben, Quek and Boon Cheng from Fenwick, Paul Arden from Sexy Loop and many more. In order to make this event a success, the organiser had even closed the whole stretch of river for 3-4 months just to ensure the fish have time to feed and reproduce without any hindrance so participants have a higher opportunity to catch this mystical fish, kudos to them who made the arrangement. They had also managed to gathered the support of over 100 fly fishermen…

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Fellowship of the Fly Rods – An informal get together at Fish Valley

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Fellowship of the Fly Rods An informal get together at Fish Valley Brandon Ho FFI CCI Standing behind the wooden fence, we scanned the water surface for signs of fish. The floating buns only attracted nibbles from small fish. The monsters we were looking for had not shown up. Tossing a few more buns into the water, we waited but this time, we didn’t have to wait long. A huge mouth open and swallowed the fist sized bun. Almost immediately, another bun disappeared. Wasting no time, we rushed to grab our rods. By the time we got back to the spot, the water had all but became calm. Clevin took up position, took a bun and threw in to a spot 30 feet away. We looked at him with a frown. “These pacu are too smart to come so near. Throw it further out” He took another bun, concentrated and then arched back to deliver the bun… and it landed next to the first bun! We stared at him and he looked at the two floating buns in disbelieve. Determined, he position a row of buns on the wooden fence and released a barrage of flying buns outward. They landed slightly further. Now, it was waiting time. Soon, the small nibbles gave way to larger splashes. More buns were tossed in, until the fish could be seen rolling over the bread. Time to cast! Armed with #6 rods, the fly needed to be delivered within a few cast, usually not more than 3 casts. Casting flies as large as #1 was not easy, especially on the #6 rod. The wind was not making things any easier. The fly was cast a few feet beyond the frenzy and allowed to sink slowly to where the fish are holding. The fluorocarbon leader is perfect as the line is denser than monofilament and sinks better. It is also almost invisible under water, great for spooky fish. As the line is slowly sinking, stay focus as the line could shoot out anytime. Darrell got the first hookup and the smallish Pacu was brought in without much effort. Then it was Nic with a slightly better fish. Everyone was hooking and fighting fish. Soon the late morning sun was getting too hot and we retreated to our usual table under the gazebo for an early lunch. Soon, our friends started arriving. Taking time to set up their gear, they then proceeded to carry out the routine of Pacu fishing. They have perfected the art of catching Pacu. One was given the task of tossing buns while the others stood on standby to cast. The buns had to made available continuously to ensure the fish stayed in the area. When someone caught a fish, one person was waiting by the bank with a landing net.  This well-polished team work like the professional pit stop crew. You will want to fish with these guys. More and more people turned up and these were the big names in the local fly fishing scene. It was fun to watch them fish. Each with their unique technique and secret flies but the secret was generously shared. Even flies were offered freely to be tried. Talk about sharing the passion for this sport. If people wanted to see how real gentlemen fish, all they need to do was to fish with them. They don’t call fly fishing a gentlemen sport for nothing! At the end of the day, Clevin emerged the winner with the most number of hook up. This was not attributed to luck. His 11” Switch rod made casting easy and with a single dynamic roll cast, he could send the heavy fly 70 to 80 feet away, even in the wind. The bigger fish that were smarter usually feed further out and the rod made it easy for him to target them. It was an incredible informal gathering. Fish were caught, secrets were shared and jokes were laughed at. What else would one ask for on a fishing trip? I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story. ~More Gallery Click Here~

Pacu Frenzy in the Valley – A Gathering of Fly Fishers

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Pacu Frenzy in the Valley A gathering of fly fishers Brandon Ho FFI CCI History teaches us how to avoid past mistakes and be prepared when opportunities arise. With that in mind, I spent long quiet nights in the fly room thinking of tying a fly that fits all the criteria for targeting the hard fighting pacu: big and visible, slow sinking, well-hidden hook and resembles the pieces of disintegrated bread. The classical way to tie the Bread fly is to use white zonkers. This method works well but the tying process can be very messy. Pieces of white rabbit fur will be flying everywhere and if you have small children in the house, it will be a disaster. When used for fishing, the fluffy white fur will very quickly take on the colour of the water. After a while, the white fur tend to clump together, making the fly looks smaller and losing the natural movement. How do I get all the criteria right while making sure the normal occurring problems of a Bread fly can be avoided? I started out with a hook with thin but strong wire. The hook I used was the Ahrex Light Stinger NS122. It has a wide gap with super shard point to easily penetrate the tough mouth of the Pacu. It’s small barb makes removing the fish a breeze, causing minimal harm to the fish. Furthermore, the black nickel finish doesn’t seem to spook the fish. I had used shiny metallic hook and the bite rate was very low compared to flies tied on black nickel finish hook. To dress the fly, I started by first tying a thin strip of white foam to slow down the sink rate. Then I used Semperfli’s Predator Fibre to give the fly some bulk. This will also prevent the softer material from clumping together. Then Deer Creek’s Mega Lazer Dub is used to add the element of fluffiness and also visibility. This step is repeated, tying up the shank of the hook with each repetition. The final step is to tie in a clump of Extra Fine UV dubbing, using the reverse tie method to cover the fly before whip finishing. A small drop of super glue is applied to the thread to ensure the fly doesn’t fall apart during the fight with the Pacu. I want a fly that can be used for multiple fish. Casting the fly about 50 feet into the pond, I gave a short strip to get the fly underwater and watched as it slowly sank. From that distance, I could see the fly quite clearly and after it had completely disappeared into the depths, I gave a long slow strip to get the fly up and allowed it to sink again. Then it happened, the line went tight and instinctively, I strip set, waiting for the line to shoot out, burning my fingers in the process, but the pulled was half-hearted, the short pull merely bounced the rod tip. It was a Lampan. First cast of the day on the new fly and I caught a fish. I cast again after releasing the fish, I could feel the nibbles and some short pulls. Several casts later, another Lampan, then another and another. With each fish, Janice would offered to take a photo of the fish and after the 3rd fish, I didn’t want any more photos. I lost count of the fish I caught after fish number 7. It was not fun anymore. Then Otto’s rod bent and he leaned back to counter the pull of the fish. He fought the fish gently as he had not caught a Pacu here yet. This may be his first. “I’m just using 6lb tippet!” he said while struggling to control the fish. He would have to use all his skills and patience to fight this fish. He allowed to fish to run whenever it wanted and only gently reeling in the line when it had stopped running. After more than 10 minutes, a tired Pacu was ready to be netted. Mission accomplished. First Pacu for Otto! Sweating under the hot late morning sun, he beamed as he lifted the fish for a well-deserved photo shoot and the fish was gently released to grow big and fight another day. Then, it was Nic’s turn. He had hooked up to a strong fighter. With a 20lb tippet, he had a better fighting chance against the brute. Clearly enjoying this fight, he watched as the fish pulled the line out, causing his Merisoula reel to give out a long high pitched whizz, like the an electric motor running. Smooth and efficient. Several long runs later, the fish was ready to throw in the towel. Gently guiding the tired fish into the landing net, Clevin scooped the fish up. The fish was released after a few photos and Nic started to pack up. He was the best man for his friend’s wedding and he was not going to leave before he had got his fish. That’s the power of determination and laser focused persistent. After a nice lunch at our usual table, we chatted and laughed while drinking tea. Fishing can wait. Slowly, Ben’s friends turned up. Wasting no time, they rigged up and started fishing. At first it was the usual tiddlers but as the afternoon wore on, the bend of their rods became more pronounce, signifying the monsters were out to play. Ben and I were still sitting at the table under the gazebo while everyone was at the sandy road dividing the two ponds. It was mayhem everywhere. Frantic casting, rod bending, reels screaming, loud laughing and the occasional groan of disappointment. Everyone was in it. Clevin walked towards us. “That’s the 5th fish I lost today!” He sat down, drank a cup of tea and he was off again. I couldn’t take it anymore. I picked up my #6 XO and joined in the fray. Casting space was limited but everyone cast…

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The Silver Cat of Kundang – Where the reel sings in joy

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

The Silver Cat of Kundang Where the reel sings in joy Brandon Ho FFI CCI “Ow! Ow! Owwwwwww!!!” I turned to the direction of the scream and I saw Otto grimacing in pain while palming the wt5 Nautilus Reel as line keep pouring out and his Sage rod bowing low towards the water, paying respect to the aquatic feline. Pulling like a freight train, it showed no sign of slowing down. Poor Otto could only hold on and pray. If he were not a religious person, this experience would have made him believe in a higher power. It was another supposedly quiet Sunday, but the few of us decided to add some spice to our lives. After a very delicious old fashion breakfast of noodles and ice coffee in a small village in Kundang, we drove to our fishing destination for the day: Kok Fishing Pond. It was a basic pay pond operation, 3 ponds stocked with a variety of fresh water fish: Patin, Tilapia, Milkfish and the ever presence lampan. Waiting for us there was Ben. Paying RM8 for a full day fishing, we headed to the smallest pond. The rises indicated that there were large fish there and by the frequency of the rises, the fish would number in the thousands. We walked to the other side of the pond where there were a few trees that offered some shade as we planned to fully used the RM8 we paid. Already, there were several anglers there. We were the only fly fishers on that day. During the short walk to our spot, I saw 2 fishes being landed and judging from the bend in the heavy rods used by the anglers, the fish here fight hard! I was beginning to doubt the adequacy of my equipment. These fish feed mainly on bean curd and every few hours, a worker would shovel some of the discarded bean curd into the pond on the opposite side of where we were fishing, creating a frenzy. We could only watch the frenzy from a distance. The fish would literally “climb on top of the bread” as described by Ben. You had to see it to believe it. To increase our chances of getting the fish closer to us, we created our own frenzy, with the help of bread, lots of bread. The amount we bought was more than all the bread I would consume in one year. The fish were skeptical in the beginning. The bread were left floating unmolested. We didn’t fish as the fish were boiling everywhere except near our flies. We gave up and retreated to the shade of a tree. As the frenzy got closer, we started to cast our flies towards them. The flies were designed to sink slowly in the green water. Floating flies and those that sank too quickly were not touched by these finicky fish. Later, we learnt that these fish are very smart, they have learnt to avoid flies that have shiny hooks and heavy wire. Only thin black hooks would fool these fish. Later in the afternoon, the fish began to be more active and would continue to become progressively so till the sun sets. I was casting to a piece of bread that was constantly been nibbled by some big fish. The swirl on the water was a tell-tale sign that the fish were swimming under the bread. Once the fly landed within inches of the bread, it was allowed to slowly sink to the fish under it. The fly would mimic the bits of broken bread sinking to the bottom. It is important to keep the line tight nut not too tight that it will affect the natural sinking of the bread. If you feel that the bread has sunk too deep, recast and allow the process to repeat. If there is no movement in that area, pull your fly away. The fish are smart enough to sense the line and avoid the area. They can only be fooled when they are in a frenzy. I was watching as my fly slowly sink into the green depths with my finger in contact with the fly line all the time when the line suddenly took off, burning my finger in the process. Despite the burn, I maintained pressure until the line cleared the rod and I could fight the fish on the reel. The scream of the drag was music and it momentarily made me forget about the heat from the burning sun. After a few hard runs , the fish was guided to be bank to be landed but at the sight of the landing net, it shot off. Many fish have been lost by this unexpected run. You can expect the fish to do this several times. Allow the fish to do its thing and gently guide the fish in. The fish was finally landed and gently removed from the net before lovingly cradling it for a few quick photos. The fish here is well built and judging by the full belly, they are in great condition and strong. Every fish we hook took between 5 to 10 minutes to land. We were using wt 6 and heavier fly rods with relatively strong reels to ensure the fish are landed quickly and released in the shortest time possible. Nic even fished with his Merisoula #10 paired with a matching Merisoula #9-10 sealed dragged reel designed for salt water fishing. Clevin, on the other hand, opted for his trusted Onki 11 feet switch rod attached to a Merisoula #10-12 reel meant for the likes of GTs, big tarpons and some jokingly mention cars. The number of fish here was incredible. While allowing our flies to sink, we could occasionally feel the fish brushing against our lines and on more than one occasion, a fish would be hooked while retrieving our flies. The foul hooked fish often gave the strongest fight as the angle allowed the fish to swim away…

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Are All Leaders The Same? – An accidental discovery in Jugra

Fly Fishing Trip, Saltwater Trip, , , , , , , , ,

Are All Leaders The Same? An accidental discovery in Jugra Brandon Ho FFI CCI On the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year, it was time for companies to start their business after the festive holidays and it is customary to do something related to the activity of the business. After doing some work in the office and overseeing some classes,  Nic and Clevin came into my office and said, “ We are starting work today.” I looked at them and smiled. I knew what this meant. We were going fishing. To the two young men who are the team behind FTC, the local dealer for FTN Asia Distribution, to start work meant to go fly fishing or fly tying. “Where are we going?” I asked innocently, my Vision XO wt6 set was already in my car and my fly box was filled with assorted saltwater patterns. “Somewhere near and a good catch can almost be guaranteed!” was the reply. It had to be Kolam Pancing Lepas (Catch &Release) in Jugra. Incidentally, the pond was also having a festive season promotion, RM25 for 3 hours of fishing, catch and release of course. After lunch, with Clevin at the wheel and Nic dozing off in the back seat. Janice, Clevin and I were chatting excitedly on the way there; discussing about the flies and techniques we were going to use. Janice is an accomplished fly caster and could easily out fish us on a good day. After a 45-minute drive from Sunway, we pulled up onto the dusty parking space next to the ponds. Despite the rain on the way in, this place was bone dry and in the heat, we could see the wind blowing up the dust. Reluctantly, we left the cool comfort of the air conditioned car and walked towards the hut which serves as the counter cum resting area and started to set up our gear. I spoke to the person in charge and asked him what fish were active that day and he said the red drums and barramundi were readily taking lures and flies the whole day. Not needing further invitation, we walked off to the barramundi ponds. This pond is located next to a river estuary where the tides would help replenish the water, keeping the fish like barramundi, estuary grouper, red drum, mangrove jacks and GTs healthy and strong. The set up was basic enough, with 5 rectangular ponds open for fishing and two others for keeping juvenile fish to allow them to grow before releasing them to the C&R pond. Beautiful and picturesque are not the type of words to describe this place but hard fighting hungry fish is something most angler can relate to. In less than 5 minutes, Nic was onto an acrobatic barramundi. “ That was fast!” I thought to myself and proceeded to cast into the tea coloured water and allowed the black and yellow baitfish pattern sink to the bottom of the pond. I was using a floating line connected to a 10 foot tapered leader, which should be enough to reach the bottom. With slow erratic retrieve and pauses, the fly was brought back unmolested. It was cast out again and the process repeated. The first hour went past without any take from the fish. It was going to be a very long hot day. Suddenly, my fly line was stopped and I waited for the line to tighten and move but nothing. I cast in the general direction again and the same thing happened. What is happening? I was sure it was a fish but why was today so different. Normally the fish would just grab the fly and sped in the opposite direction. I was determined to give a good strip strike the next time the line stopped and I didn’t have to wait long for it. The moment the hook bite into the hard bony mouth, the line moved towards the centre of the pond and the silvery fish lifted itself out of the water did a somersault before landing with a splash. It would have scored a zero in a diving competition but in the fly fishing context, a perfect 10. The fish was landed unceremoniously and after a quick photo, gently released. This fly works very well in this pond, catching groupers and barramundis like clockwork. Seeing the short fight from the opposite side of the pond, Nic and Clevin changed to a similar pattern and did the same cast and retrieved. Encouraged by the catch, I cast again at the well-known strike zone and slowly retrieved the fly through the strike zone and got hit again. Another feisty barra. After unhooking and releasing the fish, I threw the fly into the water before picking up my rod and stood up. Lifting my rod to cast, I felt a weight at the end of my line and instinctively gave a strike. The line shot out and the fish performed its usual acrobatic routine. Another barra! I laughed out loud only to be greeted by cold stares from the other anglers. I quietly landed the fish and moved on to another pond. Nic and Clevin were not as successful. Same pattern, same retrieve and even same line weight but why the stark difference? They moved on to different ponds and Clevin became the mangrove jack champion by landing 5 of these critters in the span of 30 minutes. I cast to the same place but nothing. I changed flies and the way I retrieve, still nothing. What’s wrong? Janice was still casting to the barras and she was enjoying herself with the fight. In the fading light, the mosquitoes were coming out in hordes. No matter how good the fishing was, the itch from these pesky sting can be unbearable. It’s time to pack up. Our 3 hours was almost up. In the dying evening light, Clevin landed another MJ. On the way back, we were discussing the catch pattern and the equipment…

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