If you want fish, parabellum

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

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~

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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