My trips to LSR

I started to go to Lower Pierce Reservoir or LSR after meeting some friends at www.Fishingnewsroom.com. So, begins a journey into freshwater & sea fishing.
We are fortunate that the PUB have opened some areas of the reservoir for game fishing. There are rules that you cannot use live baits for fishing with in the water catchment areas.
The reservoirs that are open for fishing are: -

• Lower Pierce Reservoir
• Lower Seletar reservoir
• MacRitchie Reservoir
• Yishun
• Upper Seletar Reservoir
• Mandai
• Kranji Reservoir
• Bedok Reservoir
• Ponggol Pond

This is where I go to fish with my 'kakis' or 'buddies' on most Mondays & Thurs.

My first catch was a Peacock Bass or PB for short. Good feeling of the fight, almost cannot pull the fish up to the jetty.

PB comes in various sizes- small ones are most commonly found around the jetty. But you will be able to catch some pretty big ones at the correct spot.

As me and my buddy (Necro) kept going to LSR for our fishing trips, we some how go into a kind of competition - 'Who's going to catch the most or biggest today?'

We also experiment with the various lures and flies that we bought and by-the-way, I got into making my own flies.

I made several more of these and tested them with the PBs. I got my first catch using my own fly (picture above).......what a satisfaction! It workes!

my home-made flies

Coming up - catches for July 2006.

My visit to Bedok Jetty (BJT)- Fishing for Tambans.

I would go to Bedok Jetty (BJT) when the in-coming tide is in the mornings, usually between 10-12 pm. to catch Tamban fish.I like the morning tides as the noon sun is too hot and scorching. You will get a good tanning after a few visits at BJT. My usual out-fit: hat, sunglasses & long sleeves polo. My gears are: pail, Tamban rod, hooks and sinkers.
After the catch, I would process the fishes and to keep some as bait for future fishing trips to the jetty.

What are Tambans?
They are what you can call Bait fishes, small size around 60mm-100mm in length. They are around the jetty pillars and sometimes comes in large shoals.
When they are around, predator fishes are lurking to have a feast.

• So, I fish the Tambans and used them to catch the bigger fishes.
  Tambans in basin.
  
  How to catch Tambans?
  I used a short rod and a small reel. For the hooks it is a small size luring hooks with a short feather.
  
  

Where to buy the hooks?
I buy the hooks form the man (called Jepun) selling at the jetty. A short, well tan, rustic look and extremely experience in fishing. He is usually around the jetty in the mornings, almost everyday. May be the only time 'Off' is during the Chinese New Year.
You can get the hooks at fishing shops in Singapore, but let me warn you about these commercial hooks. You will face disappointment catching the tambans. The catch rate is low.

• my set of hooks- look how small they are.

How to cook a tamban dish?
Used to be the fish for Nasi Lemak, but now the ingredient for Nasi Lemak have changed to using 'Kunning fish'.
It is best eaten deep fried. Season with Tumeric powder and flour, then put into hot oil to fry. I would finished the whole fish - Head to tail nothing left behind.

How I get hook on fishing....

I got to know how to fish when I was very young, using a bamboo rod with a fixed line and trying to catch whitettings along Pasir Panjang beach and at Tanah Merah Beach. I used to stay at my GreatGrand Father's bungalow at Pasir Panjang during the school holidays.
My first taste of pond fishing was at Tampinese in the 1970s during my school days. There are several ponds and my friends would get to the different ponds to fish.
Later, I started to owned a rod (Silstar- Ramrod and Zebco-Pro-Staff 40 reel) and went fishing at Pasir Ris pond in the 90's. Did some fishing also during my trip to Tioman Island using hand lines.
Now, I have got three rods and go fishing about two times a week. I hope to share my experiences week after week with the catches and misses, the friendship along the way and the joy of fishing. It doesn’t mean that you need to land a catch each time, but each time you go for fishing is a feeling of excitement and anticipation of a catch.....a bigger catch each time you are there.