OceanBay Resort - Bintan

Location: - OceanBay Resort/ Bintan/Indonesia 5-6 July 2008
Personnal: - Four Families from Tanamera Crest & FNR friends.
Cost: -Adult S$ 162, Child: S$ 121.
Coverage: - 1 night stay, 5 meals, land & sea transportation & sea port tax.

From a conversation by a group of people, in fact a group of four families gathering, talking about vacationing. Some ask me about my previous fishing trip in Bintan. Having getting some interest with the group on a short get-a-way, with old country-side laidback charm...Tanjong Pinang will be a good place. One guy suggest to go to a Kelong - SIBU will be good, but if the children runs all over the place, it will be dangerous.


So, I suggested going to Bintan -Tanjing Pinang --> OceanBay Resort. It's like a kelong but it's actually a walk-out to the sea - big enclosure with cabins at the two sides. There are about 30 cabins altogether, with each cabin accommodating two people.

















My daughter and neighbours from #9 flr. - standing in front of the cabin.

The journey from Tanamera Ferry Terminal to Tanjong Pinang takes approximately 1hr 45 mins -2 hrs. We are on the 'Wavemaster' boat, newer boat and fast.

Upon arrival at Tanjong Pinang, Tracy ( the owner's daughter) was thee to greet us and showed us the three MPV waiting to bring us to the kelong. Without much fuss, all of us gather our belongings and carried into the MPVs. Excitingly and with egerness he children quickly board-up the MPVs and ready to go. The driver too about 45 mins to reach the resort, along the journey we can see many fruit trees...especially durian trees.

We were greeted by a welcoming drink followed by lunch. Our group ocupied two tables and soon
lunch was served.














Hungrily all of us tucked in into the sumptious meal, they gave us generous portions of dishes and there was crabs......flower crabs. Mr.Poh from #09 enjoyed the crabs very much and was the last one to leave the table. I was eager to go and fish but stayed at the table having conversation with Mr. Poh.

Soon, he finishes his lunch and I quickly walk to my cabin to set-up my fishing gears. Not long after...around 10 mins, I got the first catch -- a leather jacket.

Hooks: Sabiki size 4
Sinkers: size 1/2 or 1

At 3pm, transport for the wives & their husbands to Tropikal Spa. My fishing friends, the children & I was left behind. The tide was going down and the bite was slowing down. After sometime the chidren became restless. So, the only thing that can excite them was to go to the beach to play.

My Offshore Escapades - 7 Sep 07.

Date: 7 Sep 07

Location: Changi, Tekong, Ubin.

Rod: Assinnie PE 1-2.

Reel: Zebco

Today Taufik cannot come along, but still got Thanatos and his gang. As usual with Ah Chong's boat and we will be targeting for Ang Chor. I told them that I have not got any Ang Chor before.

We went to the structured area to target the Ang Chor.....like the last trip...lines went ...zzzzzz...zzzz...zzzzzzzz.....and the monster that did that came out -----> the Ang Chor......

Landed this Ang Chor at 1.1 Kg.

Total two Ang Chor landed.

Nice trip and very fruitful, learn a few lessons and to bring two rods always.

My Offshore Escapades - 24 Aug 07

Date: 24 Aug 07.
Location: Changi, Tekong, Ubin.
Rod: Assinnin
Reel: Sonar 3000
Line: 12 lbs Braided.


We meet at usual at Changi Village for breakfast and proceed towards Ah Chong boat. The current was slow and we are targeting for Grouper & promfets.


We went to a structure area and hope for the best. Then after several casts.....the action came fast & furious. Our lines went out & the reel sounded.... zzzzz...zzzz.....zzzz. Lines were broken, but our hearts were pounding. Someone got a hook-up, but couldn't control the fish, it went towards the structureed area and got entangle. Poor fellow, tried his best to pull up the fish but couldn't. One guy landed a Golden Promfet.....waoooooohh. Nice..Nice.We are hoping to get more if them. Some Goohoot (Grunter) also came up.

I got my Goohoot (grunter)and Golden Promfet 1.5Kg after a while. I was extremely happy with the catch.

Pic of my Golden Promfet.

My Offshore Escapades - June 07

Next offshore trip was on 15 June '07. This trip was the second after March and was hoping to increase my catch. As usual, the boatman was Ah Chong and with Thanatos & Taufilk.
I lost several sinkers in the morning......sinkers got stuck and needed to have new line and sinkers.

In the afternoon, the action was slow and mostly Groupers came up. I was not getting any bite and this is not my day.

Re: My first off-shore fishing trip

Date: 23 March 2007
Location: Changi Point, Tekong Kechil & Ubin.
Equipment: Rod - Pioneer light spinning 4-14 lbs.
Reel - Zebco.

My first off-shore fishing trip organised by Nigel. We meet at Tanamera MRT @0645hrs and proceed to Changi Point by Taxi. We arrived Changi Point for breakfast - the famous Nasi Lemak store. In my opinion, I find the Nasi Lemak is just so,so. Nothing great and expalsive as compared to the Nasi Lemak sold at Tanjong Pagar hawker centre, which cost just $2.
For $2 - i can get chicken thight, otak, ikan bilis and egg. Good value for money!

After breakfast, we proceed to buy some water and walked towards the jetty. I was surprised to find the jetty to be so modern. I remembered back during my Army days (1975-1981), we used to walked along the planks to reach the boat. When we reached the boat, we have to hop from one boat to another in-order to get to the correct boat. We used the boat to get to Tekong Besar island for our jungle training and live fireing practices.

We waited for the rest of the group to arrived and set-off at 0820hrs. The boatman steered the boat towards Ubin for us to buy live prawns. After 15mins we arrived at a floating fish farm. I was surprised to find many large fishes, lobsters, chickens and a duck. We bought about 1 1/2 Kg. of prawns.

The boat then proceed towards the middle of Ubin & Tekong Kechil for our first dip. We fished for about 1 hr before moving towards the breakwaters of Tekong Kechil. Nothing -- No fish!

Upon reaching the break-waters of Tekong Kechil one of our group members made his cast. Immediately, there was a take-up. His rod bent and he was reeling franticly.....screaming ' Big onnnnne'! But just as sudden as the rod bent...it went slack and LOST! Fish gone! ..What a waste.

But this gives us a chance...ke,ke,ke.... We moved around this location a few times but still no catch. My line snapped 3 times due to being 'sankok' and lost 3 sinkers. Very bad.

My first action was after mid-day. We anchored between Tekong Kechil and Tekong Besar to fish. I felt a sudden tug and I made a strike. My rod suddenly bent downwards and my reel's drag was singing. I tried to reel-in the fish but the fish put up a good fight. It was strong. I was reeling in like 5 times before the fish pulled away for a few meters. It took me about 5 mins before I can see the fish near the surface. It took another few mins to land the fish as it kept going down towards under the boat. The fish was a Chermin - large one!

My Chermin - 1 Kg.






We moved towards Takong Besar and made anchor. It was towards 4 pm and I landed a flat fish (sole). Later I got a AC and a foul hook on a small fish.

The total catch from us : -



Many varieties of fishes.
Grouper, AC, Chermins, Sole fish & Grunters.





Overall, it was a good experience and I was very sastisfied with my catch. This will not be my last off-shore trip! Looking for more......

Toman Hunting

Today I went to the Western part of Singapore to search for Toman. I was told that this area have lots of Toman ranging from 500 grms - 8 Kg. My fellow fishing kaki (Thantos) was the one that brought me there.

I started out from my home at 6.00 am, drive to Yishun to buy live catfishes. A bag of 10 catfishes costs $7, reasonable enough, cause at my place they are asking for $1 each.

I used to catch small Toman fries at LSR but this area have huge Tomans. It will be an experience as I have not landed a Toman of 1 Kg. What an experience it will be! For this trip I will be using the Silstar - Ramrod with Zebco reel/ 20lbs mono-line.

We arrived at location at 7.00 am, the sun was about to rise and it was a lovely morning. We were greeted with many surface action. Excitement ran into our veins, Thantos was the first one to cast-out. A few minutes later, I made my cast and waited. My cast landed 10M at 11 o'clock and I leave the reel catch open. Thantos told me that when the line starts to move out quickly, let it go and wait for the proper timing.

He was right, 15 mins into the cast, my line started to reel-out, I was excited, heart beat faster and the andrenaline rush begins. I asked Thantos "Can you strike this one for me?". "OK" replied Thantos. He then showed me the way to do it. "Let the line go, wait till the line stop and tighten the line." said Thantos. "Let the rod down horizontally." said Thantos. "

Ok...hold it and STRIKE." said Thantos. Got it! The line was tight, reel drag was screeming, there was a fight going on. Then the Toman made it's first appearance by flying into the air. After 3 mins it landed at the side of the river bank.





Weight: 2 Kg.

My next cast, lasted 10 mins before another pull was seen. I did as told and this time the line was going out fast. Waited for the line to stop running and pulled! Wammp, bang..... Landed another one!

We left the place soon after that as our catfishes ran-out ---> what a day!
My first experience with a Toman.

Going for salty.....

Have been visiting the sea lately for fishing. Partly, I want to get saltwater fishes. I know I can catch the reservior fishes easily, but for the saltwater fishes.....uummmm.
The last time I was catching Tambans at Bedok Jetty. This time round...going to a new location near the airport. With good deep waters around the varity of fishes are good.
I have been there for four times and catch nothing....but the hope of catching one is there. I saw many older people catching the rabbit fishes and I managed to learn the method to catch them.
Tomorrow morning I will be going there to catch the same fishes. Will also try jigging for squid. Hopefully, I will land something.

Got this one after several tries.

Back to LSR

Coming back to the place that I first started to fish at reservoirs. With my knee injury recovering from a tennis game, I'm back to my morning schedule at LSR.


Total weight = 1.2 Kg.

Firstly, caught one at our usual corner with a popper. A medium one but lost it on the way to land. So, I decided to change to my special Fly and try. After 15mins of luring, got a tug and I pulled in the first big one. Whilst reeling the fish in and got it out of the water, my leader broke and the fish was heading back into the water. Fortunately, I managed to catch my line in time and pulled back the fish - saved!

We then decided to go to the jetty and try our luck there, after an hour, I landed another big one. This time I cannot putt it up to the jetty - too heavy for my rod. My buddy have to help me carry up the fish.

After about one month of absence at LSR and not catching PBs, these catch today is most satisfying.

Upp. Seletar Reservior

This month, we fish mostly at Upper Seletar. We fish in the early mornings. The action there is slow as we target for only Tomans. There are some surface action but no takers. Sometimes we can see schools of Tomans, but the fishes are small. The smallest I caught was about 5cm long...attacking at my poppers. That shows, how aggressive they can be!

I might go back to LSR (Lower Seletar R) at the end of the month.....my usual place unless I can find a better place to fish for big Tomans.

Various dishes from Peacock Bass

I love to eat fish. Most of the time my wife cooks the dishes, so when it comes to fresh water fishes like Peacock Bass....It's different cooking style. These fresh water fishes have some what a kind of smell of mud. Some fresh water fish species have strong mud smell but surprisingly, PBs don't have that strong smell.

In-order to give the PB a better taste, we rub salt on to the body and the inside of the belly. Some say that soaking in Assam water or black vinegar will kill off the smell.

Well, we managed that and come up with these dishes: -

Assam Buak Keluak PB.








Assam Pedas.....Garnishes with onions, chilli, pineapple, ladies fingers and tomatoes.










Fried with chilli topping, tomatoes and corriander leaves.

Fishes caught in July 2006

my new lure rod............... a peacock bass





Haruan on
my Tamban rod &
reel.













PBs & Haruan












This is my fishing buddy(Necroplastic frm FNR)

Today he is the 'King of the catch' with 8 strikes!
All using flies.

PBs of various sizes

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.