A collection of Kayak Fishing Singapore..

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Haven’t posted for a while, so here’s a collection for you…

8th Jan 2011

A date with Royalty!

Change of venue! Today, we went over to Tanah Merah on the East Coast. We were greeted with blue sky and blue(ish) water. First on the list was to get some baitfish, so we ventured off to the nearest buoy. After a few drops, we had our first small fish going into the tanks, but the imminent arrival of a Navy RIB soon put a stop to our fishing here.
“Can you please move away from the area? This is a protected place!”
We were outside the markers, but not wanting to argue, we hung our heads and paddled away, with only a few fish in the tanks.

Anyway, not to be beaten, we decided to hook up a fish and drop it down into the depths. We were fishing in around 60 to 80 feet of water, but with a bit of wind to keep us on a good drift.

After half an hour or so, I anchored in a likely spot and was just changing the lure on my second rod, when I heard a lovely sound… ZZZZZZZ…ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…

I switched rods and was delighted to feel a fighter on the line again. To my horror, the line went slack and I thought I’d lost it, but then a bar of silver sprang out of the water to my left. I wound line in as quickly as I could and the fish jumped again. Then she went down deep again, pulling off line against a fairly tight drag. Left, right, under the yak and back again.

Then I saw her going toward the anchor rope and round she went. I thought I would lose her here for sure, but she stayed on and circled around in front of me as I lifted the rope. I nervously reached down and grabbed the line. Open wide and … GOTCHA!!! A lovely Queenfish held aloft!

After a couple of photo’s, I quickly dropped her back into the water and she swam off nice and strong. Happy now, I moved off toward the water breaker and sought number 2!

A while later, I thought I heard a distant call. Looked around and there was Merv, into the fight with a fishy beast. As I paddled toward him, I could see the fish jump a few times. Getting closer now and Merv was reaching down to get his prize.

This was also quickly released and the fishing continued. Despite our best efforts and inclement weather, these were to be our final catches for today. We did get pretty wet as the monsoon rains came over earlier than usual today!

At least we had our fish - and guess who’s was the biggest!

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Fishing Party - 15 Jan 2011

We thought it was about time for another get together, so Merv & I arranged for a rendezvous at Sentosa Island. We had 10 yakkers turn up and the fun started straight away with New Year greetings and the usual banter.

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Had a great day (even though I didn’t get into the biggies!).

First up for me was a Blue Line Hind that fancied the weirdest jig I have!

Past the Sister Islands..

..and onto St. John’s

The current at St. John’s was getting bad, so I beat a hasty retreat and went to find some bait fish.

Passed the troop on the way, with Siem looking really cool on his umbrella yak!

Top of the line was a Grouper, followed by a mixed bag.

Nothing hit the baitfish, but I did manage to pull up another small Grouper on a Salty Rubber!

All up, a great day out…and a great deal of envy for Johnson’s nice fish!!!

Johnson - A very happy yakker!!!

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Sentosa re-match - 12 Feb 2011

After Johnson’s victory catch last time, we were up for a re-match!

The current was flowing, the wind was blowing, but we still managed to have a great time… and catch some fish!!

I also had this greedy fellow…

Here’s Merv’s video compilation of the days fun..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WYXIdDSvEkE

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Fish, fish and more fish… WAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!

Oh boy, did we have some fun today!

We were back on our old hunting ground with a farewell trip for Richard the Ninja and Wan, before they returned to the land down-under.

I was first at the spot and soon was to be first with a fish! A nice Chermin (Diamond Trevally) came up for a quick foto and released back, into the salty stuff.

I was back in again and soon had another fish on - a small Ang Cho (Fingermark Snapper) came up to say hello and then went back in to join the Chermin.

Just to show us that he was still the champ, Merv was next in with a nice big Chermin that put up quite a good fight. Merv’s rod was bent double and he was being pulled all over the place as the rest of us looked on - a little green with envy!

Merv likes Chermin!

We were happily fishing there and the Coast Guard decided to see why we looked so happy and came right in the middle of us for a chat. They just wanted to know where we were from and make sure we were all safe, but this ruined the fishing! As things had cooled down on the fishy front, we decided to go to pastures new.

Merv was soon having fun with a Herring jumping up all around his yak. He landed the wee beasty and dropped it back in after a quick pose.

I had a few hits on the lure, but Richard the Ninja crept in and took the next one.

With so many fish around, we kept calling for Wan to come over and get in on the action.

Merv kept hitting fish, but I couldn’t take a foto as I was anchored up a distance away - still getting hits before this one was on the yak.

Richard was also getting takes and I was too - fish all over, but where was a fish for Wan. Each time we got a fish, we called out “WAAAAAN!!” “Where’s your fish Wan??”

I had two lines in and at one time had two fish on at the same time! Luckily one of them got away and the beast that took my lure was putting up a really good fight! The line was peeeeeeeeling of and each time I managed to get some back, he would take some more. This fight was a good one and after around 10 minutes, he came in close enough for me to grab hold.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!! WHERE’S YOUR FISH??”

I don’t know what it was, but wherever Wan went, he just couldn’t get a take. He came a bit too close to Merv at one time, so Merv showed him what the fishing was like!

Richard was back in..

He changed his bait to dead prawn for something different and found it in a Cao Xi (Sickle Fish)

Merv was back in..

I was back in again and all of a sudden, we heard a shout from Wan’s direction. There he was sitting there with his hands raised. He had a fish take him by surprise on the lure and it took his rod out of his hands! As he exclaimed about his rod, the fish jumped up behind him laughing as it spat out the lure!

Wan paddled off in disgust and went over to Merv for some more ammo.

I sat there wondering and thought I’d try to look for the rod. Rigged up an apollo rig and a heavy sinker and paddled over to the spot for a trawling session. On the first pass, the rod bent and I could feel something heavy on the end. Lucky me - as I reeled up, Wan’s lure came into view, so I pulled all the line up to find his rod & reel hanging off the end.

Wan was happy now, but we still couldn’t get him a fish! So we just showed him some of ours to make him feel better!

Still, we all had a good laugh and a fantastic trip was had by all!

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Sincere apologies..</font id=“size3”>

To all the Advanced Elements fan club - I sincerely apologize! As we met up this morning, the rain started. The forecast looked horrible with more rain to come. We had breakfast and moved off to review the situation from closer to the water.

As we got closer to the water, we convinced ourselves that the rain might not be too bad and we should at least go out for a while.

“Why don’t you take my hard-shell?” Merv inquired. “At least you won’t have to dry your AE!”

I thought about it for a while and, as the rain continued to pour, it did seem appealing. Go out, get wet, fish or no fish, wash the yak down and put it back in Merv’s car. Deal!

So I set up on Merv’s yak! Something just felt wrong. I shouldn’t be doing this - it s like a betrayal for my own faithful yak! Once on, I felt a wobble - Mmmmm - this takes a little more concentration to stay upright than I am used to! The yak handled well tho and we were off hunting in the rain. The rain was lighter now though, with a brightening sky! Within another few minutes, the rain had stopped and we were at a risk of sunshine appearing! A risk - what risk? NO SUNBLOCK!! My legs were not used to being out in the sun! They were used to being cosy and sheltered in my AE!

As we moved from spot to spot, with barely a nibble, I came across a tail paddling in the water. Another nearby, but what could this be? Not a Kim, not a Grouper - maybe a few pussies? Must be! Now I’m not normally a fan of these pussies, but with the absence of any rod bending action, I decided to give it a go.

I rigged up a prawn onto a circle hook and cast over the top of the tails. As I brought the little fella into the zone, I had a take. Circle hook - let it take line and slowly tighten…there she goes…wait…wait…tighten…FISH ON!!! On the first splash, I saw it!!! WOOHOOOOOO!!! My first of this species - and I’m not on my own kayak!!! OH NOOOOOO!!!

The fish made a fight for freedom and passes under a branch - BAD!!! I followed the line and tried to allow the fish to come back, but it was out the other side and heading out further. I released some line and paddled over to the branch, passed the rod under and tightened back up. It was still there!! So now I could fight in open water!! I checked the drag constantly and played the fish. It turned and headed back for the branch, so I applied a little more pressure and pulled its head away. It came back out and passed me again. All this time I kept looking over to Merv, but he was intently fishing a different spot. Slowly it tired and came to my side. I looked down and realized I didn’t have my grip, my net, my pliers - nothing! So I played it a little more and when it was really ready, brought it along side and gently grabbed it under the gill. YAAAAHOOOOOO!!! I called Merv - “Come here, come here, come here, come here!!!”

As he paddled over, he asked “Got fish?”

“Got!” I replied

“Kim?” …“Nope!”…“Grouper?”…“Nope!”…“Chermin?”…“Nope!” I reached down and pulled up the fish on the fish-keeper.

“TAIWAN NGOR!!!” (Red Drum)

“Want one I said?”
“Can I?” Asked Merv
“Follow me!” So off we went, back to where I had seen them. As we watched, another tail showed on the surface. Merv cast…waited…FISH ON!!!

Doink! Out flew the hook!

Back in again…FISH ON!! This time the fish did the same trick as my earlier one and went under the branch! Merv was not so lucky and his line went slack.

“Mind if I try again?” I asked…and cast in.

FISH ON!!! This time it was a joint effort to keep the fish away from the obstacles, with Merv pushing my kayak clear.

The fish eventually subdued and I was able to make my move..

So, my apologies to Merv - after this, the fish dispersed and he wasn’t able to find them again.

My apologies to the people who release the fish for their prayers. These fish are not native to our waters, but are released, once a year by the temple to “give life”. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away - I just helped a little)

My apologies to the fish.

My apologies to my kayak - which had to stay in the car while I was having my hard-shell affair!

My apologies to my loving wife - who now has to put up with my glowing red legs (which are REALLY sore!)

Hehehe!!!

Would I change my AE for the hard-shell - no! I love the stability of the AE. I’m normally sitting right on the water’s surface and can feel the water through the base. I love the comfort, the tracking, the covered legs. Almost 2 years now since I bought the yak and I still love everything about it!

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A trip to the South - 19 March 2011

Those lumps on the horizon are actually ships, anchored off the coast. Many of them have been there for a loooooong time - it seems to be cheaper to anchor them off Singapore than to have them in harbour or roaming the high seas empty!

Despite a few hours of searching, the only fish to come my way were Selar. These are normally used for bait, but taste delicious when deep fried until quite crispy. I caught around 25 in about 10 minutes!

A trip to the East - 26 March 2011

Merv was first in, trolling a lure produced this nice Mangrove Jack

I tried and tried, but no fish was coming my way. After seeing some bait fish rise to the surface, I paddled over in their direction and put on a small metal jig. I cast out and allowed the jig to sink down - looing for Diamond Trevally or what ever fish was hunting below. BANG! A good hit and “FISH ON” was the cry. Merv was quite a distance away and and this was a good fight. No idea what was on the other end, until, to my surprise, a Grouper came to the surface. They don’t normally fight all the way up, but this one did!

Time was up, so back to the ranch.

A trip to the West - 27 March 2011

No sunrise pic today - we were on the West, but were late anyway!

As we arrived at the launch site and setting up, a stinkboat arrived and proceded to fish just off from the shore. As we got into the water, a few predatory fish were bursting out, chasing bait. I went off in search of the quarry and ended up drifting toward the boat. As I neared, one of the guys was into a good fish and up came a lovely Grouper - 2KG+ by the look of it.

This looked promising, but luck was not on our side. Merv and I caught and released a couple of Johnsons about the same size..

And just on the last cast, I managed to hook into a nice Grunter which came home for dinner!

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Mixed bag - Saturday & Sunday 2nd/3rd April 2011

3 of us went out on Saturday, but only two of THEM caught fish! I just wasn’t on my game and failed miserably! Merv was champion of the day, firstly with a nice Queenie at a place we normally catch Giant Herring followed by a Giant Herring at a place we catch all sorts of things!

Sunday was to be a little different!

We set off from the East Coast nice and early and paddled over to a few likely spots. There was a good current today, which is normally a good sign. It did mean a lot of to and fro paddling though as we quickly drifted from our spots. 80+ feet of water meant that any anchor was going to be very tiring to pull back up - I found that out quick enough. It is OK on a boat as you can just pull the rope into a hole, but on a kayak, you have to be neat and pull it back onto a spool.

Anyway, I was to take the lead with a small Gelama - so small it was nearly the same size as the hook!

I then went through a quiet spell as I watched Merv pull in a nice Mangrove jack, followed by a few small Grouper.

Little did we know, Merv’s trophy was about to be taken away from him.

As we moved over to a new spot, I thought I would hook on my old favourite - a Yo-Zuri Crystal Vibe. This little lure resembles a bait fish and has a nice action in the water.

The little lure was cast out and I hat a couple of hits on the first cast, but no hook-up. Next cast and BANG! Big hit and… FISH ON!!!

At first I thought it was a Herring, but the fight was different. I could feel the fish rapidly shaking its head and it was staying deep with line peeling off fast! I’m only on a 14lb main line, so I let the reel’s drag take the strain with a nice deep bend in the rod. The fight lasted quite a while, but as the fish came into view, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My first Giant Trevally!! I nervously brought the fish up and close to the yak. I grabbed the tail - quickly to find these fish have very sharp scales near the tail which sliced my thumb, but never mind that - up she came into the yak!

WOOOHOOOOO!!!

Quickly got her back into the water and revived her until she kicked. Off she swam, fast as lightening!

Back in and on my next cast - BANG!!!.. FISH ON!!!

Another good fighter and I knew what it was this time…ANOTHER GT!

OH BOY!!! Merv was now looking a little envious, so I made a deal. If I get another one, I’ll lend him my lure. So I cast out again. Pause, let it drop down in the water, reel, twitch, twitch, pause, reel, twitch, twi…BANG!!!..FISH ON!!!

Released her back and true to my word, I gave my lucky lure to Merv. Maybe the fish just liked me, or maybe Merv’s technique was a little different, whatever it was, the GT weren’t going to entertain.

He did hook into a few nice Herring though, so still had some fun with fish jumping all around his yak.

After a while, he gave me back the lure and I was straight into another Herring - a relief for Merv as I don’t think he could take it if I caught another GT!!

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Been out the past few weekends and managed to catch a variety of fish of all shapes and sizes! Had a trip out today and lost a BIG fish! It was quite a gentle take and then it took off! Line was peeling form the reel and I couldn’t stop the fish. As the fish got further and further away, I applied a bit more pressure, but something didn’t feel right. I could feel the fish fighting, but the line didn’t feel smooth. As I looked down at my anchor rope, looked back at the amount of line left on my reel, looked back at the anchor thinking I should release the anchor - SNAP! The line broke. The fish must have taken the line through some underwater structure and it snapped under tension. Heaven only knows what fish it was!

Here’s some for variety - the majority were released, but some of the more tasty ones were kept for my tummy!

Baby Orange Spotted Grouper - released of course..

Diamond Trevally (Chermin) - kept this one..

Fingermark Snapper - Kept this one too..

Nice Barramundi for Merv..

Tiger Grouper - Kept this one too!

Chao Xi - Released

Total catch

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Next trip - More variety!

My first Golden Trevally

Fingermark Snapper - Released

Chermin - Released

Bigger Chermin - Also released

Greedy Grouper on lure - released

Giant Herring - Released

Malabar Grouper - Released

This one was so greedy, he even had a crab in his mouth at the same time as my prawn!

Quite a few more Fingermark Snapper too - it is the season for them now!

Managed to find another Taiwan Ngor (Red Drum)

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A nice early start and an early arrival at the meeting place, but a lot more kayakers than I was expecting! I was thinking maybe Ipohmali might beat me to the car-park (which he did, but so did the other 7 fisho’s! Merv was a little late, so we were all ready to go before he got there! Hehehe!

With a nice mix of kayaks and kayak fisho’s, we set off down to the beach.

I should have waited until everyone was in position, I guess, but I did count Yat, Yee, Sum before I took the foto. I’ll say it in Mandarin next time!

The Australian Navy came past to wish us luck..

I think Merv caught the well wishes - as the ship was just passed, I heard a splash, looked across and there he was… fighting a nice Queenie!

By this time, the rest of the gang had already crossed to the left of us. We were supposed to be going right, trying to find the SMTC Kelong, but I guess I forgot to tell the others that.

Fishing around on the other side, as we cast around, Merv was in AGAIN!! “It’s a Kim!” he shouted. Great! The cheeky Chinaman does it again! NOT FAIR!!!

A little while later, my consolation prize of a small Orange Spotted Grouper came up for a quick foto before release.

By mid morning, the rest of the gang had come to join us and I had a quick look at Ipohmali’s nice Kim - about 2KG of solid silver! What a great prize for his first time out!

We ventured off to the kelongs and fished around for a while. This place was full of snags over the sunken kelongs, but our friend was back in again! Big fish on!!

He kept us guessing for a while! This was a good fighting fish, bending his rod double and taking line.

As it came up, to everyone’s surprize it was a 2KG Sweetlips!

My time was up, so the two champions joined me for the journey back, leaving the rest of the gang to carry on fishing.

A quick trophy shot for the Champ of the Morning..

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Finally found my Mojo!

I’m not really sure what it was, but my fishing had not been too good recently. On one recent trip, I was annihilated by Merv! He was catching fish all around me and I couldn’t even get a bite! My own theory is that it was the sunblock I had been using. This particular day was really hot, even early morning and I had been wiping the sweat from my face. I think this must have transferred to the bait! In an hour and a half, Merv already had 8 fish - the biggest being over 6kg and all within 50 yard of me!! How humiliating!

This weekend was mine tho! 5 of us went out on Saturday and the fishing was slow… real slow - just a few small snappers which were released back into the murky depths.

I moved on to get some bait-fish and the fish only started to bite once the current started to move in the opposite direction as the tide changed. I quickly filled up my bait tube and moved on again to look for biggies. No biggies tho! As we started to paddle back, I saw a Giant Herring break the surface. “Herring” I shouted and cast out a small lure. “FISH ON!!” A big Herring jumped out - still on! This beastie jumped a lot, but as it came close to the yak, it jumped straight at me! I put my arm up in defense and the fish smacked it, impaling the hooks into my sleeve. In a flash of silver, the fish was gone, leaving one of its gills behing as a present! Poor fish - I’m sorry!

I cast again, but no more takes. The rest of the guys had moved in, but they too could not get a fish on. We paddled again and I saw another Herring fin. “They’re here!” I shouted and cast out again. “WHOOOOHOOOO!! FISH ON!!!” Another Herring came bouncing out, but this one threw the hooks after about 10 jumps! No fish for the other guys again.

We paddled on again and about 50 yards later, I was in the middle of the Herrings. “FISH ON!!!” This one was to give quite a tug of was and towed the yak around in circles. As it came up, I realized it was actually foul-hooked in the side! As it tired enough to stop jumping around, I grabbed the tail and hoisted my prize up for a quick photo before releasing it.

No fish for the other guys tho. Hehehe!

Sunday came and we were off to the East.

As Merv and I trolled lures on the way to the fishing ground, I had a take! A nice little Mangrove Jack put up a good fight and came in for a photo.

We trolled and cast lures all over the place, but couldn’t get another hook-up, so I moved out into deeper water. The only fish to take my bait there was this little Toad Fish…

Lunchtime was approaching, so we moved back closer to the launch site and I cast out my lure again. First cast - BANG! “FISH ON!!!”. Another good fighter on the end! It felt like a much bigger fish, but Mangrove Jacks are a powerful fish and they play dirty, heading into the rocks to find a place to cut you off. I tightened the drag and pulled him up onto the yak.

Sorry Merv! Hehehe!!

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Seeing red!</font id=“red”>

Sunday - 29 May 2011

The tides were not very favourable this weekend. Not much of a difference between high and low tide means that there will not be much current.

The first spot gave us a few small fingermark snappers which were released to grow bigger. The second spot gave us no bites at all, so we moved on again. Merv went back to the first spot, insisting that there are fish there really!

I moved on to a drop off from 14 feet down to 24+ feet. We’ve had a few from here before, but no bites this morning. As I was sitting there, wondering where Merv was, I had a text message.. “Ang Kway (Red Snapper) are here! 2 so far and counting!”

Merv’s instinct was right again!

I started to wind the line back in, ready to follow Merv, when I felt a little tug. I paused on the retrieve and felt a stronger tug, struck into it and felt a nice little fighter on the end. As it came up, I could see red - my own red snapper!

Cast out again and sent Merv a text saying I had my own! Another tug and another red came up to say “Hello!”

Another text to Merv - “2 all!”

My next cast put me in the lead…

I looked up and saw Merv heading my way… just as my fourth took the bait…

Merv was impressed and dropped his line down into the same hole. He was quickly rewarded with a bent rod and another one came up. I had enough of the snapper for now, so cast around looking for Giant Herring, but only found a small one which was quickly released.

Moving further into the rocky areas along the coast, I had a strong pull and quite a fight on my hands. Puzzled as to what the creature was, I was hoping for a nice Barramundi, but this wasn’t fighting like a Barra. As a silver disk appeared, I could see why it was a strange fight - my biggest Chao Xi (Sickle Fish) came spiraling up to the surface. This thing is huge for this species!

A quick foto and sent her back off into the depths..

I looked across and could see a large shoal of fish on the surface. We’ve seen many large shoals before, but never caught any of the fish. I usually cast into or over the shoal allowing the lure to sink down and hope to tempt a big predator to take my presentation. I did the same this time and hooked one of the mystery fish! Now I know what they are - Five Spot Herring!

I know this one only has three spots, but I guess it is saving up for the other two!

Quickly released this one, cast out and caught another! I think they just got in the way of the lure, rather than actively attacking it tho.

Merv and I ended up with about the same amount of fish today, tho I think Merv’s flu had thrown him off his game slightly!

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04 & 05 June 2011

We had a new guy with us today - he borrowed Merv’s yak and had a great time on his maiden kayak fishing trip!

Billy was first in with a nice snapper - I think Merv has the foto for that one.

He caught a nice Mangrove Jack too -

For me, I broke my Pomfret virginity… 3 times!

Pomfret number 1..

Number 2

Number 3

MJ for me..released after the photo…

Glooper..

Another MJ on Berkley Gulp Shrimp..

Gulp..

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The following day, we went out again and found some different colours..

Even though it was pouring rain the whole morning, we had a LOT of fish today, and all but 2 were released by me! I kept one Mangrove Jack (had that for lunch - sooooo fresh!) and a nice Snapper.

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19 June 2011 - Lone Ranger

Due to a couple of last minute cancellations, I was fishing alone today. Got up, all excited, coffee, banana, business and ready!

Arrived nice and early and set up, just as the sun was rising…

Yesterday’s sunrise was even better, but I didn’t take a photo for some reason. Today was calm, with a gentle breeze and the end of an outgoing tide - perfect for my chosen game today!

After a loooong paddle to get to the ground with a couple of small Grouper taking my trolling deep diving Stump Jumper lure, I felt a bigger tug. Up came the first visitor…

He was quickly released - too quick for me to take the photo!

I paddled on for another 30 minutes, then stopped at the first spot and cast out my trusty Halco Scorpion. Second cast… BANG!!!

He too was released quickly - I didn’t even get a chance to get ready this time! What’s with these fish today? Full of energy!

I cast and cast and cast, but no more takers. The tide had turned and was now bringing me back in! I had intended to go further, but left it too late! Spot number two was coming up, so I paddled over and changed to a new bait - Berkley Gulp 7" Shad!! This is a monster!

First cast and I had a strong take, but the fish let go. Second cast - another take and another loss. Third cast…third time LUCKY! BANG!!! This Tiger Grouper was a good fighter - so good he won first prize (dinner with me and my wife!)

Next cast - BANG!!! Fish on again!! Another Mangrove Jack fought like hell and came up glowing red and angry. Just as I was reaching down to lift him up, he made a last valiant effort and with a splash, was gone! He was going back anyway, but I think the Grouper scared him!

An hour later and I was back where I started. Thought I would have a few last casts, just in case and BANG!!! Fish on again…

All up, 4 Grouper and 3 Mangrove Jack - Not a bad morning, really!!

YAAAHHHOOOOOO!!!

17

Awesome, idpearl.

Enjoy reading your posts a lot. Thanks for sharing.

18

idpearl, fantastic write up and plenty of eye candy!

NOW I am REALLY yearning to go for a fish this weekend!!

[:)]

19

Me too! And it is Wednesday - the hump of the week! All downhill after midday today!!!

20

Ian,

Other than kayak fishing, do you still ride?